Ownvoices Stories

🏆 Watty Award Winner (2022) This updated edition includes revised chapters and new scenes. Trans guy Collin makes a bet with his coworker that he can land a date with the hot new barista across the street. It should be easy. Except the more time he spends with her, the more the bet starts to feel like the worst idea he's ever had. ### It's 2003 in Santa Cruz, and 21-year-old Collin thought transitioning would be the hard part. But now that he's on hormones and passing with ease, he's still stuck wondering who he is and where he belongs. It doesn't help that his girlfriend of six years just dumped him. So when his coworker challenges him to prove he's still got game, Collin agrees to a stupid bet: get a date with Heather, the cute new barista who just started working at the café across the street. With some unexpected help from his roommate Sam, getting close to her might be easier than Collin expected. But what starts as a harmless distraction quickly turns into something real. And when the truth behind the bet finally comes out, Collin will have to decide whether risking his heart again is worth it... or if he's about to lose the best thing that's happened to him since the breakup. A nostalgic beach-town rom-com about bets, baristas, and what happens when pretending turns into something real. ☕ Tropes: friends-to-lovers vibes, a very bad bet, coffee shop flirting, early-2000s nostalgia, and learning who you are while falling in love. NEW CHAPTERS EVERY TUESAY & FRIDAY

One man is her family's dream. The other could be her undoing. Suraiya Rao has never quite belonged. She's not white enough for society, not brown enough for her family... not enough for anyone. She's spent her life walking a tightrope between British reality and Indian expectation, doing everything by the book, no matter the cost. Then one chance encounter changes everything. Haydn Ellis Clarke isn't part of the plan. He's rich, ridiculously handsome, and absolutely not the man her family has chosen for her. But he sees her - not the dutiful daughter or the girl buried beneath generations of pressure, but the version of herself she's never dared to be. Mendhi My Heart is a story of identity, belonging, and choosing love, even when it means breaking every rule. Because love doesn't always arrive in the "suitable" package. Sometimes, it wears torn jeans... and gives your grandmother a heart attack.

Suddenly home when coronavirus hits during her sophomore year of college, asexual Hannah finds herself wondering if a lockdown might just be the perfect time to try to find love. She won't have to worry about the physical side of a relationship!

From the universe of RECONSTRUCTING JADA CHANNING comes a holiday read, "The Gift of You," featuring a Southern business analyst and a British noble. When Clara Lawrence spreads a little holiday cheer by purchasing coffee orders for the people behind her, Braxton Roberts, the Earl of Yaleton, wants to know more about her. Both are usually pragmatic, practical people, but something about the beginning of the new year and the possibilities therein have them both leaving the solid ground of convention and taking a leap of faith into romance. Can Clara and Braxton land on their feet or will they stumble as they fall?

The family's smart but lazy crackpot once wished to get her youth back. And by that, she meant- to lose the dark circles and those damn joint pain. She did not want to move back to the neighbourhood she grew up in, only to play 'parenting' while dealing with her paradoxical younger sister who's slightly scaring everyone with her new persona; her self-proclaimed fitness expert of a mother who thinks she's a successful influencer; her father who is too attached to his culture to stop making new experimental dishes; and her sister's three kids, including an obnoxious one, who may possibly help her out on the angst-ridden-self-discovery journey that she thought she had given up years ago. Worse, she'll have to listen to her mother's scathing sass in person instead of their long distance calls where she usually tunes out the aging (not aging!) proud influencer.

17 year-olds Fabio and Marlon are outsiders. They're a black guy in a white town, a gay teen in a straight world. Their mutual god is music, dance their life-long bond. Their rainbow glows with hues no one else can see.

"Just because we're in college, doesn't mean things have to change. That's what I thought. But now I feel like an idiot. Of course things would change. We can't stay a perfect trio forever, now that I know I was so wrong about the twins. I thought Kara was a straight girl, and I thought Caleb was a gay guy. How could I not realize it was the other way around? And how can we all stay friends if they're fighting over me?"

COVER NOT MADE BY ME* "Only women are born ymbrynes." Something about that phrase had always seemed wrong. This was odd for a number of reasons. The first of which being, that in her long years of life, Miss Bleeding-Heart had never heard of it being false. The second reason and the reason Miss Bleeding-Heart was having the most difficult time understanding was that it made her deeply uncomfortable for no reason she could formulate and had for as long as she had been an ymbryne. | Part one of A Peculiar Family | *The awesome cover was made by @TheNoctisLich at Melancholy Memories Graphics Shop! I'd definitely recommend them for any of your graphics needs!

Chizaram's life is simple. There are only three things that matter to her. Number one is her Family, which is also the most important. Number two is the not very strict, not very adhered rules that her parents have put in place for her and her siblings And number three, trying her best to be a good person to everyone around her despite the blatant rudeness of the people in her life. When things around her begin to change she is forced to see that sometimes families separate, and rules are just things that tell us how to live our lives and sometimes we end up doing more harm than good to those we intend to help. Sometimes doing good things doesn't make us good people, just like doing bad things doesn't make us bad people. Life is no more black and white...at least to her not anymore. °°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°° This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever without prior permission in writing from the author. I do not own the picture used for the book cover. All credits goes to whoever owns the picture. First Published - September 13, 2019 Finished-??? Very slow updates.

