From Writing for Ourselves to Shattering Hearts: Our Unexpected Author Journey 💔❤️‍🩹

What a whirlwind this year has been! 🤯 Two books written and released, a third on the way, and a whole lot of emotions along the way. And the best part? It seems like you lovely readers are enjoying what we’ve created just as much as we’ve loved bringing these stories to life!

Honestly, if someone had told us at the start of this journey where we’d be today, we probably would have laughed, panicked a little, and then gone straight back to writing. 😂

But here we are!

It Started With a Simple Question…

When we first started writing, it was something we did for ourselves. A way to explore characters, tell their stories, and get all those thoughts and feelings out of our heads and onto the page.

Then came the question that changed everything:

“What if our stories could help someone else, too?”

What if someone read our books and realised they weren’t alone? What if a character’s journey helped someone feel seen, understood, or even gave them the courage to choose themselves?

And just like that, our little writing project became something much bigger.

That’s what the Shattered Hearts series means to us. These aren’t just stories about characters going through difficult things. They’re stories about survival, the things we endure behind closed doors, the friendships that help carry us through, and the courage it takes to find yourself again.

And knowing that our stories are now out there, reaching readers we’ve never met, is something we’ll never take for granted. ❤️

So… What Genre ARE Our Books? 👀

Ah, yes. The question that has caused us more than a few headaches!

One of our biggest challenges has been figuring out exactly where our books fit on the shelves. You’d think labelling a book would be the easy part, wouldn’t you? Apparently not! 😂

Let’s get one thing straight: these are NOT love stories.

Romance? Not quite.

Dark? Absolutely, in the themes we explore, the trauma our characters experience, and the difficult realities woven throughout their journeys.

Psychological fiction? Women’s fiction? Now we’re getting somewhere!

We’ve also had readers describe our books as dark romance, but here’s where things get interesting. While our stories explore relationships, they aren’t traditional romance stories, and we don’t want to promise readers a love story when that’s not what we’re delivering.

Mazikeen jokingly came up with the term Anti-Romance… and honestly, we might be onto something! 😉

It’s not an officially recognised genre (yet!), but perhaps we’re just ahead of our time? Who knows!

For now, we’re leaning towards psychological fiction and women’s fiction, with dark and emotionally challenging themes at the heart of our stories.

But we’d LOVE to hear what you think!

If you’ve read Broken or Burned, how would YOU describe them? What genre would you put them in?

Drop your thoughts in the comments. We’re genuinely curious, and who knows? You might help us finally settle this debate! 😂

Meet the Shattered Hearts Series 💔

If you’re new here, welcome! We’re so glad you’re here. Let us introduce you to the stories we’ve poured our hearts into.

📖 Broken — Out Now!

This is where it all begins.

Broken explores survival, IVF, coercive control, and the courage it takes to choose yourself when the life you’ve built starts to fall apart.

Meet Kate and Jax, a couple who have been together for eight years. From the outside, they’re building a future together. Behind closed doors, however, things aren’t quite what they seem.

This is an emotional, raw, and honest story about losing yourself, finding your strength, and discovering that sometimes beginning again is the bravest thing you can do.

Ready to meet Kate and Jax?

✨ Broken is available FREE with Kindle Unlimited, so if you’re a KU subscriber, you can dive straight in!

👉 get your copy here - https://amzn.eu/d/03IKuJew

🔥 Burned — Also Out Now!

Think the journey ends with Broken? Not a chance!

Burned is the next instalment in the Shattered Hearts series, continuing our journey through complicated emotions, difficult experiences, and the realities our characters face.

If you’ve already read Broken, we’d love to know what you think of Burned. And if you’re just discovering us, there’s never been a better time to join the journey.

👉 https://amzn.eu/d/0hBv1Ike

👀 Book Three — Coming December 2026!

Yes, we’re already working on the next chapter of the Shattered Hearts journey!

We can’t share too much just yet, but we can tell you that the story isn’t over. We have so much more we want to share with you, and we cannot wait for you to discover what’s next.

December 2026 can’t come soon enough!

Make sure you’re following us on social media so you don’t miss any teasers, sneak peeks, announcements, and behind-the-scenes chaos. 😂❤️

A Massive Thank You to The Indie Book Voyage ❤️

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We couldn’t write this post without giving a very special shout-out to the wonderful ladies at The Indie Book Voyage.

These amazing women helped us get our book out into the world, and we genuinely couldn’t be more grateful.

But somewhere along the way, something lovely happened. What started as support on our author journey turned into genuine friendship.

We started out at similar times, navigating the highs, lows, nerves, excitement, and occasional “what on earth are we doing?” moments that come with putting your work out there.

Building something alongside women who understand the journey has been such a pleasure. Having people in your corner who celebrate your wins, encourage you through the tough bits, and understand just how much these books mean to you is priceless.

So, if you haven’t checked them out yet, please go

and find The Indie Book Voyage on TikTok and give them a follow. Show them some love, discover what they’re up to, and support some fantastic women in the book community.

Trust us, the indie author world is a much lovelier place when we lift each other up. 🥹❤️

What’s Next for Us?

Honestly? We’re just getting started.

We’re learning as we go, finding our feet as authors, meeting wonderful readers, and discovering just how special it is to share something you’ve created with the world.

There are more stories to tell, more characters to meet, and plenty more emotions waiting for us all.

And if you’ve already read one of our books, thank you for being part of this journey. Every review, comment, message, recommendation, and share means more to us than you know.

If you’re new here, we’d love for you to join us.

Start with Broken, continue with Burned, and get ready for Book Three in December 2026.

Just remember… these aren’t your traditional love stories. 😉

💬 Now It’s Your Turn!

We have two questions for you:

❤️ Have you read Broken or Burned yet? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

📚 What genre would YOU classify the Shattered Hearts series as? Psychological fiction? Women’s fiction? Dark fiction? Or should Mazikeen’s Anti-Romance idea become a real thing? 😂

Tell us in the comments. We love hearing from you!

Thank you for reading, supporting, and being part of our little corner of the book world.

Here’s to shattered hearts, finding strength, and stories that mean something. 💔❤️‍🩹

Love Always

Maddison Lily & Mazikeen Nieve

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