Getting older is no joke. Unless it's used as the punchline. It seems that once we (particularly women) pass a certain age, it's assumed that our personalities, dreams, sense of self, and thoughts about our future go right out the window. Surely we don't think about the future...aren't our lives over? By the way, the highest target audience here on WattPad is 25 and up - which confirms my point. As if the world at large, now that youth is behind us, thinks there is nothing left in our minds but maybe grandchildren, trips to Florida, and baking. As a woman rapidly approaching fifty...I can tell you this is complete and utter bullshit. I'm going to assemble a collection of 50 stories featuring leads that are over the age of 50. Some will be on the cusp...others far beyond it. Many will have elements of romance but not all. This will take a while but it's something of a passion project. I hope you enjoy the journey.

Flash fiction, poetry contest entries and stuff! Here are my entries for various writing challenges, contests and prompts, plus random writings. There's poetry, flash fiction and more!

When homebody Maggie West awakes after a fun, one-off, one-night stand, she finds her date stabbed in bed. And herself? The prime suspect in a murder she definitely didn't commit. How's that for getting out of your comfort zone? Now, the residents of her apartment building are convinced she's some femme fatale. The internet is roasting her mugshot, and the detective assigned to her case seems way too attractive to be this suspicious. Desperate and clueless, Maggie teams up with said detective, Jace Rowe, hoping to find the real killer before prison finds her. But what awaits is a trail of nosy neighbors, awkward cover-ups and a high tech scheme against her, with too many 1's and 0's that leaves her more befuddled than angry. And with Detective Jace's back muscles stealing her focus, it's almost too much for a gal to handle. Murder was never on her Netflix and chill list, but Maggie is determined to clear her name, fast, because she's sure as hell no one's fall girl. For fans of FINLAY DONOVAN IS KILLING IT and DIAL A FOR AUNTIES. Rated Mature for adult themes and language.

Penelope Longhurst needs a fresh start, and Tobias Ford needs a distraction. A no-strings attached arrangement seems like the perfect solution, until the publishing powerhouse starts falling for the one woman determined not to stay. With Tobias battling the fallout of his ex-wife and Penelope hiding from a dangerous man from her past, their temporary arrangement may become the one thing neither of them can face walking away from. BOOK TWO IN THE EMERSON PUBLISHING HOUSE SERIES *** Penelope Longhurst is so over having to look over her shoulder. After everything she's been through, the last thing she needs is a relationship, especially with her boss. But when the pressure of starting over becomes too much to take alone, a no-strings arrangement with Tobias Ford seems like the perfect escape for her. As one of the most influential men in publishing, Tobias has enough on his plate. Between running a successful publishing house that's now under threat and dealing with the fallout of a bitter divorce, commitment is the last thing on his mind. A casual relationship with his intelligent, beautiful assistant is supposed to be simple. It isn't. The more time Tobias spends with Penelope, the harder it becomes to keep his feelings in check. For the first time in years, he wants something real and lasting. But Penelope is keeping secrets. While Tobias is falling in love, Penelope is hiding from a dangerous man who's determined to drag her back into the nightmare she fought to escape. And when her past finally catches up with her, she's got nowhere else to run. So Tobias must decide how far he's willing to go for the woman who was never supposed to matter to him. What started as a one-time fling is about to become something far more complicated.

WE WERE LIARS meets SALTBURN. The Seymour girls are beautiful and blessed: skin like porcelain, hair kissed by fire's breath and privilege without recompense. They were named fir their parents' mothers. Juliette for their mother's and Josephine for their father's. I am the last Seymour girl. But I am a bullet shell. A complete outrage of a human being. My entire existence reads like a Shakespearean insult -- clod of wayward marl. You could say lust is what got me in this mess in the first place. The thrill of wanting something off-limits. And then I burned everything to the ground. If I'm being honest, you shouldn't read any of this. I'm serious. Don't. ➤ Open Novella Contest 2024: Prompts #95 and #60

What if the meet-cutes you write started coming true in real life? Harper Lin's debut novel made her the next big thing in romance. That was two years ago. Now she's surviving on delivery apps and denial, holed up in her apartment, writing absolutely nothing. When her agent begs her to write something (their careers depend on it!), Harper does the only thing she can think of: she writes the most clichéd meet-cute in existence, steps outside to get coffee, and gets hit by a car. She wakes up to find the scene she wrote has come to life. Literally. What follows is a series of increasingly unhinged meet-cutes manifesting in Harper's real life, a mysterious new neighbor who owns her book, a best friend who thinks the spreadsheet is a cry for help, a neighbor down the hall who has very strong opinions about smut, and the slow dawning realization that the magic isn't giving her what she asked for. It's giving her what she actually wants. Which would be nice. If she knew what that was. [Standalone] Contemporary Romance | Romantic Comedy | Magical Realism

Cooper Matthews doesn't know much about Emmett Harlow, two things aside: 1) Emmett is one of the smartest guys he's ever met, and 2) Emmett is also one of the rudest guys he's ever met. But when the pair discover that their local drive-in movie theatre, their shared favorite place on earth (and shared place of employment), is under the threat, they have two options: they can either get over themselves and work together to save it, or they can let the drive-in fall into the wrong hands. It shouldn't be too hard, right?

My entry in the TEGSA2025 challenge. 10 chapters based on specific musical prompts for each chapter. Charlie Croft had it all and lost it - his own fault. This is his rocky journey, trying to recapture all the things he carelessly threw away, and only now realizes it wasn't just things he discarded - it was his life.

Roommates to enemies to ... something more? **** When Eilidh moved in with Sabrina, she hadn't expected she'd grow to hate her. But, a little over half a year into their lease, and she can't help it. She hates so much about Sabrina: her stupid silver spoon life and her refusal to be grateful towards her family, her messiness, the long list of men she has over to their apartment. She's at her breaking point, and she needs Sabrina to go home to visit her family in Plum Bank, or she's going to lose her mind. And then Sabrina (arguably sweet, maybe silly, entirely unserious Sabrina, who may or may not be aware of Eilidh's feelings towards her) can't get her car to start, and for some reason, Eilidh compulsively offers to drive her home for the holidays. What's worse than living with a horrible roommate? Try being snowed in with her - and her entire family.