Daisy Marie "Dee" Del Buono and Luca "Kai" Romano have lived next door to each other their whole lives-but they've never lived in the same world. At school, Kai is untouchable: the star of the track, the golden boy everyone talks about, the name everyone knows by heart. He is the center of the stadium lights, loud and inevitable. Dee is a different kind of sound-the first-chair oboe who everyone hears but no one truly sees. She's the girl who lives in the static between band practice and her two best friends, hiding her 88-key heart behind a music stand and a wall of hoodies. And between them sits a lie they've both agreed to believe: They're not friends. Until one summer night, they cross a line they swore they'd never touch. When Dee's older brother, Arlo-Kai's best friend-leaves for college, everything shifts. The fence between their houses becomes a bridge. Late-night talks replace old arguments. They learn each other's secrets. They learn each other's smiles. Now it's senior year, and they're trying to pretend it didn't happen. Pretending they're fine. Pretending they can go back. Pretending the truth isn't pulsing every time they lock eyes across the hallway and across their bedroom windows. But the sweetest lies are the ones you tell to protect your heart- until the night they finally destroy it. "The Sweetest Lie" is a story about first love, quiet longing, and the moment when pretending isn't enough anymore. For readers who crave the chaos of Never Have I Ever, the longing of The Summer I Turned Pretty, and the quiet devastation of Normal People, The Sweetest Lie will absolutely wreck you (in the best way).

ONC 2026 entry, prompt 5. Every day at the exact same time your cat slips out of your home. One afternoon, curiosity gets the better of you, and you follow, only to discover it's living a secret life you never imagined. My take, cats save the world as a backdrop to a romcom.

When a killer feral hog invades Verity State Park, Officer Rylee Harding quarantines the entire area until the threat can be eliminated. She soon discovers doing the right thing isn't easy, because summer has just begun, and the livelihood of Verity's residents depends on the seasonal flood of tourist dollars. Facing opposition from town officials, her neighbors, and even members of her own family, Rylee stands firm in her decision and risks her life and the life of her unborn child to face down the remorseless monster. This story is written for ONC2026 using prompt number 78: You begin to realize that nothing is quite what it seems. Jowls, Copyright ©2026 by Dennis Royer, @dennisroyer All Rights Reserved. Cover art by Deviant Art / ArtVixen0520. Used by permission.

In the late 1960s in Australia, orphaned Maddie is thrust into her aunt's care, uncovering family secrets while sparking laughter and growth in cousins Simon and Edith (Didi). As shy Simon stumbles to shed his stutter and bratty Didi sheds her "Didiot" ways, Maddie's life darkens under the shadow of a corrupt politician's son. After a harrowing ordeal leaves her vulnerable and alone, she finds refuge with a kind artist named Bill Shakespeare, whose name whispers of destiny. Will their bond thrive amidst the psychedelic dawn of a new age, or unravel like a fragile dream?

When hostile townsfolk imprison a transient teen girl accused of murder, her best friend struggles against a stacked legal system to protect her from being railroaded.--- Local law enforcers eager to solve the case rush to judgment and arrest Cozbi Miraslova, a pretty teenager of Roma heritage working with a traveling carnival. The evidence against her is scant but the tight knit community believes carnies to be nothing more than gypsies, tramps, and thieves. After the carnival leaves town, Cozbi's best friend and co-worker, Jason Muir stays behind to defend her. In the process of solving the mystery, he discovers Cozbi's manipulative and duplicitous nature and learns how blind loyalty comes with a steep price. Cover photo credit: Shutterstock/Kisto

An unlikely romance sprouts from a chance encounter between Cliff and Hannah after she spurns his good deed. ---------- Cliff tries doing a good deed for financially distressed Hannah by paying for her expensive car repairs. He expects nothing in return. What he gets is her hostile rejection of his selfless offer. Frustrated and confounded, Cliff can't stop thinking about her stinging rebuke and haunting beauty. When serendipity brings them face-to-face again, sparks fly, this time igniting a slow-burn romance. Standing in the way of the couple's happiness are their own stubborn egos, scheming parents, and a dangerous ex-lover. Cover Photo Credit: Shutterstock/Geobor

Enora is tired of living in her brother's estate and putting up with the endless stream of suitors her father has arranged for her to meet. Five more days and she will have the freedom to control her own destiny - far away from her domineering family. Only her father has other plans for her when he invites a pocket poor, but land-wealthy nobleman to be her bridegroom. Aaden Cadel hasn't met Enora but he's willing to take her sight unseen as long as he can get his hands on the substantial inheritance her mother left her. But when things don't go according to plan, Enora will face her biggest challenge yet... learning to trust a man long enough for them to work together against a powerful enemy who poses a threat to both their futures. A little magic might help...

-THRILLER/CONSPIRACY- Charlotte is a newly minted podcaster, with a skill set to go far. She intends to uncover everything strange and unspoken that is lurking in the Denver, Colorado International Airport. Rumors of cults, new world orders and aliens swirl. Once there, what she unearths will shatter even the most skeptical minds. Join her as she uncovers the impossible. There is always some truth hidden in a conspiracy. . . The Denver Chronicles is born. This book is a work of *fiction*. Rated Mature for language and adult themes. Cover created by the author using Canva. Copyright by K.E. Jennings 2023, all rights reserved.

Spending Christmas in her hometown or running into traffic naked--Liv Carson can't decide which sounds better. Twenty-eight-year-old Liv left rumors and scandal behind when she moved to Atlanta. The thought of going back to spend the week with her judgmental mother, toxic cousin, and cheating ex-boyfriend, (all while she's still single) is enough to have her ripping off her clothes and lacing up her running shoes. That's until Liv's best friend suggests a funny, smart, gorgeous, green-eyed solution named Nate--he's happy to be Liv's fake boyfriend. Everything could be great... as long as no one finds out he's gay.

A (fictional) Christmas tale. Rated mature for language and life themes. Cover art and chapter pics by author, and Canva. All rights reserved, Copyright by K E JENNINGS 2022.