a 3,000 mile car trip. a 4,500 mile flight. two feuding stepsisters. nobody said getting to italy (that is, without your rich parents' help) was easy. {formerly titled "hit the road" and under heavy editing}

Wayward: Fetching Tales from a Year on the Road is a hilarious and heartfelt ride around the world, wherein the author eats dog, obsesses about chewing gum, gets stranded on an island, does dirty things, reveres rock n roll and muses about everything from death to Star Trek to the President Obama to jail time. Now available on Wattpad, Wayward has been a surprise hit at both iTunes and Amazon, reaching #1 on both retailers' travel charts. It chronicles a year in the life of the author, who lived in 12 countries over 12 months, one month at a time. It's kind of funny, kind of sad and kind of weird. Forbes describes the book: "Wayward isn’t strictly a travelogue or a guide by any means. The book reads like a diary, with chapters dedicated to everything from watching Obama’s inauguration in an Argentinian bar, to viewing a dubbed version of the newest Star Trek film in France and trying to understand the plot despite not speaking French, to remembering the ecstasy and pain of his first love just before breaking up with his then-boyfriend in Berlin, to eating dog in Vietnam, to his experience working with Patti Smith in New York. Gates’ lively, conversational writing style bring all the disparate pieces together for an engaging, enjoyable read."

The summer in which Nellie Dreher tries to draw the map to Indie Rao's heart. (cover by @GlamerousDolls)

Dumped by her boyfriend, unemployed, middle-aged and chocolate addict. That is Johanna's current situation. To turn the situation around, she decided to go to Paris with her best friend, a dream she had always had. Little did she know that the beautiful city held many surprises for her... - Edited by Steven Clapp

Every girl is wondering about two things: 1. What do I want to do with my life? 2. What kind of person do I want to marry? So I traveled around the world looking for answers. Five men, three continents, one prophecy... And an appearance on Chinese reality TV. I thought fairy tales only existed in leather-bound books... Until the phone rang... This is a true story.

Fed up with her disheartening life in NYC, Mia takes a gamble and embarks on an invigorating journey abroad to business school in Spain. When Mia Fuentes moves to Spain for graduate school, desperately trying to leave her past behind, the last thing she ever imagined was getting involved with Leo Durant, the hottest and most sought after guy on campus. Leo is sexy, confident, and has the ultimate bad boy reputation. Something about him keeps pulling her in, when she knows she should be staying far away in the secluded world she has built for herself. Will she be able to overcome her fears and inner struggles that have brought her here? Or will Leo be able to teach her something about love and that not everything in life happens the way we expect? Contemporary, multicultural, and deeply moving, this is the story of a young woman's trials and tribulations of leaving everything behind and trying to create a new life for herself in a foreign country. It is a relentless journey of self-exploration, healing, and maturity, with a lot of romance, wit and humor.

Mira finds herself stuck in the city of love with Jake, the playboy athlete she can't stand. What she doesn't expect is for major sparks to fly on their 24-hour adventure. But can this newly-found love last beyond the magic of Paris? ***** 24 Hours in Paris is now published as a Paperback & E-book by W by Wattpad Books As a Wattpad reader, you can now access both the Original Edition and the W by Wattpad Books Published Edition here upon purchase (PS: a review on Amazon (and also Goodreads) would be very much appreciated, to help get this POC rom com in front of more readers! All the review page links are on my Wattpad profile page :-) ) In the new Published Edition of the book, the characters of Mira and Jake will be older and wiser co-workers in the corporate world, who miss their flight and get stuck spending an extra 24 hours in Paris. They'll start off annoyed with each other, but you know how the story goes... "Adorably sweet and a brilliant read! It made me feel like I was roaming the streets of Paris without having to leave my couch." - Grace @HQ ***** On the last day of their class's college trip to Paris, Mira and Jake get tangled up in a debacle that causes them to miss their flight home to New York. Which means they're stuck in Paris until the next available flight that's 24 hours away! Mira is witty and a lover of art history and good cheese. Jake, on the other hand, is your All-American frat boy with a killer smile. Translation: they can't stand each other. As they visit places they could never have imagined, Mira and Jake go from mortal enemies to star-crossed lovers with sizzling chemistry. But can their spark last without Paris' cheese and charm to keep it going? [[word count: 50,000-60,000 words]] Cover designed by Ray Gardener

Reed Hadley would gladly spend her day holed up in her room with her dog, watching horror movies or surfing the internet on her trusty laptop. Too bad she is the daughter of one of the biggest matchmakers in the business. As soon as Reed started to develop into what scientist dubbed an adolescent, her mom has been sitting her up on dates, which seem to go wrong every time. Reed is done with these dates, and she realizes that the only way to get her mom off her back is to find a boyfriend. When Reed is partnered with bad boy Parker Hunt on a school project, they can't stand each other. However, Reed and Parker quickly realize they need each other; Reed needs Parker so that her mom will stop with the blind dates, and Parker needs Reed so his jealous ex-girlfriend will leave him alone. So, this odd pair strikes up a deal. For appearances' sake, they're an item. Behind closed doors, they may fight like children, but Reed and Parker have managed to fool the people they need to. However, can a fake relationship stay fake forever?

Emma Black is just your average pastor's daughter, a little quirky, a little shy, and very passionate about her friends and family. Over spring break of her senior year of high school, she flies to Florida to spend time with her ailing grandmother and wily grandfather. What she doesn't plan on, however, is meeting a handsome stranger who may or may not be her favorite musician incognito, or her matchmaking grandparents, who are determined to find a husband for her before school starts again. Along the way Emma will meet a persistent young gardener with a secret of his own, go on several adventures, and smuggle doughnut holes into a nursing home. It's a wild romp of everyday problems mixed with crazy relatives and drooling boxers. What's a girl to do? NOTE: Check out the sneak peek of the sequel - "My Freshman Year Fiasco" - included at the end! "MFYF" is now being posted in installments so check that out! (Yes, it still needs a cool cover. I'm working on it!) :)