<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Phyllis Horne]]></title><description><![CDATA[In the first installment, Mia Evanescence escapes her lethally abusive Greek diplomat husband, Aleks, by rappelling from her home office window, launching her desperate flight to Louisiana. Here, her director's eye for detail and timing becomes her salvation as she hides in plain sight. When pregnant nineteen-year-old Leanne seeks escape from her abusive situation, Mia sees both a chance to help and an opportunity to secure vital funds. She orchestrates Leanne's disappearance like a complex production—choreographing movements, designing disguises, and crafting a powerful narrative through a letter that convinces Leanne's abuser the red-headed baby isn't his. As Mia helps Leanne vanish to safety, she begins confronting her childhood trauma and memory gaps, discovering that her practiced ability to "forget" both protects and imperils her as she transforms from terrified victim to strategic survivor. ]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 12 May 2026 16:00:41 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.thevanishingseries.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[The Heart Beneath the Thriller]]></title><description><![CDATA[When people ask me about writing thrillers, they expect me to talk about plot twists and red herrings. ]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/post/the-heart-beneath-the-thriller</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c45e83e15007f12d6c5148</guid><pubDate>Tue, 05 May 2026 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/793aab_a5825deb35fd49158291f9aadc7b3ea6~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_710,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phyllis Horne</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[It Came in a Brown Box ]]></title><description><![CDATA[The first test copies of Vanishing Mia arrived this week. Here's what I wasn't prepared for: the weight. ]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/post/it-came-in-a-brown-box</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69f1feef5eb1abe5248ecbc8</guid><pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:57:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/793aab_bb04b6b2140f4e9bb36bf420ffeae4fc~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phyllis Horne</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[History Holds the Keys ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Across The Vanishing Series, Mia begins by running. She applies her video production skills to write escape scripts to save others’ lives and at the same time, she’s running in an attempt save her own life. ]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/post/history-holds-the-keys</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6939dab40fdf13d1080ff689</guid><pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2025 13:09:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/793aab_e122a99a23194ab49db33614dc2e3cef~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_625,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phyllis Horne</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Cold Water—Warm Hearts ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mia's introduction to Michigan's Upper Peninsula is brutal: her brutal husband Aleks and the 55-degree fall-cold Lake Superior waters are trying to kill her. Then, someone pulls her out. ]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/post/cold-water-warm-hearts</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6939c6474e2629cde3a3d132</guid><pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2025 19:15:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/793aab_083abfeb54454333864cf50857f0f95d~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_625,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phyllis Horne</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[From Frozen to Fighting: When Your Body Becomes Your Weapon  ]]></title><description><![CDATA[What happens when the woman who once froze under pressure becomes the one who throws the first punch? ]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/post/from-frozen-to-fighting-when-your-body-becomes-your-weapon</link><guid isPermaLink="false">693427089d9a9d9676724f09</guid><pubDate>Sat, 06 Dec 2025 13:06:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/793aab_bb2a5d56ec244bda9ba8576f8c9143ed~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_600,h_200,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phyllis Horne</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Real Threat—and the Five Books That Followed ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Three years ago, I was accused of something I didn't do. The details matter less than what came next: threats of legal action, intent to ruin my reputation, thinly veiled suggestions that I could wind up in prison. And the dawning realization that sometimes being innocent isn't enough when the other person has more resources and connections than you.  ]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/post/a-real-threat-and-the-five-books-that-followed</link><guid isPermaLink="false">691b1540a2bc92e0d90dbb37</guid><pubDate>Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:13:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/793aab_421939a50bf349b1b57a2deb07438cd3~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phyllis Horne</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[In Love with the Unputdownable  ]]></title><description><![CDATA[What pulls us forward isn't just curiosity—it's biology, best known as the Zeigarnik effect. Our brains remember unfinished tasks more vividly than completed ones. We hate open loops. We crave closure with physical intensity. ]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/post/in-love-with-the-unputdownable</link><guid isPermaLink="false">691b10624885233fabd415f3</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Nov 2025 12:17:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/793aab_cb0ea1cf1e9b4f2c9df2116f6449b6db~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phyllis Horne</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Binge-Worthy Thrillers: Why I Wrote for the Netflix Generation ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Remember when we had to wait a whole week between television episodes? Notice how it’s coming back?  Yeah, me too. Hated it back then and hate it now. ]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/post/binge-worthy-thrillers-why-i-wrote-for-the-netflix-generation</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6915e5ce45e793b73e3fb45b</guid><pubDate>Thu, 13 Nov 2025 14:09:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/793aab_e5a81eb76fc94f849d3d148bb538cef6~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_600,h_200,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phyllis Horne</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dopamine Detox? Not Required for Binge Readers ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Here's a twist: binge-reading doesn't hit your dopamine circuits the same way binge-scrolling social, or binge-streaming does]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/post/dopamine-detox-not-required-for-binge-readers</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68ffe8a4b474876f7397f162</guid><pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 21:51:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/793aab_ee46dcc50b9e4f68a7667668a38f65b7~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_733,h_657,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phyllis Horne</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[3:00 a.m. Magic ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Like life, we can't always understand in the moment why we do what we do, say what we say, or write the things we write. Because sometimes life knows what's needed before we do.]