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Dopamine Detox? Not Required for Binge Readers
Here's a twist: binge-reading doesn't hit your dopamine circuits the same way binge-scrolling social, or binge-streaming does
Phyllis Horne
5 days ago1 min read


3:00 a.m. Magic
Like life, we can't always understand in the moment why we do what we do, say what we say, or write the things we write. Because sometimes life knows what's needed before we do.
Phyllis Horne
Oct 202 min read


Inside Mia’s Mind
But Mia is not broken—she’s adaptive. When she realizes she’s married to a dangerous man who will face no consequences, she runs.
Phyllis Horne
Oct 131 min read


The Art of Becoming Dangerous
The scene that started it all: Picture this—a woman hears her enraged husband storming up the stairs. A brief history of extreme abuse tells her she has seconds. She grabs a backpack that she hasn’t properly prepared, buckles into a rappelling harness she's hidden in her closet, knocks out a third-floor window screen, and drops into the night. Bad form. Lands on her butt. But she's alive and running.  
Phyllis Horne
Oct 62 min read


The Bar Owner with Ghosts in His Smile
Some people become trustworthy not because they're innocent, but because they understand the true cost of getting involved. Jake Brusey is one of them. 
Phyllis Horne
Sep 292 min read


What We Learn When We Stop Running
The metamorphosis in the mirror: Midway through the series, Mia catches her reflection: "Hair shining with health instead of dulled by chemicals.
Phyllis Horne
Sep 222 min read


The Man Behind the Marcellas Name
The detail that matters: Throughout the series, watch how Boudreaux's curiosity about old photographs, family connections, and long-buried secrets isn't random. 
Phyllis Horne
Sep 152 min read


The Five-Book Escape That Became a Reckoning
When I started writing Mia’s story three years ago, I thought I was telling a tale of escape—a leap into a new identity, a new life. But what emerged was something else entirely: a five-book journey of transformation that only begins when you’re forced to face everything you’ve avoided, denied, or buried deep enough to forget.
Phyllis Horne
Sep 82 min read


Mia in the Moment
Mia is smart. Athletic. Creative in ways that run deeper than talent—visual storytelling is how she thinks. But she's no superhero. 
Phyllis Horne
Aug 312 min read


Jake Brusey’s Inner World
Jake's inner world—built from loss, shaped by resistance, haunted by what passive choices can cost—makes this moment inevitable. He's not making a plot-convenient decision. He's acting from the deepest truth of who he is. 
Phyllis Horne
Aug 263 min read


"I Read it in 2 Days!"
When My Spreadsheet-Loving Friend Couldn’t Put Down My Psychological Thriller  Libby shocked me.  She’s been my best buddy for a long...
Phyllis Horne
Aug 182 min read


The Vanishing Begins
Through five books, Mia evolves the way real people do—incrementally, imperfectly, courageously. She's forced to accept truths she didn’t want to know; master forms of self-defense she never imagined needing; and overcome fear she’d denied for most of her life.
Phyllis Horne
Aug 102 min read


Tools of the Trade
There's a lot of emotion, fear, excitement, and talk (and arguing) going out there about writers working with AI. To me, the ethical...
Phyllis Horne
Mar 102 min read


Loving my own ‘Pantry’
Ever open your fridge and 'yuck' all the options? Decide the clothing you recently purchased must have been chosen by some other...
Phyllis Horne
Feb 213 min read


Coming Clean About the Mess
Busy, busy, busy — writing the 4th book, getting up to speed with the fantastic person who's handling publishing and promotion; working...
Phyllis Horne
Jan 23 min read


Why Vanish? The Real-Life Moment That Sparked The Vanishing Series
It was 3 a.m., and I couldn't sleep. My mind kept circling one question: What if I was found guilty of something I didn't do? 	Years ago,...
Phyllis Horne
Dec 3, 20242 min read
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