Ari Callahan has no idea how to talk to boys -- or how to talk to anyone for that matter. Enter Zac, the cute new guy in town who won't stop texting her. But is his interest real, or does he have a hidden agenda? ***** Found as a young child washed up on the beach, 17-year-old Ari Callahan has never uttered a word out loud to anyone -- not even her adoptive family. Psychologists have diagnosed her with a condition called selective mutism, but Ari can't help identifying with her namesake character, Ariel, the little mermaid in the fairytale whose voice was stolen by a sea witch. Mermaid-obsession aside, Ari's silence makes socializing tough. She's never had a boyfriend or been asked out on a date. Not until Zac, the confident new arrival in town, asks for her number. But Zac has his own reasons for texting with Ari. He's part of a movement to sabotage the artificial music app called SirenSong, threatening to render human singing obsolete. Zac's collaborators have scoured the globe in search of a singing voice perfect enough to break the SirenSong spell, and their search has led them straight to Ari's beachside town. Will her relationship with Zac help Ari find her voice and unlock the secrets of her origins? Or will he use her and leave her high and dry? Title: Ari and Zac (formerly The Mermaid Hypothesis) Content Warning: This story contains references to selective mutism, suicidal thoughts, and early childhood trauma.

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. Phoenix Knight is one of the last remaining guardians in Braskey. Born to keep peace and defend the weak, Phoenix has spent her sixteen years hidden away with an adoptive family that is nowhere near as simple as it seems. Hiding away has her itching to embrace her true identity as a guardian, but when tragedy strikes, she'll be forced down a path she never thought to take. Armed with her wit and a heart full of hope, Phoenix will set out to change everything: from the lowest serving girl right up to the king who sits on the throne. Before she can face the king and his dark sorceress, Phoenix will have to get past a former friend and now her greatest enemy. The strongest leader ever to rise in the King's Army. Commander Eric Lee.

When Penny Hale's not-so-imaginary friend shows up in her bedroom, he pulls her into a whirlwind summer adventure of magic and bees and romance. This short story first appeared in @RebeccaSky's Sunkissed Summer Fantasy Anthology.

***COMPLETE*** Meet Lindsey Fisher. She's your normal surfing addict, who adores being out on the waves and can hardly wait for the huge surfing competition coming up. But the flip side of her life isn't so pleasant, and is summed up in basically one word: stepmother. Oh but, of course, Lindsey lives the average life of the modern Cinderella. Her stepmother and stepsisters have no pity for her surfing dreams, and she is forced to work a job at the family owned surf shack while still taking care of all the duties at home. And Lindsey still dreams of getting out. The surfing competition would guarantee her a start, providing a career so she could head out on her own. But will the demands of her overbearing stepmother drown out any chance she has in the competition? Lindsey only has one chance. Throw in a famous boy, jealous stepsisters and an ongoing rivalry on the waves and the odds do not seem to be in her favor. But Lindsey Fisher was born to surf, and she's not going down without a fight.

***The Girl Underground, Book 1 *** "Loving him was a mistake, I knew that. It was the most beautifully evil thing I have ever done." In the case of forbidden love in the English countryside, the shrewd and powerful Magistrate, John Quincy, found one that would change his life forever. Spellbound by the young and beautiful servant, Malia, he watches her silently from afar, tormented by the want of her. Malia doesn't know the effect she's had on the imposing Magistrate, merely seeing him as one of her many superiors. But soon looks turn to touch, and touch soon turns into a very dangerous love story. http://8tracks.com/milaaaa94/the-girl-underground

Joel Wyatt is a lowly call center representative who works for the "big, evil empire". No, really... the maniacal CEO of Vaig Communications has battled against some of the greatest costumed crusaders the world has ever known. Not that that has anything to do with Joel; he's just trying to keep the peace with his girlfriend, Gwen, make time for bowling with his buddy, Spliff, and afford the ever-rising rent prices in Denver, Colorado. But strange things are afoot in the 303 area code, and suddenly, Joel is finding himself face to face with the sort of heroes, villains, and giant, radioactive monsters that he used to only read about on his news feed. If he's not careful, Joel might just move from being a spectator to an active participant in a series of events that could change the course of history itself... and maybe even his own life.

Born with a passion for the water and a remarkable talent for swimming, it's no wonder that Rayne Bennett spends more time in the pool than she does on land. But when family secrets become unearthed and lies are uprooted, Rayne realizes that her passion for the water goes farther back than she could have ever imagined. When Rayne finds herself moving back to her quiet birthplace of Shady Cove, things start to unravel even faster. What really happened to her mother, who had (supposedly) been killed thirteen years ago? Why does Rayne feel such an intimate connection with the ocean? The answers, as she will soon find out, come at a cost so great that her life-as well as the lives of those she loves-is in grave danger. Though she doesn't know it, Rayne is the key to unlocking the mysteries that dwell just beneath the ocean's surface. She is the answer to the secrets of the deep. [ adventure #5, fantasy #6 ]

The story is about an orphan, Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to London where he meets the Artful Dodger, leader of a gang of juvenile pickpockets. Naively unaware of their unlawful activities, Oliver is led to the lair of their elderly criminal trainer Fagin.