Tara Gilesbie

Not much is known about Tara Gilesbie, the author of My Immortal. Most of what we know about her comes from her famous author's notes on the fic, but even those are hard to trust, as many people believe My Immortal to be a troll fic, and that the author's notes are all part of an elaborate fake identity. 
Still others point to Tara's fannish activity before posting My Immortal as evidence this fan and her fic are likely genuine. One example is Tara's activity on IMDB, where she posted on the My Chemical Romance message boards about My Immortal, at least a month before the first chapter was published.Why Chapter 39 of My Immortal was due to an actual hacker, by myimmortalisimmortal, Oct 2020. 
Others point to the 2005 petition Tara created on petition online. Here she claims to be active in the comments sections of other petitions and engaging with fandom on Quizilla, a popular site for emo fans and fanwriters at the time. Her trademark writing style is also on full display:
After My Immortal reached internet fame, many people came forward claiming to have authored it, however none of them had any solid evidence to support their claims. People claiming authorship are often asked questions about the email associated with Tara's 2005 petition; namely, do they still have access to this account and if not, why not? The Petition Online email is the only email confirmed to be associated with this author. Some claimants referenced this email and its easily guessed password, but their lack of access to the account often precluded others from believing their stories.
Due to the anonymous nature of FFN writers and fanfiction writers in general, it's quite likely we will never learn who the true author of My Immortal was. Tara Gilesbie and her infamous fic continue to be one of the Internet's greatest mysteries.
==Identity Theories and False Claims==
Several people have come forward to claim authorship of My Immortal. The identity of My Immortal's author is still in dispute/unknown.
In 2011, someone using the handle TheBratMan claimed co-authorship, and admitted it was a trollfic, in a since deleted post. The Batman's Confession archived versionThe actual handle used by the person claiming authorship in 2011 was TheBratMan. From The 'Author' of My Immortal Emailed Me, And Then It Got Worse by Sarah Z, (2020)
Beginning in 2012/13, the AcidBath Sisters were mistakenly identified as the author(s).Goth Teens On The Internet Are Never What They Seem, 2014 article containing interview with Tara of the AcidBath sisters. They never claimed authorship of this work, but it was a widely held theory in fandom that Tara and Raven of the AcidBath sisters were the same Tara and Raven who wrote My Immortal. Tara, of the AcidBath sisters, came forward in 2014 to say they didn't write the fic and had been unaware of My Immortal when creating their Youtube videos. Any similarities to the Tara and Raven who wrote My Immortal were apparently just a coincidence.Re-examing the Acidbath sisters theory] posted to r/hobbydrama by Virtual_Cranberry746 (Oct 2020)
 
On 22 August 2017, the author apparently reemerged on FictionPress, to confirm that she is not Lani Sarem.XXXblodyblaktearz666XXX on FictionPress (Accessed 3 September 2017)
On 7 September 2017 Buzzfeed announced that the author is really Rose Christo, who "with the help of one beloved foster sister" published the story as a way to make contact with her brother who was separated from her in the New York foster care system. Her autobiography was scheduled to be published in 2018.The Story Of "My Immortal" Is More Wild And Heartbreaking Than You Imagined on Buzzfeed (accessed 9 September 2017) It was later canceled and questions were raised about her story. My Immortal memoir canceled: Author says she's been 'branded a liar' on Entertainment Weekly by David Canfield, dated 3 October 2017 (accessed 9 October 2017) The "My Immortal" Book Is No Longer Going To Be Published on Buzzfeed by Jarry Lee, dated 3 October, 2017 (accessed 10 October 2017)
In 2020, a writer claiming their name is either Todd/Tod or Toby claimed authorship of the work.The 'Author' of My Immortal Emailed Me, And Then It Got Worse by Sarah Z, uploaded to YouTube September 29th 2020 Tod/Todd, aka xxxmidnightgoffxxx, has consistently claimed authorship on multiple platforms, including FFN and DeviantArt, but has never been believed.Troll or not? discussion at the My Immortal Wiki, 2017.Archived link to xxxmidnightgoffxxx's FFN account, archive captured April 2012. The account is currently using the pseud Toby Alt, as of 14/10/2020. On October 1 2020, new Reddit user xxxmidnightgoffxx provided screenshots of their chat with Sarah Z as proof of identity and later published a final confession.Final Confesstion posted a r/Myimmortaldrama, Oct 10 2020. Todd was not Tara Gilesbie, but claimed they had previously been in contact with the author. In screengrabs of their correspondence, Todd/Toby signed off as the bratman. They also claimed authorship of My Immortal 2: Wake Me Up Inside, a fanfic which many suspected was written by someone pretending to be Tara.
==Notes & References==
Category:Fanwriters