When I was younger, I had one fear. I had one thing that always creeped me out. One thing that always gave me the chills. It was this large house that was on my street. House number 1402. That house had never had normal inhabitants and since the first time I passed by it, I hated it. When I went off to college I thought I was done with that house. I moved away and began my whole new life. Then on my 21st birthday, my mother asked me to come home. She needed my help, and I couldn’t say no. So, back home I went. Just like that. Easy as pie, I packed my things and left. That house was still there, and it still freaked me out. Even though I had planned on ignoring it completely, fate had other plans for me. There was always something about that house, maybe I just never looked at it the right way. Maybe from the start I should have dug deeper. Maybe coming home wouldn’t be as easy as I thought.

"Being reunited with your childhood best friend after eight years apart? Sounds like a heart-warming story. Finding out that said best friend is now a complete jerk who's determined to make your life hell? Not so much." Georgie and Connor were once inseparable. Best friends from birth, they did everything together - well, that was until Connor's dad got a once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity and the family was forced to relocate to New York. At age sixteen, Georgie's life is totally different - her main goal being to keep her head down and escape the brutalities of high school with as little emotional scarring as possible. Balancing school, work and her dwindling social life is enough of a challenge, but it's about to get a bit more complicated when her conceited ex-best friend gets thrown into the mix. Maybe friendship should come with an instruction booklet.

Voted "Most Likely to Join the Circus" consecutively by Killian High's past three 2009-2011 published yearbooks, and as said by practically every person in the entire school, Derek Wells is the school's ultimate class clown. Seriously, if you're ever in need of a good laugh just go to him and he'll have you clapping your hands and shaking with quiet laughter like some dumb seal. The biggest joke of all to him was love. What was that? It was just some mushy, four-letter word that somehow could make a girl either swoon or cry or slap you in the face depending on the circumstances. So when Derek puts on his newly-acquired glasses for the first time in school, he doesn't expect to see Gwen, one of his closest friends, in a completely different light. Suddenly when she smiles, it feels as if something is crawling around in his stomach and he isn't sure if it's the suspicious crab he had for dinner the night before or gas. When Derek confesses his feelings to her, of course she's going to take it as one big joke. It seems that "the funniest kid in the school" can't say those three words without having someone wait expectantly for the punch line. Will Derek prove to Gwen that he can be serious when he needs to be? Or will she just wind up laughing in his face?

Aspiring writer Norah Jacobs needs an escape. In the span of two weeks, her corrupt brother has been jailed for murder and his partner has been hovering on her doorstep, threatening to ruin what little peace she has left. Packing her car, Norah flees the city and goes off the grid, finding refuge in the small coastal town of Bellvale. However, Norah's newfound refuge lands her right in the middle of a power struggle between creatures she thought only existed in fairy tales, and she begins to see that no matter how hard you try to run from your troubles, they seem to have a way of catching up with you... Watty 2014 Winner Haven Copyright © Melissa Lucas 2013 All Rights Reserved. No part of this literary work may be reproduced or used without written consent from the author.

First love is an amazing thing. Most people find their first loves in high school, as did Lylah. She believes in her heart that her boyfriend is her one and only, her first love. They've been together for two years and are in their last year of high school with a bright future ahead. There are no secrets between them, which is why Lylah knows, though she may be his current love, she is not his first. That position belongs to a girl from his past, but not someone she has to worry about because he has moved on with her and he couldn't be happier. So what happens to her perfect little world when a new student transfers to their school? A new student who happens to be a blast from her boyfriends past. His first love. Choices are made, hearts are broken, and new feelings are awakened. Who will walk off hand in hand with Lylah to their happy ever after? Her first love, or a new love...

PUBLISHED! Now available on Amazon, and Kindle Unlimited! Shy, quiet, Riley Summers' life is changed once she meets Aiden Callaway, the misunderstood boy at Fairfield High School. Two completely different personalities of the stereotypical high school scene come together to learn that they aren't so different at all. The two journey through their senior year, which consists of Star Wars movie marathons, a crashed wedding, paint wars, and something unexpected: a keen attraction to each other. [Disclaimer: due to copyright reasons, chapters have been taken down]

*** All places and people in this story are fictional. Any similarities or parallels to real people, places or events is purely coincidence! Enjoy reading :) *** Vince Griffin is all work and no play.Running his company takes every spare second of his life and that is the way he prefers it. He has no urge for a wife, children, or a family. That all changes when he arrives in Grant County Kentucky to do development research and meets Grace, a tired woman caring for her handicapped daughter and aging grandmother. They, and the other hardworking people in this tiny town, teach Vince that there are things other than work and that sometimes, love comes first.

When Arianna marries billionaire Zach Price to save her family, she doesn't expect to fall in love with a man who'd always consider her a second choice. An unexpected turn of events brings the couple closer together, but can a marriage based on lies and deceit ever survive? ***** When Arianna's older sister, Olivia, decides to run away on the day of her wedding, Arianna is forced to take her place to save her family from ruin. But her new husband is angry, heartbroken, and seems to hate her guts. The cold, elusive billionaire Zach Price has never quite struck Arianna as the kind of man she'd want to spend her entire life with. She was more than content with her sweet, thoughtful boyfriend Noah, but when circumstances force them together, Zach and Arianna's hearts get entangled in a way she never saw coming. As the couple grows closer, they must battle the demons of their past and of the lives they left behind - especially when Olivia returns and decides she wants Zach all for herself. Content/Trigger Warning: This story contains scenes of violence and sexual abuse, and mentions abortion and miscarriage. [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]] Cover designed by Ren Tachibana

*sequel to Running on the Beach at Night* It happens, the moment you grasp that your dreams are finally sitting in the palm of your hand, and then you suddenly realize that they weren't anything that you expected them to be. Well, at least that's what happened to Samantha Smith. Five years had passed since she left her home town to go to New York, leaving everything and everyone behind. Including the infamous Danny Bradford. Samantha's life is now perfect though, her first published book is at the top of New York Times bestseller list. New York Met's starting pitcher, Carter Nash, is begging for her hand in marriage. Not to mention the fact that he wants to father her child. Perfect is what most people call it, but not Samantha. What happens when Samantha is suddenly faced with going back home and picking up the pieces that she thought she had left behind for good? Sam realizes that life will never be easy when she is faced right in front of the guy that held her heart so close all those years ago; the guy that she has been keeping a secret from for five years. All she knows is that perfect isn't in the description. Will the secret that Samantha holds bring them together, or rip them farther apart?

Samantha "Sam" Smith grew in a small town in Martha's Vineyard, called Oak Bluff. Sam never drew out side the lines, and was very quiet and shy compared to her best friend Izzy Bradford, that was outgoing. She wants a change before she leaves for Princeton University in the Fall to pursue her dreams. Sam has always wanted to be a Romance novelist. Though, she has very little expericense in romance. Finally, the day of her highschool graduation approaches and Izzy's older brother is back in town after two long years of being gone to Princeton University as well. He has changed significantly over the years, for the better. He definatly wasnt the old Danny that used to call Samantha four-eyes in grade school. She cant keep her eyes off of him. Danny cant keep his eyes off of the beautiful Samantha Smith either though. Everyone knows that he is off limits to all of Izzy's friends. Partying with him the night of Graduation only makes her situation worse though. Samantha realizes quick that everything can turn upside down in a matter of minutes when she makes one wrong mistake with the Daniel Bradford. Will Samantha be able to stay away from the bad boy, Dan? Or... Will mysterious,Grant Sullivan, one of the youngest New York Times bestselling artists, be able to turn her head away from him? Only time will tell. Running on the beach at night will be the only escape from her stressful Summer ahead.