WATTPAD ORIGINAL EDITION In 1955, mixed-race Ethan Harper leaves his progressive hometown for a summer in Alabama where he's not welcome, except by resident free spirit, Juniper Jones. ***** After getting himself into a bout of trouble, 16-year-old Ethan Harper's parents send him to Ellison, Alabama, to live with his aunt and uncle for the summer. But the year is 1955, and Alabama is a far cry from his beloved home of Arcadia, Washington. As much as it's hotter in temperature, it's colder in every other way, and Ethan learns the hard way that people see his mere existence as a threat. Amidst all the mayhem, a fiery, free-spirited, oddball walks into Ethan's life. Her name is Juniper Jones. She is the first person in Ellison who seems unfazed by their racial differences, and she promises to give Ethan a summer he will always remember, filled with endless adventure and discovery. With Juniper, Ethan can breathe, he can be, despite the incessant attention and bullying their newly formed friendship attracts. Can the two survive the summer, run in the light and block out the noise of the outside world? [Published version comes out June 16, 2020 with Wattpad Books!] [[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]]

Leah has been on her own for over a year, but you will never hear her say it. Lying to everyone she has cared for since moving here, but she has no other option. She’s 17 years old, in school and everyday she’s scared that her past will come back for her, take her away and bring her back home. People think home is a loving safe place, for her, it’s her biggest nightmare. Her best friend Laura is her favorite person in the world, except everything Laura knows about her is a lie. When she meets Jason, her friend’s brother, they click. She starts to trust him, to like him, and he brings out the best of her, brings her back to life in every way. The only problem she sees…it won’t last, as much as she wants to believe in love, she knows the past doesn’t stay hidden for long.