Following a decade of rigorous work in the corporate world, coupled with the rewarding but demanding task of raising two successful children, De Bruno made the bold decision to leave the corporate environment and try an alternative career path. De Bruno’s lifelong passion for storytelling began in her youth, nurtured by countless hours spent listening to her grandfather, a master storyteller, whose captivating tales ignited her imagination and shaped her love for the art. He fostered De Bruno’s creativity through encouragement and praise, while simultaneously instilling in her a deep appreciation for the artistry of skillfully crafted yarn. De Bruno started working on her first novel, a project she began in early 2023, which would later become a significant milestone in her literary career. It was a long and arduous process, taking nearly eighteen months, but she persevered and finally saw the culmination of her efforts with the publication of her novel, *A System of Deception*, in June 2024. With its skillful and accurate exploration of mental illness, the dark yet essential novel earned the title of bestseller and claimed the top spot among new releases in the Dissociative Identity Disorder/Mental Illness category.