When Rena meets Brent, he is a dream come true. He is a real gentleman, funny, caring and even her overly protective father likes him. But then, she discovers a different side of Brent - a violent side that scares her. Promising that this had been a one time slip up, she forgives him. After all, he is the love of her life. She dosn't see the signs -- the controlling, the alienation from her friends and dad, the obsession he has with her. She is like putty in his hands. Over time, she learns about the Cycle of Abuse the hard way and she even tries to break free. But in the end, she only sees one way out and it will likely cost her everything. Best Ranking: #2 in ChickLit Winner of the 1st Corner Booth contest Authors Note: This is a story about domestic violence and can be disturbing at times. Even though the people in this book are fictional, abuse at the hands of a loved one is real. It is something that can happen to any of us, even to teenagers like Rena. Please do not read this book if you find this topic disturbing. It is not designed to upset anyone but to raise awareness. Copyright©2015 by Sally Mason All rights reserved Cover by @lucyface Image "Girl"; courtesy of Rolands Lakis

Love & Monsters is a story I worked on when I took my first novel writing class at UCLA. Since I lost my sister to suicide, I've been fascinated with exploring mental illness and providing any insight I can to eradicate the stigma. Love & Monsters follows Heather Bateman, a girl who has suffered from schizophrenia all her life but has only recently been diagnosed. She tries to socially recover from a very public mental breakdown with the help of her best friend Wren and a strange new boy who calls himself Nex.

I'm not in love with Nick. I'm not. Do I like Nick? Of course! He's Sam's boyfriend. Why wouldn't I like my best friend's boyfriend? Do I like him in an inappropriate way? Ugh. No! Stop. That would make me a horrible friend. Oh god. That would make me a horrible friend.