"She was the girl who longed for the freedom of the dragon, and he was the dragon who longed to be a man." A heroine reclaiming her fate. A dragon with a secret. A prince on a quest. Olivia flees to the forest seeking freedom from her family's demands. She finds refuge in a cave, only to discover it is a dragon's lair. The dragon, Kaden, is not the monster she first thinks him to be. After overcoming her initial fright - of not being eaten - Olivia discovers that the dragon has a gentle heart. Kaden is resigned to loneliness after centuries of wandering the lands. Meeting Olivia brings joy to his solitary life, and never has he dreamed that a young woman would be the one to start the change in him. A storm brews on the horizon. A prince with a handsome face and a cruel heart is on a quest to slay the dragon, and take the throne. He will do whatever it takes to have what he believes is his to own. And now, he has his eyes set on the pretty little maiden from the forest. He will make her his Queen, whether she wants it or not. © by Maya_2011/Maya Starling

Spray Painted Bananas is a romantic comedy about Amber, a broke temp working in a catering firm in London, who after one too many evenings scrounging free wine from wacky art gallery openings with her best friend Farrell, decides there’s no reason she can’t become a conceptual artist herself. A chance meeting with the wealthy, young art curator, Elliott Frinton-Smith, sets things off in a desirable direction. Now all Amber needs is a brilliant idea to grab the attention of the nation. Spray Painted Bananas explores love and ambition with the touch of the absurd and plenty of bananas. It is OUT NOW published under the title THE TEMP by Harper Collins.

[NOTE: This book was written in 2010, a time of long-distance phone cards, weight-loss obsessions, and searching for a man as a solution to life's problems-what a messy time to be alive! In other words, I hope you enjoy this throwback, and while this book does end on a cliffhanger of sorts, the sequel addresses any unanswered questions (which is hopefully fair, given that book 1 is free, ya know?] An awkward family homecoming at Christmas. A humiliating public weigh-in, with two judging parents as the audience. The announcement of a deadline for arranged marriage doom. And that's just the first two chapters. In "Year of the Chick," Romi Narindra must find love before her parents find her a husband. Easy to say, less easy to live through, as this book takes you deep inside "awkward Indian living in the West." To escape her fate, Romi wades through the waters of secret-dating, where self-consciousness is at an all-time high, and experience at an all-time low. It's the sort of thing that would turn almost anyone into a man-crazy freak with romance tunnel-vision, and that's exactly what ends up happening. All the while, a lack of inspiration in her corporate job leads Romi to her love of writing, in what quickly becomes a man-quest play-by-play. From whiskey-breath scum bags to uni-brow creeps and everything in between, Romi and her wingmen come up empty time after time. And that's when she meets a fellow writer. On the Internet. So will it be arranged marriage doom, or an Internet affair that's not as creepy as "To Catch a Predator"? Time will tell in the "year of the chick," a twelve-month quest to find love. Tick-tock. --------------------------------------------- "Year of the Chick" is book one of a series, and book two is available at Amazon! LENGTH: 75,000 words or 285 pages DISCLAIMER: this book contains profanities, blunt accounts of the dating scene, and many awkward family moments. Enjoy!

Bree and Eve share one body, but they are two girls as different as day and night. Eve is secretive and unpredictable. Bree withholds nothing from her other half. Eve prefers to create resolution through violence. Bree can barely stand the sight of blood. But one goal unites them: desire to be safe from the Trackers who hunt their kind. And for years they wander from city to city, in search of freedom and the little brother Bree believes is still alive. When Bree meets Daniel, a young man with dangerous connections and a penchant for taking in strays, including her, she finds it hard to move on. But the secret she hides risks doing more than driving them apart. It might just turn them into enemies. There's also Tristan, a boy with secrets of his own-secrets that help Eve. As her strength grows and Bree struggles to keep up, the two girls are pitted against each other in a battle over the body they share. And with the Trackers closer than ever to finding them, there's a chance neither of them will make it out alive.

"Cay, will you look at me?" I turned around and lifted my eyes to look into his. His arms were braced on the counter and he was looking at me sideways. The glow of the light coming from the living room and into the kitchen gave his face an otherworldly impression. I waited for him to continue. He closed his eyes and sighed, "Cay... Just so you know... I wanted to do it. Right there, a while ago. But you know why I couldn't, and why we shouldn't." There was a pain in my chest at his words. But I just gazed at him, unsure of what to say. He was right. It would be a mistake. And no matter how many times my weak heart and frail mind wanted him to kiss me, it would be selfish, not to mention immoral. In the end we would both regret it, and that would hurt the most. © rainthereader 2012 All Rights Reserved

"It's so simple," I say. "All we have to do is pretend we're in love with each other. You know, hold hands, share Eskimo kisses and all that crap. And at the same time, we'll destroy Jackson and Kristina's relationship. Make them think that their not right for each other. And next thing you know, you'll have Kristina, and I'll have Jackson, and everything will be how its supposed to be. Are you with me?" "Fine, I'll do it." He leans in close to my ear. "But don't get too attached. Remember this relationship is strictly business."

SAMPLE COPY! The complete book is now available on Amazon (links on my profile). This version on Wattpad is a sample copy only and is incomplete. Penelope Inglewood discovers her brother is in love with the betrothed of the most ruthless man in England, The Duke Of Newbridge. She must find a way to save her family from ruin and turn her brother's affections elsewhere. When the Duke Of Newbridge decides to confront his rival in love, he finds himself completely intrigued by the small, but determined woman. Will Penelope be able to keep her heart and her head in the presence of this dangerous, yet intoxicating villain who seeks to punish her brother?

Delaney Escott lives in a world where popularity reigns supreme. If you want to be noticed, social status is everything. The government is run by the Superiors: a very exclusive group of individuals who are virtually flawless. They are smarter than us and stronger than us, and to join their ranks is the highest honor. The Superiors pay an annual visit to the top schools in the nation and evaluate the students, choosing one boy and one girl - the most Popular in the school - to go the Capitol and train for Superiority. Delaney thinks that she's the only one indifferent to (and perhaps even suspicious of) the Superiors, until Caleb Payne, the most popular boy in school, approaches her with a request. He has a task for her, one that he believes she is uniquely capable of completing. And as she helps him, Delaney discovers that the government is hiding many secrets - and that the truth of the Superiors is far from what people believe it to be. [Watty Awards 2012 Winner, Science-Fiction: On the Rise]

Losing her parents in a double-murder, 21-year-old Payton comes into her powers. With her new abilities comes a secret. Born as the prophesied Royal that would restore balance to the Fae and bring forth peace and harmony after a centennial of warring between light and dark Fae, she is met with a vengeful ex-lover, secrets to avoid exposure, a love interest and hunters out to put an end to the Monarchy. The fate of all Fae rests on her shoulders. Decisions are needed—simplicity means certain death and Royalty means the death of her independence. © ItalRT4u, 2012

How do you kill an enemy who has no fear of death?