Liv Zander

Hey there, dark romance lovers! I'm Liv Zander, and I write the kind of stories that live in the shadows between love and obsession. You know, those deliciously twisted tales that make you question your own moral compass while frantically turning pages at 3 AM? Yeah, those are my jam.

I never expected to end up here, writing stories that explore the darker side of desire. Growing up in a tiny Midwest town (where everyone knew everyone's business and the most exciting thing was the annual corn festival), I spent most of my time daydreaming about worlds far more intriguing than my own. My notebooks were filled with stories that would've made my sweet English teacher clutch her pearls. Sorry, Mrs. Henderson!

My journey into writing started with fan fiction (don't judge – we've all been there!) and morphed into something much darker when I realized the stories I really wanted to tell weren't the kind you'd find in Hallmark movies. There's something magnetic about exploring those shadowy spaces where love gets tangled up with pain, where redemption isn't guaranteed, and where happy endings come with a price.

When I released "Shadows So Cruel" in 2023, I honestly had no idea how readers would react. I mean, writing a story about broken souls finding each other in a war-torn sky world, complete with wings, secrets, and enough emotional damage to keep a therapy practice in business for decades? It felt risky. But turns out, I'm not the only one who craves stories that dig deep into the messy, complicated parts of love and redemption.

Here's what you should know about my writing: I don't do simple. I don't do clean-cut heroes or perfectly behaved heroines. My characters are complex, often morally grey, and sometimes make decisions that'll make you want to throw your e-reader across the room (please don't – those things are expensive!). They're damaged, they're desperate, and they're searching for something they can't quite name.

When I'm not torturing my characters (professionally, of course), you'll find me binge-watching psychological thrillers, attempting to keep my house plants alive (RIP, Fred the Fern), and consuming concerning amounts of coffee. My cat, Shadow (yes, I'm that on-brand), judges my life choices from his perch on my desk while I write.

My writing process? Chaos with a side of method. I plot enough to know where I'm going but leave room for my characters to surprise me – and boy, do they ever! Music is essential (my playlists are basically soundtracks of angst and yearning), and I have a strict "no editing while writing" policy because I'd never finish anything if I didn't.

To my readers: thank you for diving into these dark waters with me. Your messages about staying up all night to finish "Shadows So Cruel," your theories about what's coming next, and your passionate debates about character choices make this whole journey worth it. (Even when you're yelling at me in all caps on social media – I secretly love it.)

What can you expect from my books? Raw emotion. Complicated relationships. Characters who blur the lines between right and wrong. Steam that'll fog up your windows. And underneath it all, hope – because even in the darkest stories, there's always a glimmer of light. It might be hard to find, and it might come at a cost, but it's there.

I'm currently working on my next book (no, I won't tell you who it's about, but I will say it's making me cry while writing it – in a good way). If you want to join me on this journey into the shadows, you can find me on Instagram and TikTok where I post writing updates, behind-the-scenes peeks at my process, and occasional videos of Shadow being judgmental.

Fair warning: my books aren't for everyone. They're for readers who like their romance with a heavy dose of darkness, who don't mind staying up way too late because "just one more chapter" turned into finishing the whole book, and who understand that sometimes the most beautiful love stories are the ones that hurt a little.

Welcome to my world. It's dark here, but I promise to hold your hand through the shadows.

(P.S. If you send me pictures of your book-related crying sessions, I consider that the highest compliment. Keep 'em coming!)