An indie novelist has been accused of faking her own suicide in a bizarre alleged plan to fool her fans and fellow writers.
Author Susan Meachen has been presumed dead since September 2020, when someone claiming to be her daughter posted from her Facebook account that she had died of suicide.
However, on Monday, the same account published a private fan group alleging that Meachen’s family faked her death while she was going through a mental health crisis, revealing that she had continued to post under the alias TN Steele.
“I’ve debated how to do this a million times and I’m still not sure if it’s right or not,” the account wrote when announcing Meachen’s return. “But my family did what they thought was best for me and I can’t fault them… I’m in a good place now and I’m hoping to get back to writing.” Let the fun begin.’
Co-author Samantha A. Cole, who was a friend of Meachen’s online and had mourned her alleged death two years ago, expressed outrage at the apparent hoax.
This is a continuation of yesterday’s post. It will be the last time I speak on this subject. Original Post – https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaAColeAuthor/posts/pfbid0m5MncbsfKLC2UH5aiUzppEGK458eEPif91JgSz5td3Mz6BzkpMdAkNiBcbqqna9Vl
Posted by Samantha A. Cole on Wednesday January 4th, 2023
In 2020, author Susan Meachen’s Facebook account claimed she died by suicide and said her final book (right) would be published posthumously
On Monday, author Susan Meachen’s Facebook account posted to a private fan group, claiming her family faked her death while she was going through a mental health crisis
Co-author Samantha A. Cole (above), who was a friend of Meachen’s online and had mourned her alleged death two years ago, expressed outrage at the apparent fraud
“This is beyond psychotic, whether it was Susan herself or her daughter making those comments, knowingly misleading someone who is grieving,” Cole said in an emotional Facebook video Wednesday.
“Now I’m suspicious of someone I’ve never met in person, who I’m friends with on Facebook, and that’s really sad,” added Cole.
Public records show a 47-year-old Susan Meachen with previous addresses in Tennessee and Georgia, one of which exactly matches her hometown of Eton, Georgia, listed on the Facebook page of the alias TN Steele.
There is no death certificate associated with this Meachen and was unable to find any record of an obituary by that name. Attempts to reach Meachen by phone, email and Facebook have been unsuccessful.
Author Meachen has published 10 romance novels independently, including Smokey Mtn. Love, stolen moments and his evil ways.
Her “last” novel, Love To Last A Lifetime, was reportedly published posthumously in October 2020 with final rewrites by the author’s daughter.
As of 2020, Meachen apparently continues to release under the moniker “TN Steele.”
According to Cole, Meachen’s apparent resurrection has sparked a firestorm of controversy in the tight-knit world of independent romance novelists and fans.
“I’ve talked to others who were a lot closer to Susan than I was, and they were all surprised,” she said.
“They were just as shocked as everyone else when the post appeared in Susan’s group stating that she was basically alive and tired of being under her alias,” added Cole.
After seeing the Facebook post announcing Mechen’s return, Cole engaged in a private Facebook chat with Meachen’s account, sharing screenshots publicly.
In exchange, Meachen claimed she was hospitalized when her family announced her death via her Facebook account in 2020.
“I had no control over what my family did. I was in the hospital fighting for my life. But I understand what they did,” wrote the person controlling Meachen’s account.
In exchange, the report claimed Meachen remained silent about the false reports of her death while she worked with a psychiatrist and therapist to “get into a better place.”
“I’m glad she’s alive because I don’t want to wish death on anyone,” author Cole said in her video statement. “But I cannot condone what she has done and I cannot forgive what she has done.”
“I was floored, the emotions coursing through me felt like I’d been kicked in the chest,” said Cole upon finding out that Meachen appeared to be alive. “I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach, I had a bad stomach for 36 hours.”
Cole said her biggest wish is for Meachen “to get the help she needs,” and implored her followers not to attack Meachen online over the alleged fake suicide.
Likewise, Cole insisted that her posts speaking out on the subject were not a ploy to sell books.
“This is not a publicity stunt on my behalf by exposing this horror story,” said Cole. ‘Please don’t go out and buy my books because it hurt me.’
“I hope the book world can recover from this, it will take time,” the author added. “I don’t know who to trust anymore, other than the people I’ve met, who I’m closest to.”
If you or a loved one are in crisis, call or text 988 for confidential mental health support.