It is 7:15 AM on a Tuesday, and I am currently engaged in a high-stakes tactical maneuver. In my left hand, I hold a butter knife poised over a slice of whole-wheat bread, carefully removing the crusts because, heaven forbid, a square edge touches a six-year-old’s palate. In my right hand, I am clutching my phone, voice-memo-ing a very specific thought about a scene in my current project, Pursued?, and how to make the tension hit just a little harder.
This is my life. Welcome to the glamorous, slightly terrifying, and deeply caffeinated, well, matcha-fueled world of T.C. Shadowbrook.
People often ask me where I get my ideas for psychological thrillers. They expect me to say I spend my days in dark libraries or lurking in the shadows of old buildings. The truth is much more mundane and, frankly, a little more hilarious. My best plot twists usually come to me while I’m hunting for a lost sneaker or trying to remember if today is “library book return day” or “wear a yellow shirt for spirit week day.”
There is a strange, beautiful irony in being a mother while writing about the darkest corners of the human psyche. I spend my mornings nurturing small humans, ensuring they feel safe, loved, and fed. Then, the moment the house goes quiet, I sit down at my desk and systematically dismantle my characters’ lives.
The Contrast of the “Cereal Killer”
There’s a popular pun about being a “cereal killer,” and while it’s usually reserved for dad jokes and quirky t-shirts, it feels strangely literal in my house. While I’m pouring bowls of Cheerios, I’m usually contemplating a different kind of “serial” altogether.
In my current project, Pursued?, I’m deep in the messy, suspenseful work of building tension one scene at a time. It’s the kind of story that keeps my brain spinning while I’m doing everyday mom things, because the contrast between ordinary life and psychological unease is exactly where I love to write. We all wear masks in one way or another, hiding our exhaustion, our frustrations, and our identities behind what the world expects of us.
[A woman of color sitting at a kitchen table with a laptop, a green matcha latte in a ceramic mug next to her, and a child’s lunchbox open nearby. The lighting is soft morning light.]
Writing a character who takes that “mask” to a deadly extreme is fascinating to me. It’s about the invisibility of the modern woman. If a single mom goes about her day, gymnastic practice, swim lessons, and organizes play dates, who would ever suspect her of something dark? That’s the core of the suspense I love to build, the horror that lives in the house next door, or even in the person sitting across from you at the kitchen table.
The Sacred Matcha Spreadsheet
If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know that I am not a coffee person. Coffee feels like a frantic, jittery rush that doesn’t quite match the calculated coldness needed for a good thriller. Instead, I am a matcha devotee. There is a ritual to the whisking, a calm to the vibrant green color that helps me center myself before I dive into a scene involving a kidnapping or a psychological breakdown.
But my love for organization doesn’t stop at my tea choice. Enter: The Matcha Spreadsheet.
I am a woman who thrives on “organized chaos.” To the outside observer, my desk is a whole scene of organized chaos, overflowing with books and notebooks, alongside the essential trio: a water bottle, a steaming matcha mug, and a cold can of Zevia, but inside my Google Drive, there is a masterpiece of data. My Matcha Spreadsheet is where the magic (and the murders) happen.
I track everything:
- Character names and physical descriptions.
- The exact timeline of who was where when chaos occurred.
- A running list of phobias I can exploit (more on that later).
- And, most importantly, the breadcrumbs.
In a thriller, you have to leave enough clues for the reader to feel smart, but not so many that they figure it out by Chapter 5. My spreadsheet ensures that if I mention a flickering light in the first act, it better have a payoff by the finale. It’s my way of making sure that even when my real life feels like a whirlwind of laundry and school lunches, my fictional worlds remain tightly wound and perfectly executed.
Facing My Own Phobias
Speaking of phobias, I did a deep dive into a phobias class while I was writing Perfect?. It was one of the most intense research periods of my life. I wanted to understand not just what scares people, but why.
The image above says it all: “We all have a monster inside… some of us just feed it better.” For me, writing thrillers is how I feed my monster. It’s how I process the anxieties of being a parent and a woman of color in a world that can often feel unpredictable.
In Perfect?, I explored the idea of the “perfect” life being a fragile glasshouse. We all strive for that image of perfection, the perfect house, the perfect career, the perfect family. But what happens when one small crack appears? What happens when the phobias we try so hard to suppress finally claw their way to the surface?