When life sends a tidal wave, how do you keep swimming? // On the edge of the sea, Lee Baker spends her days reading, crafting, and being homeschooled by her mom. Although their life at Oceanview Trailer Park is far from luxurious, Lee is happy the way things are, spending the days with her best friend Ana. But the summer Lee turns 17, everything changes. When Noah moves to Myrtle Cove, Lee's predictable life is turned upside down. Noah is quiet, anxious, and doesn't want any part of his mom's summer beach house plans. Lee is roped into being his tour guide, and unexpectedly, the two hit it off and strike up a friendship. Then Ana moves away. After losing her closest friend, Lee is reluctant to make another, but she doesn't want to stay away from Noah. She begins to have feelings for him, and thinks he might feel the same way. But when disaster strikes and Lee is left completely alone, will Noah stick around? And will she let him? // Updates every Saturday! // // Highest Ranking // #7 in Homeschool #266 in Beach

When Amira Bashir almost dies from hydrogen peroxide poisoning, PI Anjali Dayal must figure out who wants the president dead. Only 6 people could've spiked the glass, and with all of them having strong motives and shaky alibis, the case proves quite difficult to crack. Link to google slides with names, titles, and pictures of the characters: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_jqfuxyQ8sv7cvA08jUhTNsAO9UxaE4oF6IQyrut17Y/edit?usp=sharing

Santosh and Ibrahim are two individuals brought together through violence in the Kashmir Valley. With both nursing broken hearts and shattered dreams, it will take a lot to trust each other and move on to realize their true potential. This is a story about discovering ourselves, finding what matters to us most and staying on that course. Updates every Saturday! Cover made by the wonderfully talented @Azanthiel :)

Skiddy Cottontail, an eight-year-old rabbit, had two fathers who were happily married to each other, his best friend, Leslie, a transgender eight-year-old female, had two mothers who were the same. An elephant has been elected as the next President, and both of the children are afraid that they are going to lose their parents because the tyrant elephant follows the values of Homophobe ideology that would separate their own families from each other. The two children must work together and keep their own families together, even if it becomes an outlaw in their own city. The story is about standing up against homophobes and far-right ideologies, protecting same-sex marriage, and defending the LGBTQ community.

After months of therapy, Garrett Delko is still struggling to cope with his brother's suicide. The only time he finds peace is on the pitching mound and with a mysterious girl he's been obsessed with since the first week of college. One night, he sees her jumping off a bridge and it leads to an unexpected connection neither can deny. Garrett resolves to stay away, but as their paths intersect, he wonders if she's the answer he's looking for. Arianne Zhang is no one's magic remedy. She has her own troubles and doesn't need an adorable baseball player messing up her hard-earned anonymity. However, as they confide in each other, she begins falling for him. Then Arianne's secrets are exposed, and both must face tough choices. Can they find the strength to let go of their insecurities to help each other? Or will the colors of their past blind them to the truth?

from the swahili word meaning "bridge." let this connect my queerness to my blackness. let this connect all those that are different. let this connect you to me.

Memories of him, but he's not really dead.

Prom. It's a time for goodbyes and new beginnings. One magical night for every high school senior - Everyone except for Estela. An introvert who would rather dance with the literal stars than some cheaply made cardboard ones. With the presence of her two least favorite things, Estela couldn't think of anything worse than Prom night. Worst of all? Her mom wants nothing more than for her to have a normal high school experience. But, slow dancing in the middle of the school gym wouldn't change the fact that she wasn't interested. Things like prom, and dating were never on Estela's radar. She'd rather be at home, sitting on her rooftop looking at the stars; feeling free from the pressure of her mother and everyone else around her. - A Open Novella Contest 2021 Entry - Prompt(s) 28) You're never without your playlist so much so that it dictates every asset of your life. 85) "This prom is not my cup of tea, I would rather be up on my roof watching the stars."( main) Edited by Ahseya Aye Cover by me

Mickey and Dax have been best friends since middle school. They met online when Dax replied to Mickey's Instagram story, however that's all their relationship has been. Everything changes when they finally decide to meet up in person for the first time! However, Mickey doesn't know that Dax has been keeping a big secret from her. When the paparazzi find them together, Mickey finds out her best friend is actually Prince Daxton from Floavania. With pictures of the two of them leaked online, it becomes a big scandal because Dax is betrothed to a princess from a neighbouring country. To unravel this scandal, Mickey visits Flovania and agrees to fake date Dax's brother to prove to the public that nothing romantic is going on between her and Dax however, as the summer comes to a close, it only gets harder for Dax to imagine marrying the princess when he may have fallen for someone he can never be with.

​A poor mother's reputation. A wealthy father's drama. A son's dangerous secret. ​Mablotza is the perfect son. He is also gay. In a world where one mistake can ruin a lineage, he must navigate the thin line between survival and self-discovery. It's a journey of laughter in the dark, romance under the radar, and a desperate fight to protect the woman who gave him everything#LGBTQ+ #AfricanFiction #FamilyDrama #SecretIdentity #ComingOfAge #OwnVoices