In the late nineties asexuality is all but ignored as an orientation. Jess doesn't understand her complex array of emotions or why she finds it so hard to relate to her fellow classmates. Catholic high schools and churches simply don't address the issue, and the internet is still nascent. Jess can't tell anyone the truth. Not even her best friend Care. Instead, she hides behind the guise of faith. Behind a mask of celibacy. Until she meets Eric, that is. He lets slip that he's asexual, and Jess wants to learn more. --- Watty Winner 2021 for best cover, best YA, and the Wattpad Books prize! --- Status: completed and unedited Rating: PG-15 for moderate language and frank discussions about sexuality Genre: teen fiction romance featuring two heteroromantic ace characters --- Cover designed using Canva Pro August 2020 --- Please note: This work is a teen fiction novelization of my multimedia novella "Mask of Celibacy".

Perpetual quitter Vera Kwan thinks she's got it made when her style blog catches the attention of narcissistic actor Carmen Juarez, but after egos ignite a gossip war, Vera has to learn to balance her flighty ambitions and her attraction to Carmen's prickly, gorgeous manager Sharise before her Hollywood dreams fall apart like a cheap polyester blouse. ***** It's not Vera Kwan's fault that she can't hold down a job. A fashion school dropout, she dreams of becoming a famous designer, but the life of a style influencer is more grind than glamour. She just needs one big break, one chance to prove her styles are red carpet worthy. When a snarky post about her celebrity crush Carmen Juarez catches the actor's attention, Vera wins her ticket to stardom. As Carmen's stylist, she sets out to prove that she's more than just pretty clothes and the right filters, and maybe even win the affections of Carmen's aloof manager, Sharise, who she quickly finds herself falling for. After a clever fashion stunt goes viral, Vera is suddenly the most sought-after stylist in Hollywood. She even gets a job offer from Carmen's rival. But her style success may not be getting her any closer to her designer dreams, and secrets are beginning to fray her sense of purpose. If Vera can't figure out what's important enough to see through to the end, even when it seems impossible, she risks losing both the professional relationship that made her and the romantic relationship that might be the one thing that matters to her as much as fashion. ***** Complete at 100k words. *featured on Wattpad's A Latte Love, #WrittenWithPride, From Our Stars, and In her words #IWD2020 reading lists* Cover by the incredible @AnnaofthePond