Author who reportedly died by suicide two years ago appears to have faked death
Warning: This story deals with suicide and self-harm.
An indie author who reportedly died by suicide two years ago just made a Facebook post, in an apparent revelation that she faked her death.
PEOPLE reported, citing Insider and Rolling Stone, that Susan Meachen passed away in October 2020, as announced on her Facebook page by a person who said she's Meachen's daughter.
Meachen reportedly took her own life amid allegations of bullying from fellow authors.
Since then, Meachen's page has been used to promote her work and post about suicide prevention, with fans believing it's the daughter's doing.
But on Jan. 4, a Twitter user who's part of The Ward, a private writing group, shared a screenshot of a post from Meachen who practically debunked previous reports about her death, much to the shock and dismay of the group's members.
Here the post of Meachen in full, based on the screenshot of @Draggerofliars:
"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. 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 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."
The original post announcing Meachen's post, which was met with an outpouring of love and support, was already deleted.
Samantha A. Cole, Meachen's fellow author and friend, took to Facebook to express her disappointment, saying she grieved over Meachen's death and was even blamed for supposedly being among those who caused her to self-harm.
"[W]ithin the hour, I was horrified, stunned, livid, and felt like I'd been kicked in the gut and the chest at the same time. I'm still sick to my stomach and it's gotten worse," Cole wrote.
Cole also said Meachen operated the fake profile "TN Steele" after her supposed death. She also shared screenshots of her chat with Meachen coming clean using her real account, as well as posted a video talking about the incident.
"Excuse me while I now go get shitfaced in memory of coworkers and friends who I know really did commit suicide," she wrote in her original post.
Author Karen Hall, via Rolling Stone, also commented: "I can forgive many things, but I don't think I could ever forgive you faking your death."
Meachen explored romance and erotica in her works, including Chance Encounter, Special Delivery, and Losing Him & Finding You. Her last book, Love to Last a Lifetime, came before the post announcing her death.
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If you think you, your friend, or your family member is considering self-harm or suicide, you may call the National Mental Health Crisis Hotline at 1553 (Luzon-wide, landline toll-free), 0966-351-4518 or 0917-899-USAP (8727) for Globe/TM users, or 0908-639-2672 for Smart users.
