WATTY'S SHORTLIST 2023 Stuck in the never-ending responsibilities as one of the breadwinners of the family, Calisse Abigail Guillermo, an Iska from UP Manila, seeks to find true comfort between drinking and smoking. But she never does. Her desire to find consolation in everything is not found within the consumption of toxins. When she meets fellow smoker Chance Luy, a UP med student, in the bustling street of Pedro Gil, she thanks the heavens for a chance to meet him. Chance is your worn-out med student who is stingy. As they ponder about life, would they find solace as they share a moment of smoke?

Anjel Delo Santos, a Lasallian, craved affection from her parents. It wasn't easy getting it. She had to be brilliant because her parents were intellectual people who yearned for recognition in their own fields. College was her opportunity of being brilliant. As Anjel walked on the streets of Malate, she will see a disappointed-looking River Alexandre Abad. As a fan of River, who is a DLSU student, she couldn't help but be concerned with the basketball player's state. While they get to know each other, would their eyes appreciate the silver lining in the midst of the nimbus clouds around them?

Switching to a condo would be a huge shift in Eloise Danielle Madrigal's life, the Iska from UP Manila. From living in her aunt's home, she will independently live near her school. From growing up with so many hands to help her, she will face a new life alone. Since Eloise wasn't familiar with commuting from Padre Faura that well, the cousin of her block mate, Graham Anthony Laurel, will surely be of help. This walking GPS guy that was a first-year Thomasian had quite a temper as he taught Eloise. It seems as though one of them needed to teach the other beyond directions, would Graham find a calm and kind way to tell Eloise that her head was in the sand?

Dreams begin and end in school, that's what Diwata Yvon Mahalina, a student from UP Manila, thought. Because for her, after school, you must be aiming for stability. Nothing can compare to a safe life. However, Ignacio Trillano, a guy who lived in Blumentritt and studied at FEU, disagrees. A quiet life like Diwata's dream was not fulfilling and meaningful, Ignacio argues. Ignacio was a ComArts student who was loud as an airplane flying away. Would Ignacio's words and actions be enough to encourage Diwata to begin a life beyond her comfort?

Having to care for her mother since the end of grade school, Meadow Jil Carreal was no stranger to exhaustion. Being the bigger person physically, mentally, and emotionally was excruciating, but Meadow always was. When Meadow, a DLSU student, eats dinner outside her campus one day, she sees Kalon Mangundapat, the Isko who often eats near her school. Kalon liked the cheap food he consumed on Castro Street. What reasons would the two find to know why their existence in each others' lives suddenly jumped from the air?

ELYU SERIES #1 In the sleepy town of San Juan, La Union, the waves are unrelenting. Sereia Montanez leads a quiet life with no desire to rule the waves until a boy from Manila arrived and changed everything... This is a story about a girl, a boy, and an ocean between them.

ELYU SERIES #2 The storms in San Juan, La Union are ruthless and tempestuous. Driven by her traumatic past, Avery Felicia Perez turned her heart into a stone to shelter it from further pain. She contented herself to bear witness of other people's fairytale love stories until a boy decided to break her barriers and pursue her... A tale of young love that started in high school. The years that followed proved that their love is one for the books. But while one is chasing his passion tirelessly, one is falling behind and slowly... falling apart. Until one day, you have to choose between chasing your dreams and being with the one that you love. No one ever told her that this life is a big storm, and she needs to find her shelter. Or be one, for all that matter...

ELYU SERIES #3 In this lifetime, there will always be someone meant for you. Some are lucky and would meet them early in their lives - a highschool sweetheart, a noisy neighbor, a college roommate. Others would meet them halfway through their lives - an unexpected workmate, a terror boss who turned out to be a lover, a person sitting next to you at the bus station. Iyon ang paniniwala ni Karlo Chi Ong. Kaya nang mamatay ang first love niya noong high school, hindi na ito nag-abala pang humanap ng iba. Para sa kaniya ay tapos na ang storya. The death of his first love cut his story short and now, he has to carry on without expecting somebody else to arrive. Until... he decided to finally look at her. The girl who had always been a side character. The girl he never noticed. The girl who had been secretly loving him all these years. Just when he thought he had another shot at love and in life, fated pulled a mockery on him. The endless seasons of waiting, loving, and breaking apart is slowly killing him. Now, there is no way out. But one thing's for sure. In this lifetime, Karlo will meet two girls... One to teach him a lesson, And one to sail through sunlit waters of La Union with him.

[ TO BE PUBLISHED ] He painted her soul with the colors of the rainbow, and she cherished his heart with her painted soul. Muriel desires the true meaning of art. She put her half-life on it, but when it comes to romance stuff she doesn't even care about it. She's afraid to commit her love and time to someone. So, she fixates herself on painting. An annoying and playful man will be her almost enemy, Ryker, and Muriel settled up herself on him. She will be able to take a risk, to desire him more than art, and to love him boundlessly. Date Started: April 14, 2020 Date Finished: May 30, 2020

[TO BE PUBLISHED] It takes a lot of truth to gain trust, but just one lie to lose it all. Belle is a gentle and compassionate woman who lives in a simple house at Baybay, Aklan. Despite their lower status, she's goal-oriented. She will prove to everyone that she can achieve success in a conscientious way. Her biggest dream is to become a pediatrician doctor but ended up as a psychologist. Destiny blew her peaceful living when a beautiful man named Lucas came into her life and everything set off in a mistake. Date Started: June 06, 2020 Date Finished: July 27, 2020