Li Xiang is the Priestess of the Moon, she can see read the stars and fortune as well as misfortune to her people. However, the life of a Priestess consists of nothing but loneliness: she can neither leave the palace nor meet with anyone but the Emperor and his advisors. One day a mysterious servant boy named Rui sneaks into her room, daring her to go outside if he wins against her in a game. Upon meeting him, she also befriends a female warrior and a scholar, and realizes life is much more than the palace. When the day comes she can either choose to go down the road her heart truly desires but bring ruin to the kingdom, or ignore the one chance she will ever have to leave this life? *** "My fate has been decided for me." "There's no such thing as that," he said. "We all make our own fate." "But the stars tell me--" I stopped talking when he holds my face in his hands, warm hands cupping my cheeks, brown eyes looking into my eyes. "Then stop looking at the stars. Look at me." A love story about fate, finding one's identity, stepping out of your comfort zone, and, most of all, choosing between your happiness or the happiness of others... [[Word Count: 80,000-90,000]] Wattys Fantasy Winner 2021

[This story is free as of February 10, 2021] "Move over A Walk to Remember, and make way for one of the most heartwarming stories this side of Wattpad. It's so cute, I could cry (again)." - Grace @ HQ After tragedy strikes, Nolan loses all faith and never expects to love, let alone smile again until Nora-perky and persistent-walks into his life. ***** 15-year-old Nolan Haynes has everything. A loving family, a promising future as a filmmaker, and a pretty cool group of friends. That is until tragedy strikes and he's forced to move towns. Nolan vows never to let anyone in ever again-they always leave. But on a summer day two years later, when the super upbeat, Nora walks to his lunch table-Nolan has to try a bit harder to keep a smile off his face. Little does he know that Nora is fighting a battle of her own, one that no one could even imagine. And as the two get closer, they not only find solace in each other but in God. When Nolan is faced with a situation in which he has to break Nora's trust to protect her, can their budding relationship still stand and will God show up in all of this? [[word count: 80,000-90,000 words]] Content and/or Trigger Warning: This story contains scenes of verbal and physical abuse that may be triggering for some readers. NOTICE: Before the Morning is currently undergoing revisions! A sensitivity reader (someone who goes through your manuscript and assesses representations in your work) identified a number of issues surrounding the Filipino representation in BTM. I'm rewriting with the goal of creating a more authentic and respectful story. I'm sorry for the pain I caused by failing to include accurate Filipino culture and in having written from Nora's point of view.