Lottie needs a break and her inspiration back, so she launches herself into a quiet coastal town and--quite literally--into Leigh's life. As they try to save a summer camp, Lottie begins to rediscover her spark--and the kind of love she never thought she'd find. ***** Lottie Fitzpatrick is a star. She's glamorous, untouchable, and unstoppable. After her sold-out world tour ends in nasty burnout and terrible writer's block, she seeks refuge in a small, coastal town in Massachusetts to find her voice. She doesn't expect to get roped into volunteering at a struggling summer music camp or to be working with Leigh Flores, the snarky, quiet counselor who has no time for superstars. She's not particularly impressed, but Lottie is too charming. Lottie cares. As the camp's days blur into late-night jamming and songwriting sessions, what starts as a creative reset and mental health break begins to feel like something deeper. It demands bravery. Lottie isn't sure if she's ready to be seen. With real life pulling her back toward the spotlight Leigh has never chased, they'll have to decide if their connection can survive after summer ends. ***** WARM HANDS #2 [[WATTY AWARDS 2026 SHORTLIST]] © 2025 caterina george // all rights reserved

||Watty's Shortlist 2026|| I had been coughing my lungs out on all fours when I met Ryan Armstrong for the first time. "Till life do us part," he'd said with that ever-so-slightly crooked smile that made my chest all fuzzy. And that's how I started making the worst decisions on the planet. Everything about him was reckless. His sneaking out, driving, risking everything for a few seconds of thrill. None of his adventures ever made sense. It made even less sense for me to gamble my future, my academics, my entire life for the same few seconds of thrill. For him. For his stupid blue eyes and bright smile and permanently windblown hair. So of course, I did.

Stubbornly agreeing to play goaltender for his rival team, Morgan is forced to be puck buddies with his irritating new captain, the player who left him with an injury. He doesn't expect to fall for the one person he'd rather keep hating. 🏒🏒🏒 Morgan Raleigh could have been a legendary golden boy goalie, but returning from an extended career hiatus leaves him so desperate to prove himself in hockey again that he agrees to play for his former rivals, where Scott Brooks, the infuriatingly cocky player who injured him, is his captain. After a messy breakup, Scott has no choice but to share a room with Morgan, who he blames for the bad press that ruined his relationship. As petty as it may be, the only way he can possibly spend a year pretending to play nice with his rival is through passionate arguments, competitions behind the scenes... and casual hookups where Morgan pretends his goal is the pain relief, and Scott tells himself he only needs the release. But the longer they spend as teammates, the more Morgan's fun side opens up Scott's emotional walls, and the more Morgan questions his sexuality. With the past heavy between them, Morgan must reconcile his desire to return to his old team with his confusing feelings for the person who destroyed him the most. Content Warning: Brief portrayals of paranoia and mental illness (OCD) and addiction behaviour as well as discussions of religious trauma. Please use discretion while reading.

A misdelivered love letter meant for the school's cheerleader lands in her twin brother's locker, sparking an unexpected friendship that forces Oliver to face family secrets, his identity, and his growing feelings for the one boy he was never supposed to love. *** Oliver Grant wasn't trying to fall for Max Ellis. He had one job: slip a love letter into locker 166 and finally confess to Kate Ellis - the cool, untouchable cheerleader of his teenage dreams. Instead, it ends up in locker 168. Which belongs to Max Ellis - Kate's twin brother. Broody. Quiet. Star football player. Definitely not the person Oliver was supposed to fall for. And the worst part? Since that day, Max Ellis has been way too interested in Oliver Grant - showing up, sitting too close, smiling like he knows exactly what he's doing. The more Oliver tries to avoid him... ...the harder Max makes it to walk away. Now Oliver's life is spiraling into awkward hallway run-ins, mixed signals, and a growing suspicion that maybe - just maybe - the wrong locker wasn't a mistake at all.

