「 WATTYS 2019 WINNER 」 the failings of a surgically healed heart, is a series of autobiographical poems arranged into six thematic parts to form a collection which examines the idea of the collective and how that informs individual. i. family an exploration of my relationship with the men and boys in my household and how that has worsened, whilst the opposite is true of the rest of my family ii. immigrant an exploration of the immigrant experience and how as the first child of igbo parents; i was the intermediate between the east and west iii. spirituality an exploration of growing up in the catholic faith and an examination of all its faults and hypocrisies. iv. loving an exploration of friendship, artistry, sexuality, failed romance, but most importantly self-love and all it entails. v. womanhood an exploration of how in many ways puberty was a bitter sweet reality check along with everything that it entailed. vi. catharsis a reflection on the worst period of time in my life where, with hindsight, i come to terms with harsh and lovely realities of life and death.

/ˈ(h)wərlˌwind/: an hasty yet passionate affair between two individuals that leaves both in an inebriated and sometimes toxic state. The story of two people who cross paths and form a union that seems almost unbreakable. It was so pure, so genuine yet misunderstood by many. Though their foundation was strong that didn't stop karma from working it's wonders and causing some kind of destruction. It caused a whirlwind.

[[A Wattys Short-Listed Book]] Lupita Morelos is sick of coming up second-place to Markus Barlee. Sure, he's a talented writer, the professors' star pupil, and a constant presence in almost all the social circles on campus. He's gifted, charming, and easy on the eyes. But when it comes to snagging the most coveted emerging author's spot in the Lakewood College Student Symposium, Lupita knows that she needs to craft a story so epic, she'll blow everyone -- especially her number one nemesis -- out of her way. Armed with a pair of suspiciously magical fishnet tights and a newfound desire to own her sexuality, the shy, conservative, always good-girl Lupita devises the perfect non-fiction entry for competition -- the true account of how she brought Markus Barlee to his knees.

Have you ever felt weak because things affect you more than others? Meet Zelah Cooper, an estranged sous chef in search of her peace of mind, despite her traumatic past. Samuel Holden is everything on the outside, from his looks to his cooking skills. He has successfully buried his fears, until he meets Zelah. His attempts to be her knight in shiny apron threatens to unearth everything he's spent the last four years forgetting.

Until We Break is now published as a Paperback, Hardcover and E-book from W by Wattpad Books! As a Wattpad reader, you can access the Wattpad Original Edition for free and the Wattpad Books Published Edition here upon purchase. ***** Naomi Morgan, the only black dancer at her ballet school, sacrifices everything to pursue her dream until she joins the Guise and realizes what she's missing. ***** Naomi Morgan is the only black dancer at the Riverside Dance Academy, but the sting of alienation is worth it. When the National Prix de Ballet Competition comes to Riverside, Naomi's determined to win...although, the cost of victory is high. She suffers injuries, lies to her family, and refuses to process her friend's death, all to get closer to her dream career. But when something goes wrong and The Guise, an online gang of anarchists, make Riverside their new target, Naomi finds herself caught up with the group. They teach her things the Riverside Academy never could - that dreams are worth having, but real life is so much more important. [[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]]

The blood is the life. J. Cole x Chris Brown x Karrueche x Trey Songz

❇️ 2018 WATTYS WINNER! The Originals category ❇️ - "The Breakfast Club" meets "Nancy Drew" in this most unusual YA Mystery. SUMMARY: Five high school students, with little in common other than being descendants of the town founders, are forced to work on a history project together. But when their history project uncovers evidence of a long-buried town secret, the kids must piece together the clues behind their discovery before its legacy comes back to haunt them. ***** Using ACTUAL, archival material (some dating as far back as 1776), The Descendants weaves a tale of mystery and intrigue, constructed entirely from real photographs, documents, and snippets of history from a small, rural town in New Hampshire. What Dan Brown did with conspiracy theories in "The DaVinci Code" and Ransom Riggs did with historical photographs in "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children," I will attempt to do in "The Descendants," but with teen protagonists and the Cheshire County Historical Society. :-) Why? 'Cause I'm crazy like that! Yeah, I know...History?! Blah! But it actually turned out really fun! :-)

A heartbroken fashion designer escapes to Tokyo to be an assistant on a movie set, only to get caught up in an illicit, whirlwind romance with the lead actor. ***** After discovering her fiance is cheating on her, heiress and fashion designer Lily Porter is whisked away to Tokyo to help a production company adapt one of her great-aunt's novels. She isn't thrilled about lying about being her aunt's assistant until it throws her into the path of the movie's lead actor, who is enough of a distraction to keep her mind off her ex for good. But can there really be a future for them when their relationship is built on lies, false identities, and a secret engagement? [[Wattys' Longlisted]] [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]

When Olivia Parker is found dead at a high school party gone wrong, it seems obvious who her killer was. Wesley Owens was found next to her covered in blood. Obviously, he did it. The question was why. With the entire senior class attending the end of the year bash, it shouldn't have been that simple to get away with the crime. There had to be witnesses and alibis, especially in the tight-knit friend group found at the scene. Now, with the eyes of everyone on them, the group has to pick up their broken pieces and figure out what actually happened that night before one of them gets falsely accused. With each step closer to the truth, the friends start to get more and more hesitant to reveal the truth and start to realize no one seems to be innocent. (Featured on Wattpad Picks twice!) (Shortlisted for the 2018 Wattys!) In the process of a rewrite!