Nicholas Lao Batista, editorial assistant at Will & Williamson Publishing, was not a naturally quiet person. Very few knew this, and he was not one of them. What he failed to say out loud, he wrote instead. It was something a starving artist would say, the kind he would talk shit on if he were loud and a hypocrite. Unfortunately for him, Nicholas was the starving artist, and his art was all he had: his only chance to be at the center of something. He never expected he would one day wind up literally at the center of it, plunging through the pages of an ancient journal into the story he wrote. Except nothing was as intended, and with every passing day, it became harder and harder to tell bad from good. What Nicholas needed was a way home, but he found himself wanting something more - something to do with unwavering eyes and surprisingly gentle hands.

2023 WATTY'S SHORTLIST When Finley Bowers decided to study abroad in England, he wasn't expecting to fall in love. But when Harlyn Evans shows up in his life, he brings a whole lot of goodness - and chaos - with him. *** Finley Bowers has always done what everyone expects of him. But the last few years have been rough, and he's decided to make his own decisions instead of what everyone else wants him to do. The first step is to get out of his tiny town and study in England for the semester with his best friend, Max. Little did he know three short months would change his whole life. Harlyn Evans is really good at taking care of everyone else. He's not as good at taking care of himself. And after a long semester of too many work hours, piles of schoolwork, and his family's host student freezing him out, he's wary when the new host student, Max, moves in for the term. But Max and his best friend draw him in in ways he never expected. As Finley and Harlyn get closer and try to figure out their feelings for each other, the end of the semester and Finley's return to the states looms in the distance. What will their future hold? COMPLETED: June 14, 2023 SMALL EDITS MADE: July 6, 2023

[BXB] Nate Pembroke makes an offer that Denver Hughes can't refuse. ✩✩✩ Ever since tragedy struck Denver Hughes' family two years ago, nothing has been the same. As a result, already apathetic Denver decided his best move was to push his feelings aside and avoid them completely- until he decides to seek them out again. Nate Pembroke acts without thinking and has the bruises to show for it. He's impulsive; a hurricane; a whirlwind and he's Denver's golden opportunity. When he offers to help Denver embrace all of his messy and complicated feelings, Denver knows it's an offer he can't refuse. But as their friendship begins to blossom into something more, Denver is forced to face his feelings- and his grief- in a way that he never expected. [ November. 2021. - February. 2022. ]

Sometimes it's better to spread a couple white lies than to own up to one's truth

Asher Greenly never wanted to play football. But at Kingsly Academy--a school where the rich and powerful call the shots--he doesn't have a choice. If he wants to keep his scholarship, he has to suit up. The coastal town of Willowbrook might look like something out of a vintage postcard, but beneath the neon lights and old-school charm lurks something far more sinister. Student athletes are going missing. Some turn up dead. And no one is talking. Asher has spent his life hiding his darkest secret: he can see the dead, and they're interfering with all his plans to lay low for his first year of college. But when he catches the attention of Jackal Riley--the too-handsome, too-clever captain of the football team--Asher realizes he's not the only one keeping secrets. Jackal knows something about the disappearances. Something about the shadowy forces puppeteering it all. And something about Asher that he's yet to discover himself. Now, Asher is playing a game he never signed up for-one where losing doesn't just cost scholarships. It costs lives. And the people pulling the strings? They've already set their sights on him.

On the surface, Lucas Evans is the perfect son of a pastor, navigating life in a small, deeply religious town. But beneath the expectations and routines, he's suffocating under the weight of secrets he can't share. When Lucas crosses paths with Adrian, a free-spirited artist with a rebellious streak, their connection sparks a quiet rebellion in Lucas's heart. Through stolen moments by the lake and whispered conversations, Lucas begins to question everything he's been taught. Can Lucas find the courage to embrace his hidden truths, even if it means risking everything he holds dear? "Hidden Love" is a heartfelt journey of self-discovery, forbidden romance, and the search for authenticity in a world of expectations.