FREE STORY WITH PAID BONUS CONTENT FROM HARTLEY's POV! It's a summer of firsts for 15-year-old Gwen, including a life-or-death secret that could change her forever. * * * * * Fifteen-year-old Gwen Lincoln has three goals before sophomore year begins: 1.) experience her first kiss 2.) find a way to get rid of her childish "chipmunk cheeks" for good 3.) escape the separation of her parents ... a dilemma she's keeping from her free-spirited, yet slightly unstable best friend Hartley MacKenna, who she's visiting in New Orleans during summer break. With Hartley taking charge of her ambitious to-do list, Gwen's "Summer of Change" begins, but nothing prepares her for meeting Sullivan Reed, the adorable soccer player next door, who to her utter disbelief, asks her on a date. Now, all she needs is a crash course in Kissing 101 - and her BFF has a surefire-ish plan to show her the ropes! Caught between living her life and trying to run away from it, Gwen's longing to embrace the sun-kissed wetlands of Louisiana and broaden her previously limited horizons is coming true. But when she discovers the secret her friends have been hiding - a secret that could mean the difference between life and death - she must learn to face her own demons (with a little help from the lovable Creole drag queen down the street), or surrender herself to a tragic reality. Copyright © 2021 (post revisions) Darly Jamison - All rights reserved Formerly titled: My First Kiss (and Other Summer Disasters) Cover artist @surviving_dreams (you can find her on Fiverr!) Notice: This document is not authorized for upload or use with artificial intelligence systems or platforms. Any attempt to upload, analyze, or process this content using AI technology is strictly prohibited.

This story will become FREE on August 30th, 2023! Hudson Caldwell is being stalked, but the cops don't believe her. Can she unravel the truth before it consumes her? * * * * * Just when Hudson Caldwell's life is finally coming together, an unwavering paranoia threatens to tear it apart. Someone is following her - that's the feeling she gets every time she leaves her downtown Chicago apartment. After a failed attempt to file a police report, Hudson's stripper best friend gifts her with an unregistered firearm, but the weapon isn't enough to stop an attack in the middle of the night. When rookie cop, Myles Young, responds to a complaint of gunfire, he instantly falls for Hudson's quiet vulnerability and shattered past. He vows to keep her safe - much to the dismay of his case-hardened partner. As their relationship intensifies, the identity of Hudson's stalker slowly comes to light. But the closer Myles comes to solving the mystery, the more he realizes he's in over his head. WARNING: This story is a NA romantic suspense and contains references to mental illness and sexual abuse. Cover created by me, using MidJourney and Canva Pro. Down Came the Rain copyright © 2016 Darly Jamison All rights reserved. [[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]] Notice: This document is not authorized for upload or use with artificial intelligence systems or platforms. Any attempt to upload, analyze, or process this content using AI technology is strictly prohibited.