PENELOPE. DOUGLAS

Hey there! I'm Penelope Douglas, and I write the kind of angsty, forbidden romance that'll keep you up way too late and probably make you question your life choices. (But in the best way possible, I promise.)

Let me tell you - I never expected to end up here. I was actually teaching high school English when I started writing my first book. There I was, grading papers and explaining The Great Gatsby to teenagers, all while these dark, complicated characters kept taking shape in my head. They wouldn't leave me alone until I finally gave in and started writing their stories.

My first book, Bully, kind of exploded in ways I never saw coming. What started as me writing the type of romance I desperately wanted to read turned into this whole universe of interconnected stories about complicated people making messy choices. And readers? They got it. They understood exactly why I was drawn to writing about those gray areas between right and wrong, love and hate, redemption and revenge.

Here's the thing about my books - they're not your typical sweet romance. I write about the darkness that lives inside all of us, about rivals who become lovers, about forbidden relationships that society says are wrong but feel so impossibly right. My characters are flawed. Sometimes they're straight-up awful people. But that's what makes them real, you know?

(Fair warning: If you're looking for gentle, sweet romance where everyone makes good decisions... um, maybe try a different author? My characters tend to make terrible choices. Repeatedly. It's kind of their thing.)

I'm probably best known for the Fall Away series and Devil's Night series. These books explore all those delicious tropes we can't resist - enemies-to-lovers, bully romance, forbidden love, age gaps that make you squirm but can't look away from. And yes, there's usually revenge plots. And yes, someone probably gets punched. What can I say? I like it spicy AND dramatic.

When I'm not writing about morally gray characters making questionable life choices, I'm probably hanging out with my family, binge-watching true crime documentaries (research, obviously), or dreaming up new ways to torture my characters. And by torture, I mean put them through emotional hell before they earn their happy ending. Because in my books? You've got to earn that HEA.

Something you should know about me - I believe in pushing boundaries. Not just for shock value, but because that's where the most interesting stories live. In those uncomfortable spaces where we have to confront what we really want, what we're really capable of, and what love really means when it's tested by fire.

What can you expect from my books? Heat. Angst. Complex characters who will frustrate you but make you fall in love anyway. Plot twists that'll have you throwing your e-reader (please don't actually throw it). And somewhere in all that darkness, there's always hope. Always love. Even if we have to fight through hell to get there.

My readers are everything to me. Seriously. You guys get why these stories matter, why these broken characters deserve love, why the best romances are the ones that make us uncomfortable but can't put down. Your messages, your theories, your passionate debates about which character deserved what they got - it all makes this journey amazing.

If you're new to my books, buckle up. You're in for a wild ride. If you're a longtime reader, you know exactly what I mean when I say: Sometimes the best love stories start with a little hate.

(And yes, I still occasionally use my teacher voice when characters are being particularly stubborn. Old habits die hard.)

Welcome to my dark little corner of romance. Make yourself comfortable - we're going to have some fun breaking all the rules.