The United States has gone to war with China over land and pride. With dwindling military enlistments, the United States naturally believes the only solution is to draft the children. An ensemble cast of drafted teenage boys desperately try to avoid the gravity of their situation until they no longer can. TW for death, violence, abuse, torture, and suicide

***2023 SHORTLISTER FOR THE @OPENNOVELLACONTEST & FEATURED ON (FORMERLY) @STORIESUNDISCOVERED'S 'FEAST ON FICTION' READING LIST IN OCTOBER 2023*** Born and raised within a few steps of Hollywood's golden gate, Arlene Berkshire always knew she wanted to be an actress. After some minor roles in overlooked features, Arlene gets her break at last when she secures a role in Forrest Washburn's highly-anticipated directorial debut. Asked to play opposite a veteran actor who seems to stray from the script only in her presence, Arlene soon finds herself at the cusp of a blossoming affair with the famed Norman Stillwell himself. Yet it is not long after their affair's beginning that an individual reveals a secret that could bring ruin to Arlene's career before it's even started. Thus torn between the man she's fallen for and her reputation, Arlene realizes relatively quickly that no script could have prepared her for what turns out to be her own Hollywood scandal. AN OLD HOLLYWOOD NOVELLA & AN ONC ENTRY.

*~~~~~~~° When Mia discovers her father's suitcase full of illegal drugs, she's plunged into a dangerous world of deceit and cartels. As she delves deeper into her family's past, she's forced to confront the possibility that her loving father may not have been who she thought he was. Meanwhile, Charlie's determination to start afresh despite his sister's arrest leads him on a similar path of questioning his beliefs. As their lives become intertwined, Mia and Charlie join efforts to withstand the whirlwind of high school. But can they stick together in a world where danger and unexpected consequences lurk around every corner?

A short story *** I am merely a seer. A seer shall not in any case, interfere with the lives I have seen. A seer shall not be a main participant in a storyline. I have just only seen it. A seer is not supposed to see past death. Yet I am drawn to Miss Everlyn Morrows. Her spirit wants something. She is alive yet dead. Because of her will. It's stronger than normal. A lover murdered her. ***

Many rules. No ruler. In Berrium, citizens live under an oppressive code of laws. Order is enforced by a brutal and unregulated Militia. Duty is everything. Teenage Bemilly Pulver is facing a bleak future. With her life moving forward in several unappealing ways, she longs for an escape filled with mystery and magic. Yet even talk of magic is outlawed on pain of death. When a series of increasingly disturbing events throws her world into disarray, Bemilly learns about the nature of her reality and her history, while a difficult choice awaits.