[WATTY'S SHORTLIST 2021 & 2022] "I love every part of you. Not because of who you were before, but because of who you are now, in spite of all the bullshit this universe has sent your way." Jasmine Ali is broken. After watching her best friend die, she walks through life with a strained smile and heavy heart, trying her best to seem like everything is okay. All that matters is getting through her daily routine. But when Jace Wilson appears with a limp and a frown, her mask begins to slip. And Jasmine begins to learn that nothing is ever truly broken.

Bloody mannequins have been found in various parts of the city of Los Angeles; all dressed in the clothes of missing women, and wearing flower crowns. No bodies have been found, but Homicide Detective, Adrian DeWitt, is the lead investigator on the case. The Doll Collector, is a lonely man, who stalks his victims before luring them to his cabin in the woods, where he murders and stuffs them like animals. He turns them into beautifully dressed dolls he keeps in his private collection. They're his life, his young ladies, his most prized possessions. Maria Gonzalez is a young girl down on her luck in the dating world. When her best friend convinces her to join a dating app, just as she's about to give up, she meets a mysterious man named Bud. Their paths are about to cross in the worst way. Based on the original, 2017 Watty Award Winning Tap story! Image credit: Getty Images Originally Published June 11th, 2017 Originally Finished October 13th, 2017 This story is being reposted after being taken down due to being plagiarized too much.

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 ]

Some people love summer, others fall in love during summer. Charlie Landry has spent the past twelve summers visiting her grandparents in rural Virginia. Every summer follows the same rhythm and routine: helping around the family's apple orchard, grabbing ice cream every Friday night, and savoring every last second of summer before school starts. Everything is looking just right for this last summer of high school until a new player comes into town - in fact, there are four new polo players and they're ready to change the field.

For eleven years, Oakley Farrell has been silent. At the age of five, she stopped talking and no one seems to know why. Refusing to communicate beyond a few physical actions, Oakley remains in her own little world. Bullied at school, she has just one friend, Cole Benson. Cole stands by her refusing to believe that she is not perfect the way she is. Over the years, they have developed their own version of a normal friendship. However, will it still work as they start to grow even closer? When Oakley is forced to face someone from her past, can she hold her secret in any longer?

"Usually innocents like you have time to grow into their magic before they have to break the rules. You don't have that time, Minta. Please believe me, you need to be ready. I'm risking everything to make you ready." I stopped and searched his eyes for further explanation, and there was a near moment of clarity before Edgar looked away, releasing me gently. "Risk what, Edgar?" A Touch of Magic... Minta has a choice; she can turn away from magic or embrace it. Desperate for a destiny, it's a no brainer. Guided by the cat who's been following her around, and her dead aunt's sidekick Gladys Jones, Minta begins by fixing problems with bullies, and finding Prince Charming for her b.f.f. Who'd of thought there were so many Cinderella's in need of makeovers? It's not long before Minta wants change her own romantic fortunes too (it's worked for everyone else). But life is never that simple and as Minta grapples with her future, there are others trying to stop her from having one. But who and why? Minta hasn't a clue. Though she does have her suspicions about the cat... Eventually, sacrificing her own (and very human) desires to follow her path, Minta's destiny becomes clear; this is a story of self-belief and resolution, first crushes & love (and the journey towards grasping the difference). Mostly though, this is a book about magic. Cover kindly made by @alessandra

At Willard's department store, none of the night security guards survive for long, and eighteen-year-old Daniel Gale is about to discover why. "At the heart of it, Night Shift is a haunting love story. It is equal parts moving and chilling, which is what makes it so excellent." - Carmen Ho @ HQ ***** Tired of living out of his backpack, Daniel ignores the rumors about the old building being haunted and accepts the latest vacated position of night guard at Willard's department store. As his life becomes more entwined with Willard's, Daniel senses unnatural changes and bizarre coincidences. Soon he begins to suspect Willard's is hiding something more sinister than gossip about ghosts - something that could make him the next casualty of the night shift. Now available as Paperback and Kindle! https://a.co/d/fy7RuHF

After escaping from police custody, Clover tries to piece his life back together. Determined to return to home and be reunited with his family, he has to first elude the country wide man hunt. Will he be able to resist his old ways in order to remain undetected? After hearing that Colin has escaped, Summer and Becca prepare themselves for the inevitable; Clover is coming back for them. Will the police and their families be enough to protect them? Clover's coming back and he's determined to prove to the girls; 'You'll always be mine'.

For months Summer is trapped in a cellar with the man who took her - and three other girls: Rose, Poppy, and Violet. His perfect, pure flowers. His family. But flowers can't survive long cut off from the sun, and time is running out...