SHORTLISTED WATTYS 2026 | No one knew Liam was leaving. Not even himself. After seeing something he can't ignore - and realising no one is going to do anything about it - Liam walks out of his boarding school in the middle of the night. He doesn't tell anyone. He doesn't have a plan. He just knows he has to get away. He disappears into the city, trying to put distance between himself and everything that happened. But distance isn't always enough. The further he goes, the harder it becomes to keep certain things buried - memories of school, of silence, and of someone he can't quite understand. And soon he begins to realise that what he's running from might not be something he can leave behind at all. Because sometimes leaving doesn't solve anything. And some things stay with you, no matter how far you go.

When uptight corporate lawyer Elena "Ellie" Rivera is forced into a week-long vacation at a quirky lesbian bed & breakfast, she never expected to fake-date the infuriatingly hot, free-spirited chef-owner Marisol "Mari" Delgado to save the inn from foreclosure. What starts as a ridiculous publicity stunt for "Lesbian Love Week" turns into stolen kisses in the kitchen, whipped-cream disasters, and a very real, very steamy romance that has Ellie questioning everything-including her claim that she's "totally straight."

A tale of riot and romance. In a world of upheaval, a young man finds himself stranded in another impossible world. Searching for a way home, memory and imagination are his path to love and liberty.

Ems Minghay, a brilliant licensed teacher from the crowded alleys of Mandaue, Cebu, has spent her life hiding behind a flawless armor of professional grace to protect her identity. Julian Vance, a master boutique architect from a prominent, old-money Dublin family, has spent his rejecting his family's rigid blueprint for his life. When their worlds collide on the tropical shores of Bantayan Island, they begin to build a private sanctuary of their own, true to who they are. But to hold onto their love, they must leave the warmth of the Pacific and cross an ocean to face the freezing gales of the Atlantic. From the Philippines to Ireland, Ems and Julian must fight through international bureaucracy, generational prejudice, and the shadows of the past to build a home where they can finally live completely out in the light.

SHORTLISTED WATTYS 2026 This is normal. This is platonic. My best friend is sitting on my lap. My roommate is asleep in the next room. Amsterdam is in lockdown. And I am fine. I am not fine. Jill Wijntuin is a 25-year-old spoken word poet with no stage, no income, and a five-year crush on the very straight best friend she should have gotten over years ago. Then her ceiling floods, her room becomes unlivable, and she ends up in her roommate Tara's bed. Tara is not part of the plan. Tara is weird and dramatic and dangerously comfortable with personal space. She keeps looking at Jill like she can see something Jill is trying very hard not to say out loud. Locked inside a Jordaan apartment with one crush she needs to survive and one roommate she absolutely should not want, Jill makes three emergency plans: Plan A: survive lockdown without losing her mind. Plan B: stop being in love with her very straight best friend. Plan C: avoid Tara at all costs. Unfortunately, Tara lives here. #2 Lesbian romance #13 Slowburn #1 Quarantine #4 Lesbianfiction #1 Amsterdam #5 queerromance

When Rosie's new husband ignores her, she begs the harlot next-door for lessons on seduction (1980s suburban dystopia with a spicy lesbian romance) *** It's 1982, and newlywed Rosie McGee has just moved into an idealistic suburban cul-de-sac called Windsor Lane. As a good Christian girl, this is Rosie's dream come true... or at least, it should be. However, next-door-neighbor Scarlett Everly doesn't fit in with the rest of the good Christian wives in their neighborhood (she drinks, she sleeps around, and she doesn't even attend church!). Worse, Rosie's new husband suddenly seems utterly uninterested in her. Has he already been seduced by Scarlett? Or is Rosie simply too boring? After a honeymoon more closely resembling a funeral, Rosie gathers her courage and marches right up to Scarlett's door with a plea: teach me your ways. Scarlett agrees, with one condition: Rosie must model for her next painting. When the agreement leads to unexpected attraction, Rosie begins to question her own priorities. The warmth she once felt when holding Thomas's hand is nothing compared to the fiery storm that consumes her while Scarlett is painting. But a good Christian girl should not think of such things. Especially not in Windsor Lane. 2024 Wattys Shortlist Grand Winner for the Pride Awards 2025 Honorable Mention in ONC 2025