There’s a certain vulnerability in sharing these stories. Every time I write a scene that makes my own heart race, I know I’m on the right track. If I’m scared while writing it in the middle of a sunny afternoon, I can only imagine how you’ll feel reading it at 2:00 AM.
The Identity Behind the Thriller
As a woman of color, my perspective on the thriller genre is shaped by experiences that are often left out of mainstream suspense novels. There is a different kind of “psychological” pressure when you are navigating spaces where you are “othered.” That sense of being watched, of having to be twice as good, of maintaining a certain image, it all feeds back into that theme of “masks”.
When you see the quote “The most dangerous secrets are the ones we keep from ourselves,” that’s the heart of T.C. Shadowbrook. I want to write stories where the twist isn’t just a plot point, but a revelation about the character’s own soul.
Being an author isn’t just about the words on the page. It’s about the connection with the reader. I love hearing your reactions to the twists in Perfect? or seeing your theories about my next release. It reminds me that even though I’m sitting alone in my kitchen sipping matcha, I’m part of a community of people who love a good scare just as much as I do.
A Peek Behind the Mask
So, what does a typical “writing day” look like when I’m not making lunches? It’s a lot of staring at a blank screen, a lot of deleting entire chapters that didn’t feel “dark” enough, and a lot of conversations with myself that would probably sound very concerning to my neighbors.
“Does the basement door need to creak, or is the silence scarier?”
“If she leaves the stove on, is it a mistake or a message?”
I try to keep the brand tone simple because the stories themselves are complex enough. I don’t need fancy words to describe the feeling of a cold hand on your shoulder; the feeling speaks for itself.
If you’re looking for a new read that will make you double-check the locks on your doors (sorry, not sorry!), you can browse my current titles in the shop.
🛠️ Work in Progress
Right now, my brain is juggling a few different kinds of chaos. Can you survive? series is letting me have an alarming amount of fun with technology, paranoia, and all the little ways modern convenience can turn deeply unhelpful. Nothing says “sweet dreams” like a house that might know a little too much about you.
Simply Obsessed Trilogy
I’m also deep in the writing process for the Simply Obsessed Trilogy, and right now that means working on the second book, Pursued?. I’m a few chapters in and currently aiming to finish Chapter 5 this week, which feels equal parts exciting and slightly unhinged.
In true writer fashion, I had to skip Chapter 3 for now so I can come back later and make sure it’s accurate. True writer problems! Sometimes the only way forward is to leave yourself a note, keep moving, and trust that future-you will figure it out.
🔮 Future Projects
Lonely, my mother-serial-killer project, is officially moving into the future-projects lane. It’s still very much on my mind, but it’s a project for next year. It’s dark, messy, complicated, and still one of the most fascinating ideas I’ve worked on, which honestly just makes me more excited to give it the time it deserves when the moment is right.
✨ System Error: Be Part of the Story
My first interactive story experience, System Error, starts June 3rd, and I’m so excited to finally share it with you. If you want to step deeper into the story, the Character interactive purchase option is now available, but there are only 5 spots open.
You can also join the T.C. Shadowbrook Readers Facebook group to connect with other readers and stay in the loop.
📚 What I’m Reading
Right now, I’m reading You Belong Here, and I’m almost done with it. Next up on my list is Too Old For This.
✨ Tiny Win
My win for this week was optimizing my author website and getting things ready for my first-ever interactive story, System Error.
Not-So-Peaceful May Reads
Not so peaceful may reads you can find them here: https://storyoriginapp.com/to/YA4k0hY
Final Thoughts from the Lunch Line
At the end of the day, I’m just a mom who happens to have a very dark imagination. I’m the woman in the pickup line who looks like she’s thinking about what to cook for dinner (I am, but there is more on my mind). I am also trying to figure out how to frame a character for a crime they didn’t commit.
I hope that by sharing this “human” side of my life.
Thank you for being on this wild journey with me. Whether you’re here for the matcha tips, the spreadsheet organizational hacks, or the heart-pounding thrillers, I’m glad you’re here.
Stay curious, stay safe, and maybe… just maybe… keep an eye on those “perfect” neighbors.
If you want to keep up with my chaotic life and get updates on what I’m writing, feel free to contact me or follow along on social media. There’s always room for one more in the Shadowbrook circle.
Want to dive into the mystery right now? Check out my latest work:
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