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

{WATTY'S 2020 WINNER & EDITOR'S PICK.} Hopeless romantic and aspiring writer Mare Atwood has fallen madly in love with her childhood correspondent. There's only one catch-she doesn't know who he is. When the beaus of Star's Crossing return from boarding school to begin the courting season, Mare is determined to uncover the identity of her writer, flout her family's intentions of orchestrating an advantageous marriage, and procure the life of writing and romance she's always sought. But as in the tales she so adores, it won't be easy. Galas, masquerades, picnics, and hunts-alongside an old friend, a former teacher, and an unlikely ally, Mare delves into an investigation that leaves her torn between three clever, deceptive, and wealthy young bachelors. If Mare can confirm which is her writer and claim his hand before the courting season ends, she'll have her wish: the love of her life, a valuable marriage, and a future of writing romance. But with the eyes of Star's Crossing upon her, a business plot forcing invisible hands, and the unwillingness of her writer to come forward-Mare's future may not end in triumph, but tragedy. Set against the gilded Victorian backdrop of coastal Connecticut and lush with pre-war luxury, fans of Jane Austen, Margaret Mitchell, and Louisa May Alcott are sure to enjoy this lighthearted, lyrical novel of young love, independence, and identity. #1 Literary #1 YA Romance #1 Victorian #1 Lyrical #8 General Fiction

After an offended Greek goddess sends Kenna back in time to Elizabethan England, she discovers she must stop the theft of Shakespeare's best known tragedy before returning to her century, all while resisting the charms of the theatre's Romeo. ***** After being dumped via voice note, Kenna Fernsby is convinced there was never a tale of more woe. Offended by the insult to true tragedy, a Greek goddess banishes Kenna to Elizabethan England, where she stumbles upon a plot to steal the priceless first draft of "Romeo and Juliet" from right under William Shakespeare's nose. Determined to outwit the thieves, Kenna dives into the intrigue, even when doing so may tangle her healing heart with a man from the past and force her to choose between the 16th century life she has fallen in love with and the fate of the play she loves as much. [[Wattys 2021 Winner in Historical Fiction]] [[Word count: 80,000 - 90,000 words]] The quotes from Romeo and Juliet used in this story were taken from the iBooks edition of the play. The text was originally from playshakespeare.com. ©2005-2022 PlayShakespeare.com. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this information under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation. Terms at http://www.playshakespeare.com/license

⁂2021 Wattys Shortlist winner⁂ Every person dreams of an happily ever after. That's why it's such a cliche. Yet hope always prevails. Everyone wants a happily ever after. Only to later realize no such thing exists. Afghan girl Selina Zafeer moves to America with her parents in hope to find a better life. The new high school drama brings out a completely different version of herself that she never knew existed. Selina makes new friends, finds herself in love, a twisted love that changes her life forever. But that's not how it ends. Tragedy strikes, as always. And leaves her crumbled, trying to put all the pieces back together. Will she ever get the happily ever after she had forever dreamed of? Highest ranks in tags: #3rd in Afghanistan #1st in Bangladesh Cover credits- Taoseef Rahman

Emmy's life is going just as she'd planned: She's living in her own apartment, dancing every day and is just leaps away from being named her company's next Prima ballerina. And she's only 17. But all of Emmy's plans come to a screeching halt when the FBI shows up at her door to let her know that she's being stalked by a serial killer. Suddenly, the safe, insulated world she created for herself is riddled with violence, fear...and a growing pile of dead bodies. At first Emmy wants nothing more than to forget her chilling new reality - but her admirer isn't finished with her yet, and before she knows it, Emmy's stuck in a nightmare she can't dance her way out of. Content and/or trigger warning: This story contains detailed scenes of murder, rape, torture, sex and stalking, which may be triggering for some readers. [[word count: 80,000-90,000 words]]