Thriller
Date Published: March 26, 2026
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
New to the neighborhood and reeling from the traumatic birth of her second child, Marlowe Moore is barely holding it together. Battling postpartum depression and anxiety, she’s desperate for stability.
But when she learns that a woman who once lived in her family’s new home vanished without a trace, Marlowe becomes obsessed. As strange things happen and neighborly smiles feel like veiled threats, Marlowe can’t shake the feeling that someone is hiding something.
She spirals further into paranoia, fixated on the abandoned case and determined to seek justice. But how can a woman who feels lost find a missing person?
Juggling the demands of her beloved family and her harrowing mental illness, Marlowe doesn’t realize she is caught in a cat-and-mouse game that could cost her everything … including her life.
What is
the hardest part of writing your books?
Editing! When I first wrote this book, I was writing for the love of it and wrote WAY too much. I ended up cutting 68,000 words! But that helped me whittle it down to only scenes that worked double time for character development and driving the plot forward. Plus a few poems that give insight into the Marlowe’s mind, in a beautiful way that hopefully makes people feel something!
What are
your most played songs?
I love to
write to wordless music, otherwise I start singing along! I made a
soundcloud playlist of house music sets that I love and actually wrote these
DJ’s into the story, called the In
Her Own Backyard Novel Playlist. I hope
readers will enjoy it and go for a walk or a run with these beats in their
ears!
Do you
have critique partners or beta readers?
Absolutely. I was a
part of the Sierra Arts Literary Community while we lived in Reno and then
after we moved to San Diego, I joined the Perinatal Health Alliance Writer’s
Group. Those authors have been fabulous critique partners, as well as a circle
of close friends who are avid readers and gave me feedback. The funniest part was when I received polar
opposite feedback about the same issue! One reader said the first draft’s
husband character was too realistic—trying to fix her feelings instead of
listening, taking things personally and picking fights—and that didn’t bring
balance to the story. In other words, I needed to lighten it up. When I
re-wrote him to be the ideal husband who does listen instead of try to fix,
another beta reader told me he was unrealistic! I had to laugh at that point
because by then, I loved it the way it was and I decided to stay true to the
story I was trying to tell: in an ideal world, every mother would have the
support from her partner, family, friends, and her extended community. Maybe
this will give some insight and inspiration in that direction! J
What book
are you reading now?
I am reading David
Whyte’s poetry collection, House of Belonging, as well as my friend’s memoir on
her journey through addiction, called I’ll Try Anything Twice by Carly
Schwartz, and because I always need a mystery in the queue, I’ve been listening
to Everyone on This Train His A Suspect by
Benjamin Stevenson.
How did
you start your writing career?
Oh my
goodness, I’ve been writing stories and poems since I could read, at 5 years
old. Nancy Drew books were a favorite back then, starting the lifelong love of
mysteries! Poetry has also been a faithful companion throughout my life
starting with Shel Silverstein and Mary Oliver. I tend to write to create
beauty out of pain, to make meaning out of experiences, and for the sheer
pleasure of playing with words and their many intriguing connotations. I
started my writing career, technically, but applying for a part-time job
writing about food and wine for the Members’ Magazine with Viansa Winery. I was
a hospice social worker at the time as my day job, and I wanted to use my
undergraduate degree in English Lit for fun, so I applied! I self-published
through Amazon the book of poetry and the support group curriculum. For the
novel, I met the good folks at Acorn Publishing at the San Diego Writer’s
Festival. That felt like the best fit for this novel because I got to work with
a female-owned company that shared the passion for my project, including a
veteran editor who as edited for major publishing houses and even Steven King!
I trusted their guidance with this novel and am so grateful for the whole team
over there at Acorn who believed in me!
Tell us about your next release.
I’m so
excited to share this book with the world! Mystery novels have always been my
favorite genre! In Her Own Backyard is a thriller about a woman
who feels lost to postpartum depression and anxiety who starts looking for a
missing woman. As a mom, myself, with a circle of mom friends who all supported
each other through miscarriages, babies, and life, I thought: how fun would it
be for Marlowe and her circle of mama friends to dig into a cold case.
Basically, I wrote a book I would want to read! While
I thought this was a one and done project, when my editor said, “You should
definitely write a sequel from each of the mama characters’ perspectives,” I
liked that idea! Amaya’s voice has already started talking to me as the
narrator of the next book in the series and that is fun because she is spicy!
About the Author
Ashley Hanna-Morgan is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) certified in perinatal mental health (PMH-C). In addition to her work as a psychotherapist, she writes about mental health to advocate for change and inspire hope. In 2016, she wrote The Afterglow, a mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy curriculum that supports parents with postpartum depression and anxiety. In 2017, she published I Gave Birth to My Heart, a collection of poems about the secret anguishes and innumerable joys of reinventing oneself after postpartum depression.
When she isn’t counseling clients or volunteering with Postpartum Support International, Ashley loves to experiment in the kitchen and spend as much time outside as possible in San Diego, where she resides with her family. In Her Own Backyard is her first novel.
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