A Dark Force: 20 Years with a Covert Narcissist

Celebrated music maven Erin Riley looked like she had it all: a 1960s Mad Men–style upbringing on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, then an escape to “find herself” in glamorous 1970s Hollywood, where she landed some of the most influential positions of the 1980s music industry. She hung out with rock stars like Keith Richards, Steven Tyler, James Taylor, and Jon Bon Jovi and chose the hit records for America’s #1 rock & roll radio station, WMMR-FM. But her colorful, raucous, rock & roll life hid dark secrets.

An emotionally neglected child with a generational legacy of stoicism and hiding painful truths, Erin had no real experience with love and healthy relationships. The marriage she thought would be her happily-ever-after led to 20 years of confusion, heartbreak, anger, and betrayal, all fueled by a malignant covert narcissist.

Erin’s honest, searing memoir recounts her self-discovery journey through a series of life’s traumas and tragedies, her many bad decisions, and two toxic marriages. Her story will bring insight and guidance to survivors of narcissistic abuse and those questioning their relationships, and the hope that they, like Erin, can find a joyous rock & roll redemption.