[6] After living in Syria, prior to the Civil War, and finding a series of photos of Afghan refugees, Stephens began the Double the Quota campaign in 2013.
[14] Prior to the revelation of his identity, it had been speculated that Meros' real persona was either Stephens, actor Arthur Meek or one of the other members of Lawrence & Gibson publishing.
[15] First published in 2005, On the Conditions and Possibilities of Helen Clark Taking Me as Her Young Lover, received favourable reviews in New Zealand[16] and international press.
[22] In total, Stephens has released eight books under the Meros pseudonym through Lawrence & Gibson in New Zealand, including novels and political/cultural satire, though none have achieved the success of On the conditions and possibilities of Helen Clark taking me as her Young Lover.
[42][43] Writing in Landfall, Craig Cliff, said:Just as the content of the novel revolves around maturity, how teenagers seek it and Millennial parents shirk it, Down from Upland feels like a confident stride towards a new, fully-fledged form for Murdoch Stephens.
[44]In addition to being an author he maintains his role of an editor at Lawrence & Gibson publishing[45] and regularly writes for a range of news media including the Spinoff[46] and Stuff.