Hello everyone! As you’re probably aware, I’m Julie Grayson, the author of Brighter When Broken, a compelling psychological thriller where a gilded marriage becomes a gilded cage. After Lachlan Kelley-Mayer wakes up chained in a basement with a ransom note, she realizes her perfect husband is the one who put her there. To survive, she must use every lesson he ever taught her about power, deception, and tells to dismantle his empire from the inside out.

Before you submerge yourself into the relentless tension of my book, you’ll find its dedication. It’s a quiet, personal thank you to my husband, Aaron—a stark contrast to the chilling story that follows. You might wonder: how does a tale of betrayal, kidnapping, and survival spring from a place of such profound love and gratitude?

For me, the answer lies in contrast. To write convincingly about the absence of safety—as my protagonist, Lachlan, experiences in that basement—I need to intimately know its opposite. The security my marriage provides is the bedrock that lets me explore the darkest corners of human nature without getting lost there. Aaron’s steadfast, quiet care is my real-world “compass” that allows me to send Lachlan’s spinning wildly into treachery.

Lachlan’s journey is about dismantling a false love, a constructed reality built on control and consumption. Writing her required understanding what she was fighting for, not just what she was fighting against. The love described in my dedication—the kind that shows up in “the simplest, most ordinary moments”—is the antithesis of Jack’s performative, transactional affection. It’s the hidden standard by which Lachlan, perhaps subconsciously, begins to measure her own gilded cage and find it wanting.

So, this book is born from that duality. From the safe harbor of my own life, I can launch into the storm of Lachlan’s. The love letter at the front isn’t separate from the thriller; it’s its emotional blueprint. It asks the central question: What is true care? Is it the diamond pendant, or the hand that fixes what’s broken without being asked?

I hope you enjoy the ride through the darkness. Just remember, even the darkest thrillers are often written in the light.