If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know I don’t rant or vent on my social media. It’s not because I have a lack of tea to spill, but because it’s not my style. It’s not my personality. My rants are reserved for my boyfriend, my friends, my therapist, and the occasional family member.

Last week, however, I saw something that made me so damn angry, I broke my own rules.

I jumped on Instagram stories to rant because a Spanish influencer had just had a baby the week before—and he already had his own Instagram account.

Let me say that again: A ONE-WEEK-OLD BABY HAS AN INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT.

I hate it here, guys. I really do hate it here.

In what world is this behavior normal? In what UNIVERSE does a newborn baby need an Instagram account?

Here’s the thing. I’m nobody to tell people what they can or can’t post, especially regarding their family. I have very strong opinions about influencers showing minors online (particularly with the rise of harmful practices involving AI), but at the end of the day, all I can do is keep sharing how dangerous I think it is.

I’m not a parent, but I can only guess how angry I would be if people started telling me how to raise my kids. Imagine that! People who don’t even have kids themselves… The audacity! I get it, I really do.

That doesn’t mean making an Instagram account for your newborn baby is a normal thing to do. It’s unnecessary, and weird, and a way to contribute to a much bigger problem. In my opinion.

This past March, I published The Lair, a romantic suspense novel about a woman who grows up in an influencer family. Years later, she changes her name and runs away to a small town to escape the spotlight—until her past catches up to her. It’s been called “controversial” by certain industry professionals, and I nearly didn’t publish it because of it.

I’m so damn glad I didn’t listen.

It’s 2025, yet influencers are still making social media accounts for their kids and sharing all sorts of private information about them online. THIS is why I wrote The Lair, and THIS is why publishing it wasn’t a mistake.

Given how niche the theme of this book is, I thought a total of 10 people would read it. Maybe 100, if I got really lucky. But you’ve proven me wrong, and I could never thank you enough for giving it a chance and telling your friends about it/sharing your reviews.

I’m humbled by how many of you are in my DMs, sharing your horrified thoughts about family influencers. I’ve had parents tell me that my book either gave them a new perspective on child safety and social media, or validated the long conversations they’ve had with their partners about it. Again, THIS is why I wrote The Lair. Because we need to have this conversation, and we need to have it today.

Publishing The Lair was the hardest decision I’ve made in my career so far. I explain why in the author’s note at the back of the book. I thought I’d share that author note with you today, as it’s been exactly two months since the book came out.

From me to you, on how this story came to be and why I published it:

Deciding to publish The Lair wasn’t easy for a number of reasons I’m sure you’ll understand.

Have you ever read a sexually explicit book about a woman who grows up in an influencer family, gets kidnapped because of her parents’ questionable behavior, and runs away to escape the exposure? Me neither. That’s reason number one. It’s an… interesting concept for a romance novel, and the market doesn’t always love out-of-the-ordinary stories. Yes, I write for myself, but I also have bills to pay. Considering what might sell isn’t a bad thing, even if I always end up doing what feels right to me.

Reason number two is that the subject of child stars and child influencers is being very heavily discussed right now, which I feel wasn’t so much the case when I started working on this book in 2022 (Allie isn’t a child star, but I’ve been told her situation is similar in some aspects). I have the utmost respect for everyone who’s bravely speaking out about their experiences. My intention with The Lair is and always has been to shine another light into the dangers children could face while in the public eye, specifically on social media. I believe in freedom of speech as long as it doesn’t interfere with someone else’s wellbeing. I’d like to think I’ve been respectful and mindful in the way I’ve handled this theme. If I haven’t, I’m always open to learning from my mistakes.

The last reason is fear. The Lair is my shooting star. It represents aiming for something new, uncertain, and hopeful. Shrek has an outstanding soundtrack, and I love every minute of it, but sometimes shooting stars don’t break the mold—sometimes they fizzle out and die. As I’m writing this, I don’t know if this book will end up being a shooting star that fizzles out before I get a chance to wish upon it.

It took me two years and endless therapy sessions to understand that I have the right to write and publish freely (and that’s a wonderful thing). That I have the right to use my voice, and use it to remind us to protect children and teenagers on all fronts as our world evolves.

In the end, I decided to publish The Lair because if we keep important conversations in the shadows to avoid confrontation, we’re only abandoning those who suffer in silence. And, sometimes, that includes ourselves.

This book is entirely fictional but not unrealistic. Allie came to me when I asked myself, “What would happen if exposing children on social media took one of the worst possible turns?” She isn’t based on any real person, living or dead, because I would find that extremely violating. The Lair is inspired by a general behavior I’ve noticed over the years that I don’t agree with, and Allie’s journey is a reflection of what I could see myself doing if I were in her unfortunate position.

Allie’s family isn’t based on any real family, living or dead, either. I didn’t bother giving her parents first names because they’re only an archetype. They represent my idea of narcissistic people who failed to protect their daughter from the dangers of social media. I hope people like them don’t exist in real life.

My heart goes out to anyone who sees themselves in Allie, for one reason or another. You deserve peace and safety, and I’ll always cheer you on.

If nothing else, I hope her story has urged you to protect the children in your life from online threats more than you already do.

Thank you for reading this far.

With love and gratitude,

Lisina Coney

Influencer families can be very dangerous, and I’m tired of society looking the other way because it’s easier. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend checking out The House of My Mother by Shari Franke (a book written by an actual child influencer) and Bad Influence, a Netflix documentary that explores the dark side of kid influencers. Both are heartbreaking, but incredibly eye-opening.

Thank you for reading, always,

Lis <3