About a boy who smokes, And a girl who doesn't want him to, But mostly about how she seems to save him. © by Sydney Druckman 2022. Early matters subject to change.

The Napoleonic Wars have kept Captain Luke Cassidy away from home, and away from his wife and son, for three years. There was nothing more in his life that Luke wanted than to see his son for the first time. There was nothing more in his life that Luke wanted than to reunite with his family after three long years apart. But just as Britain can begin celebrating victory, Luke suffers an injury at the hands of the French that will change his life, and the life of his family, forever. Can a marriage between two people that have spent more time apart than together survive such a test? Or will Luke and Isabella succumb to the obstacles in their way? Not everything is as it seems.

Eliza Banes, her ambition for adventure and her penchant for trouble, have often been trying on her poor mama's nerves. All her mother desires is for Eliza to be married and settled, but Eliza has other plans. Seizing an opportunity to stow away on a merchant ship to live out her dreams of seeing the world, Eliza has no idea what she is getting herself into. What she thought would be a harmless adventure sees her experience new challenges, rowdy sailors, evil pirates, and it brings her face to face with the surliest sea captain with a heart of pure gold. Eliza is about to discover the true meaning of, "be careful what you wish for."

Katy Fairchild is an orphan and knows that no respectable man will marry her. But when a storm throws her into the arms of a mysterious stranger, will she fight society's opinion of her low status to pursue a forbidden romance? ***** At the age of nine, Katy Fairchild was brought to the small village of Wilshire to live with her distant relations, the Banes family. Brought up as a companion to their daughter, Eliza, Katy has lived a life according to her low rank and limited opportunities, and without complaint. But one day when she is nineteen, she gets caught in a dangerous storm with a handsome man who is unlike anyone she's met before. The encounter throws Katy into a world she never knew. For the first time, a better life may be just around the corner, but is she prepared to fight for it? [[word count: 70,000 - 80,000]] Cover designed by Cil Ojumo

To save her family from financial ruin, Annaliese Dawson agrees to marry a stranger. She knows that the arrangement would probably never lead to love, but as the two begin to trust each other, could it be that they have a chance at true love? ***** Matthew Cassidy is a widower baronet with three young children. Convinced that his children deserve a mother, a marriage is promptly arranged between Matthew and Annaliese, a pair that have never met, and are complete opposites. What will it take to bring these two together? They have but one chance to get it right. [[word count: 80,000 - 90,000]] Cover designed by Morgan Sangster

When Everly Reed collides with the cynical and devilishly handsome Mason Valdez, she knows trouble is ahead, but she never could have guessed how much she would be drawn to the storm. ***** Nineteen-year-old Ever Reed likes when things make sense. Which is probably why she excels at math, enough to secure her a spot at an Ivy League school out of state. Sheltered by her mother and older brother Asher for most of her life, Ever hasn't experienced much of the world, but she knows New York will be an adventure. Enter Mason Valdez: cynical, arrogant, and undeniably attractive-exactly what Ever doesn't need. But as their paths keep crossing, Ever finds herself intrigued by Mason, and eager to know the boy behind the bitter mask. As secrets, scars, and painful pasts rise to the surface, Ever knows one thing for sure: they can only make it through if they face their storms together. [[word count: 150,000 - 200,000]] Cover designed by Frances Louise De Ramos Spinoff to The Hoodie Girl Book One of the A Thousand Storms series [[The Fiction Awards 2018 Best Overall Story and Best Romance Winner]] Content/trigger warning: This story mentions sexual assault and childhood abuse

❤️ WATTYS 2018 WINNER ❤️ WATTPAD FEATURED ❤️ When sixteen-year-old Janie Myers' grades hit an all-time low, she is pulled from her blow-off class with her best friend and placed into a course the guidance counselor says will boost her confidence: theater. There, she meets a group of theater "misfits" who accept her into their troupe. Armed with a full troupe of actors, the misfit theater company takes on a one act that will not only challenge Janie's shyness, but also her feelings for fellow misfit Thatcher. Cover photo credit to Anthony Ginsbrook. Found on Unsplash.com and edited using Canva.

The core survivors of the Bottle Island massacres lived happily ever after, but there is still one more story to be told. In the fourth instalment of the Altswood saga, Annabelle Martinez and Jules Sodrepena may have left Altswood, but the psyche of Altswood is unlikely to ever leave them. It is their senior year of college and they are en route to Venice, Italy with the rest of their class as part of their final Art History project. Annabelle can't wait-they are graduating in mere weeks, so she doesn't really care about doing well in class anymore. She just wants to sit back and relax, which includes not admitting to herself that she may or may not have developed a crush on Jules, whose new girlfriend is also on this trip. If only the universe didn't hate her. Within her first few seconds in Venice, Annabelle collides with a man running for his life. Just before he dies in her arms, he whispers: "The cipher is in the phone." Annabelle had sworn to herself she would never get involved with another investigation regarding a killer running rampant on a paradise island. But as the situation turns from a murder investigation to a bomb threat that could destroy the whole of Venice, the authorities continue scratching their heads with no solid leads. What Annabelle overheard could be the key to solving this mystery, and preventing the whole island from blowing to smithereens. With only twenty-four hours before the countdown ends, Annabelle and Jules take it upon themselves to uncover who killed the man and why. Their talents for sleuthing in Altswood have followed them to Venice, and there is no time to spare. Only as the seconds tick away, it would seem both the island and their friendship are at risk of falling into pieces.

[COMPLETED] When down on her luck, Abby Redding lands a position as the personal assistant for wealthy businessman Alex Carter, her first assignment is to fix up his new cabin in a remote town. Things don't go as planned when an unsolved murder and a haunted cabin leave Abby Redding fighting for her life. Is her handsome boss hiding secrets? Or is there something more sinister afoot?