K. A. Stevens

Hi there! I'm K.A. Stevens, and I write dark psychological thrillers that'll make you question everything you thought you knew about good and evil. (And maybe make you a little nervous the next time you're at the hospital...)

I've always been fascinated by what makes people tick—especially when those ticks aren't quite right. Growing up in a small Midwestern town where everyone knew everyone else's business, I learned early on that the friendliest faces often hide the darkest secrets. Maybe that's why I'm drawn to writing about the monsters who walk among us, wearing perfectly normal masks.

My debut novel "When Innocence Dies" introduced readers to Benny Cole, a nurse anesthetist who's brilliant at his job and absolutely terrible at being human. (Though he'd probably disagree with that assessment. Violently.) Writing Benny was like trying to bottle lightning while wearing rubber gloves—dangerous, probably ill-advised, but absolutely electrifying. His twisted relationship with his mother shaped him into someone who sees the world through a very particular lens, and his obsession with psychiatrist Mag reveals just how deep those psychological wounds go.

I spent fifteen years working in healthcare before turning to writing full-time, and let me tell you, those experiences definitely color my work. There's something uniquely terrifying about setting horror in places meant for healing. The hospital corridors, the sterile rooms, the trust patients place in their caregivers—it's all fertile ground for exploring the darker side of human nature.

When I'm not crafting disturbing scenarios that keep my readers up at night, I'm probably reading true crime books, watching psychological thrillers, or taking long walks with my German Shepherd, who's much better adjusted than any of my characters. (Thank goodness for that.) I live in a century-old Victorian house that's probably haunted, but the ghosts and I have come to an understanding: they don't mess with my writing time, and I don't renovate their favorite creaky floorboards.

My approach to writing dark romance and psychological thrillers is pretty straightforward: I believe the scariest monsters aren't the ones hiding under your bed—they're the ones making your bed in the hospital, checking your vitals, or sitting across from you in therapy. I'm interested in the kind of horror that could actually happen, the kind that makes you look twice at the perfectly normal people in your life and wonder what's really going on behind their eyes.

Fair warning: my books aren't for everyone. If you're looking for light, fluffy romance where everyone behaves rationally and nobody gets hurt, you might want to look elsewhere. But if you're drawn to stories that explore the darker sides of love and obsession, if you don't mind complicated characters who do terrible things for what they believe are good reasons, if you can handle romance that comes with a heavy dose of psychological horror—well, pull up a chair. We're going to get along just fine.

What can you expect from my books? Complex characters who'll make you uncomfortable but keep you turning pages. Relationships that are more like beautiful train wrecks you can't look away from. Psychological twists that'll have you questioning everything (and maybe everyone) in your life. And writing that aims to be as sharp as a scalpel and twice as precise.

I'm currently working on my next novel (which may or may not involve a charming mortician with some very unusual hobbies), and I love connecting with readers who share my fascination with the darker side of human nature. You can find me on Instagram and Twitter, where I post about writing, true crime, and my ongoing battle with my possibly-haunted house. Fair warning though: my social media is like my books—not for the faint of heart.

Thanks for stopping by. Stay safe out there... and maybe double-check your nurse's credentials next time you're in the hospital. Just saying.