Why I wrote The Neighbour (A story that felt a little too close to home)

They say writers pour pieces of themselves into their stories, and with The

Neighbour, I poured in more than I realised.

In the acknowledgements, I wrote how personal this short story is to me. It wasn’t just another suspense idea. It came from memories, fears, and moments that still sit with me.

When Fear Feels Familiar

About five years ago, I moved to a new town. It wasn’t far from home, but it was my first time truly living alone. The walls were quiet, the nights stretched longer, and the silence, at times, was deafening.

The anxiety of being by myself crept in quickly. Every sound felt amplified, every shadow longer. I was lucky to have good neighbours, kind, generous people who checked in on me and offered help. But even then, I caught myself wondering why they were so nice. What if there was something more behind their smiles? What if I didn’t really know the people living just a few steps away?

That small, harmless thought became a seed for The Neighbour.

The What-Ifs

Living in a small cul-de-sac means everyone feels closer than you’d like. You can hear a cough through the wall, a door slam three houses down. And then your mind starts to wander:

What if the houses were linked somehow?

What if there was a space in the attic that connected them?

What if this house wasn’t as empty as it seemed?

That’s how my imagination works, one quiet evening and suddenly there’s a ghost in the hallway or a neighbour who knows too much.

When Real Life Feeds the Fear

Before that move, something had already planted the idea of danger close to home. Years ago, when I was living with my parents, one of our neighbours spotted four men trying to break into our house. It was dark, past midnight and I was home alone, fast asleep. They scared the men off, but the fear stayed with me.

Even after we installed cameras and alarms, I couldn’t shake the feeling that they would come back. I’d spend nights walking the halls, switching lights on and off, watching the CCTV feed, clicking around the perimeter of the house from beneath my duvet just to make sure everything was okay.

That exact feeling, that tension of being watched but not knowing by who made its way into The Neighbour. There’s a scene where Olivia, my main character, does the same thing: checking cameras, turning on lights, heart racing as she wonders whether it’s her neighbour, her ex, or something… else.

Fact Meets Fiction

Olivia isn’t me, but through her, I explored my own fears of isolation, paranoia, and the unknown. She takes her daughter and runs from her husband, moves somewhere new, and tries to rebuild her life. But peace isn’t always what it seems.

Writing The Neighbour was my way of confronting those feelings, the unease of starting over, of wondering who’s watching, and the thin line between safety and danger.

If You’ve Ever Felt That Twinge of Paranoia...

If you’ve ever double-checked the locks or heard a noise that made your heart skip, you’ll understand Olivia.

And maybe, like me, you’ll realise that sometimes our imagination isn’t our enemy, it’s how we make sense of the fear.

Read The Neighbour

The Neighbour is a short, suspenseful read with a touch of the paranormal, a story about starting over, trust, and the fear that follows us even when we think we’ve escaped.

It’s available now on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. If you're ready to dare step inside Olivia’s new home… check it out.

She thought it was paranoia. It wasn't.

Find out more about The Neighbour

Do any of these relate to you? Let me know in the comments.

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