Бывшая жена писательницы устроила травлю в соцсетях из-за ее успеха

As told to Ann DeGrey When my latest book was published, I was warned I'd have trolls trying to tear it down with bad reviews. I had a few here and there, just some nasty words that were upsetting, but I tried not to let it get to me. Most of my reviews were fabulous at first, so it was an exciting time. I had a fun book launch and my social media was filled with snippets from my book and photos of me holding it up to the camera; I was very proud of myself. As the weeks went by, I started getting a few snide comments on my blog and Instagram which I just ignored, although friends advised me to delete the nasty comments. Watch the hosts of Mamamia Out Loud dive into the theory of decision making. Post continues below. It was all very new to me, even though I've been writing for about eight years; ever since my divorce gave me the push to finally chase my dream of being a professional writer. My book is a cozy mystery with a dash of romance; nothing groundbreaking, but I've managed to build a healthy following. It wasn't exactly on the bestseller list, but it meant I was doing more signings, podcasts, the whole publicity thing. It felt like redemption after a messy divorce. My ex always dismissed my writing as a "fruitless hobby". Post-divorce, I rebuilt myself, and my writing was like therapy. My social media became a space to connect with readers, sharing behind-the-scenes info about the writing process and the occasional selfie. I was confident and finally feeling like I'd outgrown the insecurities my ex had planted. Then the trolling started. At first, it was subtle; an anonymous comment under a post about my latest release: "So overrated. Save your money." I shrugged it off because I know every author gets critics. But they kept coming, like clockwork, especially about my selfies. "Fake smile, pathetic writing." "Check out the 1990s hairstyle, yuck. Trying too hard." It escalated to personal digs: "Bet she uses AI to spew out this garbage. No talent here." All lies, of course. I write every word myself, late nights with energy drinks and my three cats for company. But those comments weren't just mean; they felt targeted, almost personal. They'd referenced old posts I'd forgotten about, or twist details from my bio. I'd refresh my pages obsessively, and it made me feel anxious, which really affected my writing. It felt a bit like gaslighting because I'd tell myself, maybe they're right, maybe I'm a crap writer! I even considered quitting social media altogether. Friends said to block and ignore, but it was like an itch I couldn't scratch. Who was this person trolling me? Why me? Surely there are more well-known writers to target. I asked a friend who worked in IT to dig deeper. It felt a bit paranoid, but after weeks of harassment, including emails accusing me of stealing ideas from "real authors," I had to know. My friend linked the IP to a café in my old neighbourhood, but that wasn't enough. Then, there was a slip-up: one comment linked to an account with a profile picture that looked vaguely familiar. We then managed to track it to a Facebook page belonging to Sara, my ex-husband's new girlfriend. My ex had moved on quickly after our split, parading Sara at events we used to attend together. But why target me? As I pieced it all together, I realised that my success had probably angered my ex; my life had improved since I left him, while his had mostly remained the same. Sara must have seen my glowing reviews and my book tours, and she had a problem with it. Maybe my ex had painted me as the villain, or maybe she was simply jealous of my writing success. Anyway, I decided to text my ex and let him know his girlfriend's been trolling me for months. "Make it stop," I wrote. He denied it at first, but then I sent evidence. Listen to more on the social media ban topics on The Quicky. Post continues below. He called me a couple of weeks later, confirming my troll had been Sara and, while I didn't get an apology, he did tell me that she was insecure and envious of how well I was doing. Thankfully, the comments stopped, but the damage remained. It's been six months, and I'm still nervous when I check my social media comments. This whole episode really reignited old wounds from my marriage, making me feel small again. But success is always the best revenge, and now I've channelled the experience into my next book, which will deal with online stalking. I've told my publisher I can put my personal story in there, as well as stories from my marriage. Maybe this time I really will have a bestseller on my hands! Feature Image: Canva.