The world has been overrun by monsters. Governments have toppled, nations have fallen. Desperation has ushered in a new world order. Welcome to The Bright Waste where violence is cheap and salvation is in short supply. Where survivors are brutal and compassion is a rare commodity. Akiva is a scavenger for The Mothers. Her job is to scour the bones of the old world for any vestige of value, and to stay alive. That's the hardest part when the monsters have other plans. Her only hope is to stay in the light, glorious and burning bright. Editor's Pick List: June 2020

Danielle and Nate haven't gotten along in years, but when Nate discovers Danielle was sexually assaulted the year before, he's determined to fight for her and for love. ***** A week-long power outage can do a lot of things, but mending a decade long broken friendship didn't seem like one of them. However, when Danielle's childhood ex-best friend and current neighbor, Nate, comes knocking on her door every two seconds, she's quickly proven wrong. As Nate uncovers the secret that his best friend sexually assaulted Danielle at a party the year before, he realizes the bitterness of reality and blames himself. While Danielle fights the nightmares that come both night and day, Nate does everything in his power to better things for her, whether she agrees with them or not. Content/Trigger Warning: this story contains sexual content and deals explicitly with sexual assault and violence. [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]

WATTPAD ORIGINAL EDITION In 1955, mixed-race Ethan Harper leaves his progressive hometown for a summer in Alabama where he's not welcome, except by resident free spirit, Juniper Jones. ***** After getting himself into a bout of trouble, 16-year-old Ethan Harper's parents send him to Ellison, Alabama, to live with his aunt and uncle for the summer. But the year is 1955, and Alabama is a far cry from his beloved home of Arcadia, Washington. As much as it's hotter in temperature, it's colder in every other way, and Ethan learns the hard way that people see his mere existence as a threat. Amidst all the mayhem, a fiery, free-spirited, oddball walks into Ethan's life. Her name is Juniper Jones. She is the first person in Ellison who seems unfazed by their racial differences, and she promises to give Ethan a summer he will always remember, filled with endless adventure and discovery. With Juniper, Ethan can breathe, he can be, despite the incessant attention and bullying their newly formed friendship attracts. Can the two survive the summer, run in the light and block out the noise of the outside world? [Published version comes out June 16, 2020 with Wattpad Books!] [[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]]

Born a slave, made an heiress, Annabelle must battle a society unwilling to accept her and a love that threatens to ruin her in order to keep her freedom. ***** Born a slave, Annabelle soon finds that fate has other plans when she's purchased by a man named Elijah Finley, who not only rescues her from an abusive master, but also gives her her freedom. However, her new life comes at the cost of another: Elijah has made Annabelle the heiress to his estate, in spite of having a son. So Henry Finley, unwilling to accept his father's will, is determined to regain his rightful fortune at any cost -- even if that means seducing his father's former slave... Content and/or Trigger Warning: This story contains some racist and sexist language that reflects the historical time period when it's set. [[word count: 80,000-90,000 words]]