My name is Maddy Merrill, and this story is about my experience of getting raped. I wrote this story to help others who are struggling as I am. Rape is such a taboo topic, and people do not talk about it enough. If you or someone you know, please get help. The National Sexual Assault Hotline number is 1-800-656-4673 or, I am always welcome to chat. Remember... IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT THIS HAPPENED TO YOU.

Love & Monsters is a story I worked on when I took my first novel writing class at UCLA. Since I lost my sister to suicide, I've been fascinated with exploring mental illness and providing any insight I can to eradicate the stigma. Love & Monsters follows Heather Bateman, a girl who has suffered from schizophrenia all her life but has only recently been diagnosed. She tries to socially recover from a very public mental breakdown with the help of her best friend Wren and a strange new boy who calls himself Nex.