In 2020, a romance author 'died by suicide'. Last week, she announced it was all a hoax.

In late 2020, many book enthusiasts were saddened to hear that indie romance novelist, Susan Meachen, had died by suicide.

The announcement had been made by a young woman believed to be her daughter, who posted the news on Facebook, writing that her mother had been "bullied in the book world to the point of suicide".

What followed was an outpouring of messages from fans and fellow authors, offering their condolences. They also rallied behind the daughter to help fund Meachen's funeral costs and offered to do final editing work on Meachen's final novel for free.

Meachen's professional Facebook page then evolved into a place where writers and authors would find regular posts from the daughter promoting her late mother's books, as well as sharing posts about suicide prevention and mental health.

And in October 2020, a few months after Meachen's death, her final book Love to Last a Lifetime was published posthumously. Meachen's daughter said this final book had been a love letter given to her by her mother. 

But it was all an elaborate hoax.

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This month, it all came to a head when Meachen revealed she had not in fact died – but had made the whole thing up.

"I debated on how to do this a million times and still not sure if it's right or not," she began in a long Facebook post.

"There's going to be tonnes of questions and a lot of people leaving the group I'd guess. But my family did what they thought was best for me and I can't fault them for it. I almost died again at my own hand and they had to go through all that hell again. Returning doesn't mean much but I am in a good place now and I am hoping to write again. Let the fun begin."

What Meachen alleged occurred was that around the time that it was announced she had died by suicide, she had attempted to take her own life or at the very least her mental health had been in a bad way. 

Allegedly her family made the decision, without her, to lie to the world and get her to focus on her wellbeing. Only three years later, Meachen decided to return to the literary and literal world.

Image: Facebook.

It's an explanation that has since been found to have a few holes in it.

As one book columnist wrote: "Instead of a publicity stunt, Meachen’s exit from the 'book world' reads more like an old-school internet flounce. There's a long history in online communities of members faking terminal illness and death, sometimes to grift donations for medical treatment or memorial services (Meachen has been accused of this), but often just for the drama, the attention, and – maybe most importantly – the chance to shame their enemies."

Ultimately, lying about a topic as sensitive and prevalent as suicide is a deeply upsetting thing to do.  

As one fellow author/online friend of Meachen's wrote on Facebook: "Two years ago I posted online after a dear friend took her life. Devastated, that's the word that comes back and haunts me that day. I cherished the friendship I made with her. To find out she faked it, it rattled my brain and my spirit didn't know what to feel. The ripples of this incident just keep expanding."

Well-known author Samantha A. Cole, who was a close online friend of Meachen's, expressed her anger over the apparent hoax.

"I was horrified, stunned, livid, and felt like I'd been kicked in the gut and the chest at the same time. We grieved for the loss of the woman we considered a friend," she said.

"I personally was harassed by another author who loves to create drama, claiming I was one of the authors who bullied Susan and drove her to suicide. To have it end up being a hoax that was dragged out for almost two and a half years is a slap in the face to anyone who ever supported her."

People have rightly since been expressing criticism towards Meachen, with many asking whether she would give back any of the donations she and her 'family' received in the wake of her faked death.

But when one author pushed her on this, Meachen replied: "I would again stress this wasn't demanded of them. I'm sorry they feel wronged but they choose to DONATE. It doesn't magically become a loan because they regret it now."

Upset members of the indie book community have since reached out to the sheriff's department in Meachen's county to file fraud claims.

If you think you may be experiencing depression or another mental health problem, please contact your general practitioner. If you're based in Australia, 24-hour support is available through Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyondblue on 1300 22 4636.

Feature Image: Amazon/Mamamia.