Serena Davidson leads two lives. At school, she's a morbidly obese, stupid, nerdy, bitchy, slutty, and a teacher's pet. But at home she's the scrawny vegetarian pushover. What would possess someone to wear a fat suit every day? And what happens when someone finds out?

This novella was a Hugo and Nebula nominee twenty years ago. I lost both to Charles Sheffield -- whom I married five years later. Life sometimes really is just as strange as fiction.

Two college students, Christian Reinhardt and Revelin Lesage find their lives upended when they witness the rape and murder of a fellow classmate. When the police refuse to continue their investigation due to the nature of their suspect, Revelin takes the moral degradation of his city into his own hands. Now Featured! Highest Rating: #1 Mystery; #15 Nonteen Fiction A Watty Awards 2013 Finalist in "Mystery/Thriller On the Rise."

Olivia's best friend is not imaginary. He’s not a ghost, either. And she's pretty sure he's not a hallucination. He’s just Mason. He is, however, invisible. When Olivia spotted the crying little boy on her front porch at five years old, she had no idea she was the only one who could see him. Twelve years later when new-girl Robin bumps into the both of them and introduces herself to Mason, they are both stunned. Mason couldn't be more pleased that someone else can see him. Olivia, on the other hand, isn't jumping at the chance to welcome Robin into their circle. Jealousy may have something to do with that, but honest fear that Robin's presence will put Mason in danger is soon validated when a strange black car begins showing up everywhere. The race to find out what Robin knows in time to protect Mason from whatever threats are coming becomes Olivia's only focus.

[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!

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF ALLISON REED: THE MUSICAL - release date, SEPT 2013. STARRING: Allison Reed, Lydia Huntington II, and the renowned Toby Martin. LOGLINE: A bitter, intelligent teenage girl (Reed) is paired with a musical aficionado (Martin) to complete an English assignment on musicals. With the help of her striking best friend (Huntington), she comes to terms with the fact that, in spite of his exasperating episodes of musical-induced mania, the aforementioned musical aficionado may be a lot more okay than originally presumed. Coming soon to a theatre near you.

Hudson Ellis is good at his job. Somehow, he manages not to annoy people when he knocks at their doors and asks them to contribute to the charity he works for - instead, he gets them to sign up for sponsoring programmes and fish whatever spare change they have out of their pockets. Even the infamously tough residents of New York City are falling victim to Hudson's easy-going ways and wide smile; that is, until one woman renders him speechless with sarcastic refusals and slams her door in his face. Perhaps Hudson would be able to forget her - if it wasn't for the fact that she lives on the same floor of the next apartment over, and they both have floor-to-ceiling windows that allow for a rather generous view into each other's flats.

Hurt from her previous relationship, Lana Lopez does her best to avoid falling for unreachable playboy Zeo Alcante. But when they both acknowledge their growing feelings for each other, maybe breaking some rules isn't so bad after all. *** Strong and independent, Lana Lopez isn't your typical girl. She knows what she wants and does everything she can to get it. However, her world is shaken to the core as she crosses paths with street racer Oliver Cojuangco and basketball star player Zeo Alcante for a social experiment that forces them to hang out for a month. Determined to make things work, the three try their best to get along-not until more feelings get involved. With her heart on her sleeve, Lana tries it with Zeo. But with the fears and uncertainties that continue to test their relationship, is taking the risk worth it in the end? Or does breaking the rules mean getting their hearts broken, too? Disclaimer: This story is written in Taglish, a combination of Tagalog & English. Cover Design by Regina Dionela

Despite the illusion Sapphire Dubois presents to the rest of the world, she is not just your stereotypical 22-year old Beverly Hills heiress; she hunts serial killers. While her fellow heirs spend their nights with trending celebs and drugs at the hottest club, Sapphire secretly spends hers luring, capturing, and anonymously handing over So-Cal's most wanted killers to the police - just your average Tuesday night. What Sapphire doesn't know is that one of her adversaries is watching her every move, aware of both her true identity and her unconventional hobby. Needless to say, he doesn't approve. Used to being the one who redefines the definition of predator and prey, Sapphire's world abruptly shatters when a gruesome 'gift' arrives for her at the Beverly Hills Country Club. With her involuntary crush, handsome Detective Aston Ridder, close on her tail, Sapphire now has to rethink her routine strategy and figure out how to capture a killer who already knows she's coming.

Growing up in a world related to everything Potter, Libby Rowling decides that she has had enough. Ready for a change, she packs her bags and embarks on her journey to the states. Her plan blows up when she meets Mason, a Harry Potter fanatic who might just turn her world upside down. [#31 short story 1.23.14]