Back in September 2020, the daughter of Tennessee-based author Susan Meachen announced on Facebook that her mother had “passed away”. Apparently, Meachen had tragically taken her own life after experiencing bullying and harassment from members of the book community.

But in January 2023, the supposedly late author appeared to come back from the dead. “I debated on how to do this a million times and still not sure if it’s right or not. There’s going to be tons of questions and a lot of people leaving the group, I’d guess,” wrote a Facebook user claiming to be Meachen. “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 to The Ward doesn’t mean much but I am in a good place now and I am hoping to write again. Let the fun begin.” (I’m not sure we can describe the ensuing chaos, heartache, and confusion as ‘fun’.)

It’s fair to say the author didn’t have huge success (her work was mainly self-published through Amazon and retailed for around $2.99, with covers drawn from stock images and titles like Losing Him And Finding You), but her small fanbase was fiercely loyal and discussed her work in a Facebook group named The Ward. She also struck up a number of close friendships within the community. So, naturally, former associates of Meachen are now pretty alarmed to find out that she wasn’t really dead after all.

A fellow author and friend of Meachen, Samantha Cole, took to Facebook to share her side of the story. “We grieved for the loss of the woman we considered a friend,” she wrote. “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.” She added that she felt “heartbroken” when she realised she’d not chatted to Meachen in months, prompting her to feel intense guilt about her supposed suicide. Additionally, a group of authors dedicated an anthology to her. “To Susan Meachen,” the inscription read. “The world is a little less bright without her.”

Cole went on to share screenshots of a conversation between herself and Meachen, after it was revealed that Meachen was alive and well. “What is going on????”, Cole asked. Meachen replied an hour later. “Nothing. I simply want my life back. My family was in a bad place and did what they thought was best for me.”

So – what exactly happened in the intervening two years, and why did Meachen do what she did?

In October 2020 – a month after Meachen’s alleged death – her account, supposedly now managed by her daughter (but, in light of the hoax reveal, in reality was probably still managed by Meachen herself), posted on Facebook. “Sorry thought everyone on this page knew my mom passed away,” the account wrote. “Dead people don’t post on social media I’ve been on this account for a week now finishing her last book, my wedding gift from her.”

Another post requested that no one report Meachen’s account to Facebook to prevent it from being memorialised, and over the next few months the account was then used to promote Meachen’s ‘final’ novel. Benevolent editors volunteered to proofread and correct Meachen’s novel for free. On The Ward Facebook group, Meachen’s author’s assistant Connie Ortiz announced that the book – Love to Last a Lifetime – was available for purchase for $2.99 on Amazon from October 30. 

By January 2021, Meachen’s ‘daughter’ (via Meachen’s account) posted to announce that sales of Meachen’s books had reached zero. In February 2021, she wrote Meachen’s books would all be unpublished due to low sales, “unless something changes in the next 21 days”. Soon after she said the account would convert to a “private page for memories only”. Two fundraisers were also shared to Meachen’s Facebook page to support suicide prevention, although neither seems to have raised any money.

Then, in November 2022, Ortiz wrote in The Ward that she was no longer able to manage the Facebook group. “I have been considering closing it down but that would not be fair to you. If anyone wants to take over this group please let me know,” she wrote. One user with the name TN Steele commented: “I will overhaul it in hopes that it pleases you and Susan.” Shortly thereafter, ‘TN Steele’ posted a Facebook status announcing that she would soon be returning to her “real account and name”. Cole believes that ‘TN Steele’ was likely a burner account used by Meachen herself.

Finally, on January 2, Meachen dropped the news that she wasn’t really dead, and the internet has been poring over the details ever since. Meachen’s former friends are clearly reeling at the hoax, and many other people are keen to quash Meachen’s hopes of restarting her career. Some have labelled the whole thing as an elaborate scam, and while it’s possible and likely that Meachen hoped to capitalise off her ‘death’, she’s hardly the next Anna Delvey: she was only ever pushing a handful of $3 indie romance books and apparently Meachen was posting on TikTok this whole time anyway. As Laura Miller put it in Slate, “instead of a publicity stunt, Meachen’s exit from the “book world” reads more like an old-school internet flounce” and was executed for nothing more than “the drama, the attention, and – maybe most importantly – the chance to shame [her] enemies”.

Many details are still not clear, and Meachen is yet to speak to the media about the finer points of what exactly happened over the last two years. More information will surely come to light in the coming days, given Meachen’s resurrection and the deluge of media attention the story is now receiving. One thing remains certain, though – as Cole told Rolling Stone, “suicide is not something to make a joke about or claim it happened for attention.”