Almost Everything | on hold

foreword

[S U M M A R Y]

Theodore Barron is not his disorder. His disorder is not him.

Or at least, that's what his therapist would always tell him when he got so worked up about not being able to let out a few simple words.

Theodore has a stammering problem - also called childhood-onset fluency disorder - and even though it's not exactly a problem but a part of him now, he still struggles to accept the faults in himself but eventually learns a way to make his words clear and speech understandable.

It's when he gets nervous, upset, or is caught off guard that the problem manifests. And around Isla Hawthorn, his stammering always gets the best of him.

Isla Hawthorn, is a girl with stars in her eyes and flowers growing in her heart. And just like her last name suggests, a lover of nature and everything green as well. But just like a saguaro cactus flower, it took her a long time to bloom and even after she finally does, she still feels lost and unfocused in this huge universe. Isla continues to wonder of her existence and what she's really supposed to do in life to finally feel completed and achieved.

They're millions of worlds apart and they don't even go to the same school so who knew that all it took was a lost kitten, a masquerade party, a mystery map written in gel pen on the back of several Walmart receipts tapped together and a shitload of Harry Potter references for their worlds to finally crash?

This is the story of Isla and Theodore as they try to maneuver their way through all the obstacles and the people trying to set them apart into their happily ever after. Because the tragedy is not in the love that exists, it's in the love that lasts and stays hidden in secret touches and hushed whispers and fragile hearts. It's in young lovers and their gleaming eyes that crave everything when the harsh reality is that no one can have everything they wish for. They can only have almost everything.

▬▬❁❀❁▬▬

[E P I G R A P H]

❝"And what do you know of love?"
"That it must be a choice."
"Oh, my naive thief. "
I pause briefly to meet his gaze.
"Love is rarely a choice."❞

― Jessica Khoury, The Forbidden Wish

▬▬❁❀❁▬▬

[N O T E]

It has been almost three months since I last felt the urge to write a full novel. But when this story idea immediately popped in my head, I knew I had to write it down.

This is a very personal and close story, and I hope you all love it as much as I do.

Special thanks to my beautiful best friend who helped me so much while brain storming ideas. You're amazing jasmine.

▬▬❁❀❁▬▬

[W A R N I N G]

• swearing

• triggering themes

▬▬❁❀❁▬▬

[C O P Y R I G H T
S T A T E M E N T]

Copyright © 2017 by Eiman M. Altilip
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.