Maggie Cole

Hey there! I'm Maggie Cole, and I write dark romance that'll probably make your mother clutch her pearls. (Sorry, Mom!) But let's be real - the best stories are the ones that make us a little uncomfortable while we can't stop turning pages.

Writing wasn't my first career path. I actually spent years in the corporate world, wearing pencil skirts and pretending I wasn't dreaming up deliciously twisted love stories during board meetings. Those fluorescent-lit offices? They were my first writing rooms, where I'd scribble plot ideas on Post-its and hide them in my desk drawer.

One day, I just couldn't take it anymore. The characters in my head were way more interesting than quarterly reports, and they wouldn't shut up until I gave them life on the page. So I did what any sensible person would do - I quit my cushy job to become a full-time author. (My family thought I'd lost my mind. Maybe I had. But sometimes the best decisions come from a little temporary insanity.)

I write the kind of romance that walks the line between love and obsession. My heroes? They're not the kind you bring home to Sunday dinner. They're the type that'll burn down the world to protect what's theirs, even if they're the ones who scorched it first. And my heroines? They're strong enough to stand in the flames.

With "Thorns of Malice" and the Wilted Kingdom duet, I wanted to explore what happens when passion meets revenge, when love blooms in the darkest places. It's a story that's been living in my head for years, about a woman who's been under the hero's skin for a decade, just out of reach. (Kind of like that chocolate bar you hide on the top shelf but can't stop thinking about. Except, you know, with more emotional trauma and scorching chemistry.)

When I'm not writing scenes that'll make you fan yourself (or possibly throw your Kindle across the room - please don't, those things are expensive), I'm probably binge-watching true crime documentaries for "research" or convincing my cat that my laptop keyboard is not, in fact, the most comfortable spot in the house.

My writing process? Chaos with a side of coffee. Lots of coffee. I'm talking "my barista knows my order and my life story" levels of coffee. I write best late at night when the world gets quiet and the dark ideas come out to play. Sometimes I'll wake up to notes on my phone that I wrote at 3 AM and wonder what dark corner of my mind they came from. (Those usually end up being the best scenes.)

What can you expect from my books? Raw emotion. Complex characters who are beautifully flawed. Steam that'll fog up your windows. And endings that'll make every dark moment worth it. I don't believe in easy love stories - the best ones are earned through blood, sweat, and usually a few tears (yours and mine).

I love connecting with readers on social media, where we can geek out about fictional men who are absolutely terrible life partner choices but perfect book boyfriends. Your DMs, comments, and messages make my day, even when you're yelling at me about that cliffhanger. (Yes, I know. I'm evil. I accept this about myself.)

Fair warning: my books aren't for everyone. If you like your romance sweet and simple, I'm probably not your girl. But if you live for the tension, the angst, and those moments where you're not sure if the hero should be kissed or kicked - welcome to the dark side. We have cookies. And trauma. Mostly trauma.

Looking ahead, I've got more twisted tales in the works. My brain is like a dark romance factory that never shuts down, constantly cooking up new ways to put characters (and readers) through emotional wringers. But I promise, the payoff is always worth it.

So if you're ready to dive into stories that'll keep you up all night, make you question your moral compass, and leave you desperately wanting more, you're in the right place. Just remember - I warned you about those cliffhangers.