|| a featured story || Aurora never planned on spending her final month alive falling in love. When she meets Gus, a curious boy who is all too eager to waste away the days with her, she finds herself trading in her month of solitude for a month with him instead. Under the summer sun, they promise each other a forever they don't have. All they have is August, and they try to make it enough. [Features a commissioned bonus chapter for the JCPenny #DreamPromposal contest] __________________________ Alex Light © All rights reserved 2018

Cigarettes, lilac skies and poetry at 3am: sixteen-year-old Pietro ''Pit'' Rossi knows the adrenaline of feeling empty and infinite at the same time. With the reputation of a goofy idiot who doesn't care about anything at all, getting held back at school doesn't seem like a problem. But it is. Because Pit cares about everything, and he always cares too much. [[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]]

WATTPAD ORIGINAL EDITION When a summer of fun turns upside down, Olivia must figure out whether her paranoid imagination is playing tricks on her or if she's being followed - and by who. ***** It's been years since Olivia nearly drowned in Caldwell Beach, and after moving away, she's back for the summer to reconnect with old friends. However, not everything-or everyone-is the same. Her childhood best friend, Miles, is still sweet and carefree, but his older brother West is not. Disowned and working at the local garage, he's distanced himself from everyone, until Olivia accidentally uncovers the reason why. But as the two grow closer, strange things begin happening to Olivia. She can't stop seeing shadows and hearing voices, but as she slips into a downward spiral of obsessiveness and paranoia, she must fight to uncover the truth behind who is after her, and why. [[word count: 60,000-70,000 words]]

When Darcy Evers rescues Miles Callaghan, she doesn't expect anything in return. But then Miles falls head over heels in love with her; debunking every theory she's ever had about boys and how quickly they fall in love. All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2014 by Noelle N.

A tale in which a thief with a double life grudgingly becomes a hero. ➳ Liana Mason has a life anyone would envy. Nobody suspects that the once orphaned girl grew up to be the city's notorious vigilante. She has been fine walking on the edge of morality for much of her life, but when an assassin arrives in her city she's forced to play a role she never imagined she'd choose: hero. A Robin Hood retelling. Trigger Warning: This contains themes that may be triggering for some readers (violence, sexual assault, etc). Cover designed by Ray Gardener

FREE STORY WITH EXCLUSIVE CONTENT. This is *not* a Paid Story. Eighteen-year-old hockey prodigy Elliot Wexler has three goals for senior year. One: somehow graduate with a 3.5 GPA. Two: hide his bipolar disorder from his peers. And three: make it into the NHL with no scandals. Piece of cake. What he doesn't expect is to find Lucy, a homeless girl, hiding from the winter frost in his dad's shed. Elliot's busy, complicated life doesn't permit room for error, and falling in love with a girl from a totally different world sounds like the opposite of a good idea. But Elliot can't help but be drawn to Lucy and her elusive ways--even when she seems to vanish from his life non-stop, each time leaving him with a bigger hole in his heart. But Elliot is determined to break down Lucy's barriers. And when he does, he discovers that her life is more complicated--and dangerous--than he could have imagined. With drafting season approaching, and Elliot's fragile mental health deteriorating, he's forced to face a difficult question: Is first love supposed to hurt so much? *** PLEASE DO NOT ADD THIS STORY TO GOODREADS.

A dialogue short story about the things we wake up to that remind us there are still things in this life worth waking up for. ante meridiem - [adv. & adj.] "before noon;" Abbr: A.M. Or a.m. [credit to owner of image (not me)]

Aerith always believed she was an ordinary mortal-clumsy, geeky, and completely out of place in the world. But on the eve of her 18th birthday, she discovers a shocking truth: she's no ordinary girl, but the long-lost daughter of the Fates, destined to rule the Underworld as Hades' queen. Thrown into the realm of gods and monsters, Aerith must learn to navigate her new life among immortal beings, where loyalty and power shift like the winds. Tutored by gods, pursued by ancient rivalries, and bound to Hades-a brooding, powerful god who's been waiting for her for centuries-Aerith faces the daunting challenge of learning how to rule an entire realm while still figuring out how to be herself. Can she rise to the challenge of ruling alongside the enigmatic Hades, or will the forces that oppose her destiny tear their fated union apart? With humor, heart, and a touch of magic, Aerith must learn the ropes of royalty and love in a world where even the gods themselves play by their own rules. How to be a Queen is a fun and fresh take on Greek mythology, blending romance, adventure, and self-discovery into an unforgettable journey through the immortal world.

Hadley Jamison doesn't know what to think when she hears that her classmate, Archer Morales, committed suicide. She didn't exactly know him, but that doesn't stop her from feeling like there was something she could have done to help him. So to Hadley's surprise, on the very night of Archer's funeral, she has a run in with Death himself and is offered the chance to go back in time to stop Archer from ending his life. The catch? She only has twenty-seven days to do it. And if Hadley doesn't succeed? Well, she doesn't want to think about that.