Lauren Smyth is writing
INTENSE, SURPRISING, CLEAN FICTION
COMING MAY 2025
Warsafe
Play. Win. Survive.
There’s one building on her island that Halley has never visited: the Mercenary House. Perched atop a mountain, surrounded by unnaturally evergreen foliage, the House is rumored to be a breeding ground for criminals. Mercenaries are liars, cheats, spies . . . and maybe, depending on who you ask, killers.
At the Warsafe headquarters in Seattle, Roscoe is beta testing the company’s new video game. It’s her job to track down glitches–but something is different about this one. Lurking behind the lines of malfunctioning code is a secret that threatens to drag her deeper into the game, forcing her to put her life on the line if she ever wants to come home.
Worlds collide as Roscoe teams up with Halley to uncover the island’s secret and expose Warsafe’s designs. But some mysteries are better left unsolved. As traitor after so-called traitor is revealed to be on their side, they begin to wonder: Could Warsafe’s mission be critical enough to justify its cruelty?
RECENT RELEASE
With Love from the Past
Three deadly riddles. Two "unforgiveable" betrayals. And one last chance to prove you're not who you once were.
The story begins in darkness. Literally. Turns out, staying locked in your room doesn't pay the electric bill. So when Ari is offered a job as an agent with the National Drug Enforcement Bureau, it's accept or starve. And a fresh start is just what Ari needs.
It's a great first day—until one of her teammates is found dead.
A cryptic riddle taped to Ari's door poses five possible killers: Ari, her three teammates, and a mysterious “other” who just might be the city’s top drug dealer and the target of her first mission. That list includes all her friends. Everyone she thought she could trust. And herself.
With that first clue, Ari is dragged into a wild game of anonymity, desperation, and regret that leaves her with a choice: Forgive and accept her past, or try to keep it hidden no matter who it hurts.
