A Sydney author has been charged with producing child abuse material following widespread international criticism of her controversial book titled Daddy’s Little Toy.

Lauren Tesolin-Mastrosa, a Christian charity marketing executive who writes erotic fiction under the pen name Tori Woods, has sparked global backlash with her latest novel. The book depicts the disturbing relationship between a “barely legal” 18-year-old and her father’s friend. In the novel, the man expresses his disturbing desire for the teen, revealing that his attraction first began when the girl was just three years old.

im fine with a LOT in books. but what. in the name of GOD ? pic.twitter.com/ZolpojqYAt

— mel (@meldevarona) March 18, 2025

While Tesolin-Mastrosa’s work may fall under the genre of erotic fiction, it touches on highly sensitive and controversial themes involving minors, which has sparked obvious backlash.

No way u just saw someone defending that Tori woods book because it’s “dark romance” that has triggers and if you don’t like it then don’t read it?!? pedophilia isn’t a dark romance genre….its pedophilia pic.twitter.com/MhgLsGRZXG

— Lexi📚• SOTR Spoilers!!!! (@Lexidite) March 19, 2025

According to The Independent, on Friday 21 March 2025, detectives arrested the 33-year-old author at her home in Quakers Hill, Sydney, at around 12:30 pm. Police executed a search warrant, seizing hard copies of the book for forensic examination.

@liareadsawholelot

Replying to @amika ౨ৎ booktok at the end of the day I hope her kids are safe #badbooks #darkromance #toriwoods #daddyslittletoy #controversy #kindleunlimitedrecs #kurecs #billionaireromance #mafiaromance #enemiestolovers #grumpysunshine #whodidthistoyou #fakemarriage #smalltown #darkromancerecs #bookrecs #troperecs #booktrope #kindle #BookTok#sportsbooks #fyp #booktiktok #foryoupage #kindleunlimited #goodreads #booksof2025 #romancebooks #romancebooktok #kindlerecs #readmorebooks #librarybooks #greenscreen

♬ original sound - ✨Lia Reads✨

CW// p*do shit

Put Tori Woods on a watchlist. I try to not assume what an author is like based on the disturbing shit they write, but this woman wrote an adult man being attracted to a 3 year old and presented it as "sexy" idc, only a p*do would write something like that https://t.co/hU7wPGfB5d

— Bob Leponge✨️ (@BlaqueYeehaw) March 19, 2025

The discovery that followed was shocking, with Tesolin-Mastrosa facing charges of possessing, disseminating, and producing child abuse material.

In response to the uproar, the author took to social media to defend herself, claiming the controversy surrounding her book was a “big misunderstanding.” She denied that the novel promoted or encouraged child sexual abuse or paedophilia, calling the accusations “grossly disturbing” and “sickening” to her. However, her social media page has since been removed.

Following the backlash, the book was also removed from major platforms such as Amazon and GoodReads.

The book’s cover designer, Georgia Stove, also issued a statement after facing threats in relation to the book’s content. Stove explained that she had no knowledge of the explicit nature of the book when she designed the cover.

“All I knew was the blurb, which said ‘barely legal,’ and I mistakenly thought that was acceptable,” Stove said. “I’ve severed ties with Tori Woods and I am available to answer any questions, but please stop the threats. I had no involvement in the content of the book.”

The backlash on social media is unlikely to subside anytime soon, fueled by concerns over the normalisation of pedophilic content—indeed any kind of content that involves minors or individuals at risk of exploitation. As of now, the author was granted conditional bail and is scheduled to appear before Blacktown Local Court on Monday 31 March.