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/post/3-00-a-m-magic</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68f673482aa3cc1b5967aa13</guid><pubDate>Mon, 20 Oct 2025 17:41:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/793aab_6d5b91e1a57d47b9b89a65b129dbb302~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_396,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phyllis Horne</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Inside Mia’s Mind]]></title><description><![CDATA[But Mia is not broken—she’s adaptive. When she realizes she’s married to a dangerous man who will face no consequences, she runs.]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/post/inside-mia-s-mind</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68ba94b04c40c4b0142e9db9</guid><pubDate>Mon, 13 Oct 2025 11:25:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/793aab_92a0e8809b2647708f6824ff4ed075d0~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_600,h_200,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phyllis Horne</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Art of Becoming Dangerous]]></title><description><![CDATA[The scene that started it all: Picture this—a woman hears her enraged husband storming up the stairs. A brief history of extreme abuse tells her she has seconds. She grabs a backpack that she hasn’t properly prepared, buckles into a rappelling harness she's hidden in her closet, knocks out a third-floor window screen, and drops into the night. Bad form. Lands on her butt. But she's alive and running.  ]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/post/the-art-of-becoming-dangerous</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68baa19b8c49b59a196b421f</guid><pubDate>Mon, 06 Oct 2025 11:27:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/793aab_62879258a61e4247a6ba57a39550b88d~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_600,h_200,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phyllis Horne</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Bar Owner with Ghosts in His Smile ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Some people become trustworthy not because they're innocent, but because they understand the true cost of getting involved. Jake Brusey is one of them. ]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/post/the-bar-owner-with-ghosts-in-his-smile</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68ba996a98886589b9fd577a</guid><pubDate>Mon, 29 Sep 2025 11:27:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/793aab_855311c9ef074ff892010e24265fcf0a~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_600,h_200,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phyllis Horne</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What We Learn When We Stop Running]]></title><description><![CDATA[The metamorphosis in the mirror: Midway through the series, Mia catches her reflection: "Hair shining with health instead of dulled by chemicals.]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/post/what-we-learn-when-we-stop-running</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68baa63298886589b9fd7b65</guid><pubDate>Mon, 22 Sep 2025 11:26:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/793aab_337cc2f1648f4eb88a208dc3af6ff9ce~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_600,h_200,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phyllis Horne</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Man Behind the Marcellas Name]]></title><description><![CDATA[The detail that matters: Throughout the series, watch how Boudreaux's curiosity about old photographs, family connections, and long-buried secrets isn't random. ]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/post/the-man-behind-the-marcellas-name</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68ba977298886589b9fd51c8</guid><pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2025 11:27:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/793aab_5ae07cc015af42e0af1952c4e5ed2fd3~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_600,h_200,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phyllis Horne</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Five-Book Escape That Became a Reckoning ]]></title><description><![CDATA[When I started writing Mia’s story three years ago, I thought I was telling a tale of escape—a leap into a new identity, a new life. But what emerged was something else entirely: a five-book journey of transformation that only begins when you’re forced to face everything you’ve avoided, denied, or buried deep enough to forget.]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/post/the-five-book-escape-that-became-a-reckoning</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68ba9f1aa18887303bf46d3a</guid><pubDate>Mon, 08 Sep 2025 11:27:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/793aab_3e87b70685bb49048fbcd5e79bb00bcd~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phyllis Horne</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mia in the Moment]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mia is smart. Athletic. Creative in ways that run deeper than talent—visual storytelling is how she thinks. But she's no superhero. ]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/post/mia-in-the-moment</link><guid isPermaLink="false">688b670f3a035e4b8cb85aed</guid><pubDate>Sun, 31 Aug 2025 17:15:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/793aab_7a11239e644d4bbfb3ad8252c552eb4c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_896,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phyllis Horne</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jake Brusey’s Inner World]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jake's inner world—built from loss, shaped by resistance, haunted by what passive choices can cost—makes this moment inevitable. He's not making a plot-convenient decision. He's acting from the deepest truth of who he is. ]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/post/jake-brusey-s-inner-world</link><guid isPermaLink="false">688b668922e11322c97b0adc</guid><pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 13:12:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/793aab_9a13b9a02a744564a94eb167d28d3975~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_851,h_315,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phyllis Horne</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["I Read it in 2 Days!"]]></title><description><![CDATA[When My Spreadsheet-Loving Friend Couldn’t Put Down My Psychological Thriller  Libby shocked me.  She’s been my best buddy for a long...]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/post/i-read-it-in-2-days</link><guid isPermaLink="false">688b64d2ae2065819affa431</guid><pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2025 10:39:37 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/793aab_6bf51cea54fb470581dcbe4d2556d97e~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_545,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phyllis Horne</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Vanishing Begins]]></title><description><![CDATA[Through five books, Mia evolves the way real people do—incrementally, imperfectly, courageously. She's forced to accept truths she didn’t want to know; master forms of self-defense she never imagined needing; and overcome fear she’d denied for most of her life.]]></description><link>https://www.thevanishingseries.com/post/the-vanishing-begins</link><guid isPermaLink="false">688b67c5b6c2a6b244f9439d</guid><pubDate>Mon, 11 Aug 2025 00:25:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/793aab_2f6f758b17f0489698e8e9207eb84c69~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Phyllis Horne</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>