A Real Threat—and the Five Books That Followed

Ever wonder what you would do if someone with power tried to destroy everything you had built?

Three years ago, I was accused of something I didn't do. The details matter less than what came next: threats of legal action, intent to ruin my reputation, thinly veiled suggestions that I could wind up in prison. And the dawning realization that sometimes being innocent isn't enough when the other person has more resources and connections than you.

It was 3:00 a.m. I knew I was innocent—but what if that wasn’t enough?

Three ways that experience shaped The Vanishing Series:

1. Understanding: The psychology of being hunted.

When someone threatens to come after you—really come after you—your whole world shifts.

Every email becomes suspect.

Every knock at the door makes your heart race.

I channeled that hypervigilance into Mia's story: constantly looking over your shoulder and the way paranoia becomes a survival skill. Mia faces physical danger. Mine was legal and financial. But the feeling of being prey? That translated directly onto the page.

2. Recognizing: Power imbalances are real.

My antagonist had advantages I couldn't match: deeper pockets, better connections, tremendous anger, and a willingness to play dirty. Sound familiar? When I created Aleksanteri Hasapis—a diplomat with immunity and Greek mafia connections—I channeled powerlessness in the face of that level of threat.

3. Wondering: What if I actually had to disappear?

In my darkest moments, I imagined losing the fight—having to physically vanish to avoid an orange jumpsuit (so to speak). So I started researching: How does a regular person actually disappear? Turns out, it's nearly impossible, particularly if you have no training, no contacts, no rich uncle. I was just a regular woman who might need to disappear in a world built to track her. The research was sobering. Digital footprints, financial trails, facial recognition, cell phone tracking—the modern world is built to prevent exactly what Mia needs to do.

In the end, I was right. I hadn't done anything wrong. And by leveraging the skills I had—an understanding of business, expert legal support, and creativity—nothing bad happened to me. After a while, I saw the whole situation as a weird kind of gift. The gift of a question.

The Vanishing Series isn't my memoir; not even close! It's what grew from asking myself one question during that first sleepless night: "What could a regular person actually do if she needed to disappear?"

Turns out, I'd write five books to find out.

👉 Start the journey free!  

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