Fed up with being picked on, a geeky boy with a big secret hires the school's toughest senior as a bodyguard to protect him from the bullies. Cover by @glynfrans

BOOK ONE Coming out was supposed to set Julian free. Instead, it left him with a broken arm, a mother who won't stop preaching, and a silence that grows heavier every day. High school feels like a cage, and Julian is certain he doesn't belong anywhere-until Paul crashes into his world. With his inked skin, effortless charm, and a following that makes him untouchable, Paul should be the last person Julian lets close. But in Paul's arms, Julian feels something he's never known before: safe. As their connection deepens, so does the danger. Loving Paul means risking exposure, rejection, and heartbreak all over again. Worse, it means facing the cruelest voice of all-the one inside Julian's own head. Tender, raw, and unflinching, Open is a story about first love, first heartbreak, and finding the courage to believe you're worthy of both. ::: I could feel it when his body finally went slack, when he'd fallen asleep and soft snores emitted. And I thought I was getting better at this breaking down thing... I honestly did but when I was alone, I seemed to fall apart. Endless serenades of how worthless I'd been and how destructive I was; I was a disappointment to literally everyone and I hated it. My breathing became shallow as I cried for the second time that day, finally feeling content being immersed in guilt. A shudder wracked through my body, tears escaping and Paul pulled me closer as he woke silently. Mumbling soft nothings against my skin and kissing it to slow my breathing, he tried to lull me to sleep, "It's okay, you're okay." Refusing to speak -my voice failing me- his arm came up to wrap around my shoulder and I held him there, placing a small kiss to his tattooed skin in a broken sign of gratitude, I must've run out of tears. And I felt at ease.

An outgoing country boy. A wallflower jock. And a completely off-limits relationship. ** Aspiring artist Kade Turner is the new kid at school, imported into the big city from countryside town Greensboro. With his accent and his dad being the insanely popular coach of the varsity football team, Kade had no hopes of going unnoticed. But, no worries. Although he doesn't blend in easily like the brush strokes on his many canvasses, he had no problems making friends with everyone. Well, everyone except this one guy. For some reason Atticus, the Running Back of the football team and his brand new stepbrother, wants absolutely nothing to do with him. Kade doesn't understand why and is determined to get closer to him for his Dad's sake. But when Kade finally finds out what Atticus' problem is, rather than solving anything it only complicates their 'brothers' status even more.

Summer, 2003. An easygoing teen skateboarder and his insensitive best friend must navigate their changing friendship when a flirty boy comes between them. ***** Sixteen-year-old Matteo is a simple dude. It's 2003, his brother is fighting in Afghanistan, and his best friend Logan is obsessed with gay jokes, but Matt doesn't like to worry. He just wants to film his skateboard video. Then cute emo boy Quinn applies to work at the skate shop with Matt. Being friends with clever, flirty Quinn is like learning a new skateboard trick: a little bit intimidating but totally (probably) worth the challenge. Now Logan hates Quinn, there's money going missing at the shop, and Matt can't seem to figure out if Quinn might possibly, maybe, want to kiss him back. This summer just got a lot more complicated. ***** *featured in LGBTQ+'s "BxB Teen Fiction", LY's "Love Your Identity", and WattpadNaNoWriMo's "2019 Top Picks" lists* Complete at 59k words.

Every once and a while the universe throws a curve ball your way- testing your ability to take on anything. Sometimes that curveball is a person who comes into your life and just changes everything. How you look at the world. How music sounds to you. How you see people can even change. In the swampy summer of 2017 Cole Jackson was thrown one of these curve balls by the universe. This curve ball transformed Cole from a spoiled jock to a deeply caring person. And it all started at football practice.

The one where the jock and the wallflower meet after six years. - Alfie really shouldn't have gone to the reunion. He should have just stayed home and watched the Harry Potter marathon showing on ABC but his dad and best friend had urged him to. He learns a couple of things that night, things that he would have preferred not to know about. Things he could have lived without. He also learns he's still in love with the boy who had let him go. #109 romance 19. 07. 18 Cover by @peachspit This is a free preview

Alex and Liam have been best friends their whole lives until a drunken kiss leads them down separate paths. As time passes, they must face truths they never expected. ***** Alex Camejo and Liam Santos have been thick as thieves since they met at age seven. As the years passed, Liam protected Alex from bullies while Alex denied what those bullies were saying. He's not gay no matter how "girly" he seems... or how much he longs to hold Liam's hand. But a drunken kiss tears everything down. The inseparable Liam Santos and Alex Camejo can no longer be friends. Without each other's support, they must overcome the struggles of adolescence, coming out, new lovers, self-doubt and lingering emotions. One hopes he will forget his best friend and find happiness. The other hopes they will reunite and be happy. In the end, whose dreams will come true? [[Watty's Award Winner]]

EDITOR'S CHOICE ~ When heartbroken March Marino books a road trip across the western US, he has no idea what he's getting himself into.