A. L. Secord

Hey there! I'm A.L. Secord, and I write dark fantasy romance that blurs the lines between reality and nightmare. (And yes, sometimes those nightmares are way too sexy for their own good.)

I never expected to end up writing stories about dangerous supernatural creatures and the humans who fall for them, but here we are. Growing up in the midwest with my nose constantly buried in books, I was that weird kid who preferred thunderstorms to sunshine and always rooted for the monster in horror movies. My mom probably should have been concerned, but instead she just kept feeding my addiction to paranormal fiction and letting me stay up way too late reading "just one more chapter."

Writing started as my escape from a soul-crushing corporate job. I'd spend my lunch breaks scribbling scenes in notebooks, dreaming up worlds where magic existed in the shadows of our own. After one particularly awful meeting (you know the type - where you contemplate if becoming a hermit in the woods is a viable career option), I decided life was too short not to chase what I really wanted. So I took the plunge into full-time writing, fueled by an unhealthy amount of coffee and an even more unhealthy obsession with creating morally gray characters who probably need therapy.

My debut novel "Before The Chaos Of The Moon" came from asking myself "What if?" What if you met the perfect guy, had that perfect moment... and then everything went straight to hell? (Literally.) I love taking those ordinary moments we all experience - first dates, new relationships, falling in love - and throwing in supernatural chaos that turns everything upside down. Poor Lucy never saw it coming. (Sorry not sorry, girl.)

When I'm writing, I don't believe in holding back. My stories get dark. Sometimes really dark. There's blood, violence, and situations that would make my grandmother clutch her pearls. But there's also hope, love, and the kind of passion that burns bright enough to light up even the blackest night. Plus plenty of steam - because let's be honest, supernatural creatures are sexy as hell. (Pun absolutely intended.)

What can you expect from my books? Complex characters who aren't always likeable but are always compelling. Plots that twist and turn like a labyrinth. Romance that's as dangerous as it is addictive. And endings that might hurt a little (okay, a lot) before giving you what you need. If you're looking for sweet, clean romance... um, you might want to look elsewhere. But if you want stories that'll keep you up all night, make you question your own moral compass, and leave you thinking about the characters long after you close the book - pull up a chair. We're going to have fun together.

When I'm not writing, you can find me wandering through old bookstores, binge-watching supernatural shows while taking notes (research, I swear!), or hanging out with my rescue cat who I'm convinced is actually a demon in disguise. She's definitely the inspiration for some of my more wicked characters.

To my readers: thank you for joining me on this crazy journey into the shadows. Your messages, theories, and occasional death threats when I leave you on cliffhangers mean the world to me. (Though maybe ease up on the death threats? My cat gets jealous when anyone else threatens me.) I promise there are more dark and twisty tales coming your way.

Fair warning: once you step into my world, you might not want to leave. But then again, the most interesting stories happen after dark, don't they?

Come join me in the shadows. I promise it'll be one hell of a ride.

xoxo, A.L.

P.S. Yes, my cat really is plotting world domination. No, I won't tell you her real name - names have power, especially in my worlds!