~ 2021 WATTY'S SHORTLIST ~ "I-well, I..." I hesitated with my response. I wanted to let go. To not worry about what would happen in the future. I'd always loved staring into fires. It hypnotized me with its beauty and danger. It was so tantalizing to look at, but one little touch could destroy. I knew the heat between Tyler and I was similar. It started off small but it had only grown in the weeks he'd been here. We'd fed it unintentionally, and it had gone from an ember to a crackling flame. Every nerve in my body wanted to reach out and touch it, even though I knew I'd get burned. *************************************************** Pia Callahan always lived a carefree life with no worries. Her only responsibilities were to attend her college classes (sometimes) and keep herself fed (on ramen). When tragedy strikes, Pia is all of the sudden thrown into a whirlwind of change. She has to grow up and take on more responsibility than she could ever imagine: the custody of her best friend's son. Pia may not believe she is the best person for the job, but she is determined to do it. She'll trade in frat parties for PTA meetings and beer-bongs for apple juice. But what happens when the ruggedly hot motocross athlete Tyler Westwood shows up in her small town? Tyler lives on the fast track, never caring too much about consequences. You can't when your job is to do backflips through the air. Sometimes, you just have to send it and hope for the best. From the second Tyler meets Pia, he knows he wants her. But she is determined to ignore their bubbling chemistry. She has priorities now and a summer fling isn't one of them. Will Pia be able to stay away from Tyler? Or will she decide to hit the throttle? ***************************************************

"You just have no idea." His voice was thick with restraint. "W-what," I breathed. His gaze flicked to my lips as his thumb stroked again. The calloused pad against my soft flesh sent goosebumps down my arms. His once warm eyes were dark as they lifted and bared into my soul. "What you do to... men." His husky whisper weakened my knees. I almost fell but his other hand settled on my hip, pulling me closer to him. "What you do to me," he added on a breath. The hand on my jaw shifted. His fingers left trails of tingles as he slipped them back slowly, under my earlobe and into my curls. *************************************************** As a young girl, Charlotte Avery's favourite pass time was daydreaming about her Prince Charming: Archer Johnson. She never stopped to consider that Archer was her brother's best friend.. Or that he always appeared severely creeped out by her attention. On her 16th birthday, Charlotte received a harsh reality check. Realizing just how embarrassing she had been acting, she swore to never make a fool of herself in front of Archer again. The problem? She is about to head to college and unfortunately it's the same school where Archer is currently the star quarterback. Follow Charlotte during her first year at USC as she juggles new experiences, social anxiety, family drama back home, and avoiding Archer. These are the unintended consequences of an embarrassing childhood crush. *************************************************** Top Ranks: #1 - Hot #1 - Collegeromance #1 - Brothersbestfriend #1 - Football #1 - Brooding #1 - Slowburn #1 - Quarterback #1 - Athlete #2 - Newadult #2 - Player #5 - Badboy #73 - Romance ***************************************************

Kinsley Wright didn't come from money, but her friendship with Mafia princess, Adriana Romano, flung her into a lavish world that was luxurious and intimidating all wrapped into one. When she gains the attention of wealthy mafia bad boys, Dane Moretti and Tyson Santoro, her world is knocked off it's axis and seems to stop turning all together. As her feelings grow for both deliciously dangerous men, Kinsley feels forced to choose between them, but what if she doesn't have to? What if they are ready and willing to share her...to make her theirs?

COMPLETED [boyxboy] Carson Hughes is a bright light. Vinny Taylor is an enigma. ** After spending his summer away as a camp counselor, Carson Hughes comes back to his home town for his senior year. Things seem to be just as he left them until he finds out his best friend's brother came out of the closet and cut everybody out of his life. Kind and caring Carson can't help but want to understand this new Vinny. Vinny Taylor is falling, constantly going down and feeling like there's no end. His summer leaves him changed forever. After coming out and alienating himself, he spends most days locked away in his room until Carson comes back to town. Vinny's a mystery yet to be figured out. And Carson is up to the task. WARNING: Some of the content in this book may be triggering for some readers. Chapters with triggering content will have trigger warnings at the top with what the triggering content is. There will not be any graphic or detailed scenes of traumatic or triggering experiences. ~180k words

[BXB] Eliott Fernard has been attempting to live his life after cutting ties with his best friend, Eric Zhang, for ten entire years - but that hasn't worked out the way he'd wanted to. Therefore, in order to bring his nagging thoughts and aching heart to a halt, he goes looking for his lost friend; with the only clue being a puzzle piece tattoo they'd gotten together.

Seventeen-year-old Spencer has been waiting for this for a while now. Ever since he started watching a new TV show, he has been wanting an apocalypse to happen. Just to give his life a little more 'umph'. He and his family have different ways of wanting to deal with this situation. Spencer thinks that they should gather supplies before everything is taken or things turn worse. His family think they should stay locked up in their house, believing that everything will blow over in a few days. Everyone is scared of what is to come next. How do you think Spencer and his family will survive?

COMPLETED [boyxboy] Mason Maloney has lived his whole life in the shadow of his twin brother, Nathan, star quarterback of the football team. While Nathan impresses everyone in town with his athleticism, Mason spends his afternoons working at the local bakery. His rather mundane life becomes more interesting when his brother's rival quarterback, Sam Knight, gets a job along side him at the bakery. The rivalry between their two schools should keep them apart, but does it? COVER BY: @Grand_ ~166k words

*Formerly "Ratbags & Scallywags" now going through a revamp. Professional cover and re-release three weeks away.* Eyes to see. A heart to listen. Silence collides with chaos. Openly gay and attention-crazy Charlie Rascal doesn't mean to expose the secret of his quiet, broody classmate Aubrey Keats-who keeps his struggles as silent as the world around him. It was all in good fun, but this time, Charlie crosses a line that can't be brushed off with a little sass or dry wit. When rumours spread and high-school drama unfolds, Charlie finds himself chasing more than just redemption. He's drawn to the late-night conversations, the stolen glances across the classroom, and that magnetic pull neither can seem to resist. As their masks slip and leave them exposed, Aubrey and Charlie must decide: cover back up, or let themselves be seen-even heard-for who they really are.

When a paper airplane, containing a confession of feelings for him, hits the back of Zion's head, his whole school year is suddenly turned into a quest to find his secret admirer. But narrowing the field down might be harder then Zion could ever have expected, and the more letters he receives, the more he starts to develop feelings of his own.

'I want you to want me,' the text read, and he smiled as he shot off his reply. 'You have no idea how much I already do.' Wesley Chao doesn't believe in love and Wyatt Carter wishes he wasn't always in it, until they both meet at an art exhibition and fall like toy soldiers. - [ Cover © by Harvey Elliot ] [ Copyright © 2020 by Harvey Elliot ]