Southern Stories

Richmond, Virgina- 1984 Sara Brooks is a 24 year old graduate student. She's almost a year and half away from finishing her PhD in English Literature. Standing near adulthood, she toes the line between leading a life she chooses versus the one that's been planned for her. She's always been the responsible one, the one who plans, who drives, and this weekend the maid of honor for her best friend Janie. The night before the wedding brings them to a bar, Lester's, an establishment their friend group used to haunt in their college days. That's where she meets him. Rough around the edges, quiet, looks straight out of a Springsteen song. I Can Take You Higher is a romance about the smaller details and choosing someone. The story navigates class, female friendships, found family, and a slight age gap, all set to the scene of the mid 1980's in the south. Loosely inspired by the song and music video for I'm On Fire, the story contains a lot of iconic 80's music some explicitly mentioned, others in the title of the chapter, feel free to listen as you read.

LJ has learned to never be hopeful. Hope is the most destructive emotion of all of them. LJ knew the only way to achieve what you want is to work for it...that didn't even guarantee success. Success didn't guarantee happiness. Everyday she worked hard to find her slice of happiness, she definitely didn't expect to find it in Division 1 Wide Receiver who's everything she's not. Callum lives his life one football season at a time. After all, he is the number one wide receiver at a top university. He loves his life - all the girls and recognition. This is why he works so hard. His freshman year in college. He led his team to a title. Everyone is expecting him to lead the team there again this year. Callum's whole life has been about football...until he meets LJ. 

16 year old Farrah Sinclair's future has been mapped out for her since day one. She's been trapped in a dollhouse- playing dress up and pretend, performing a life her parents want. It isn't until the summer of 1962 that Farrah learns to stop existing and start living with a little help from a handsome and wise stable hand. Some people find their twin flames later in life and some never at all. Farrah finds hers early but must struggle with the pain of a star-crossed love that goes against the nature of society. She must decide: Are some things worth fighting for or were they never meant to be?

When fate drops Karis into Orlando, she expects quiet days and a clean start. She doesn't expect Kaze Bennett. Some people collide. Some people click. Some people feel 𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲.. This is about the last one.

Jesus Christ, don't be kind to it. / Apply Fiction, Original. SUITESOUL © 2026

Oakley Sinclair has always loved her small town - the packed Friday night games, the bonfires by the lake, the way everyone seems to know everyone. She's grown up surrounded by the same tight-knit friend group, comfortable in her place at the center of it all. Luke isn't invisible. Not even close. He's well-known, always laughing with his own crowd, the kind of guy people naturally gravitate toward. He and Oakley have circled each other for years - same parties, same school events, same town - just never the same group. They're familiar strangers. That changes when they get paired for a week-long class project. At first, it's casual. Easy. They both know how to talk to people, how to carry a conversation, how to keep things light. What surprises them is how natural it feels when it's just the two of them. The teasing comes quick. The laughs come easier. And suddenly, a one-week assignment feels like the start of something neither of them expected. Their friends start noticing. The groups start blending at football games and late-night hangouts. And in a town where everyone already thinks they know how the story goes, Oakley and Luke begin writing one no one saw coming. Because sometimes the best connections aren't about opposites attracting - they're about two worlds colliding at exactly the right time

⸻ The Works of Valeri Caronna A Literary Collection This page serves as a living archive of the works of author Valeri Caronna. Across multiple genres and styles, these books explore spirituality, intuition, love, mystery, and the strange intersections between the visible world and the unseen one. Some stories are rooted in real places such as New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf region, while others travel through symbolic landscapes shaped by tarot, mythology, and the language of dreams. Rather than existing as isolated titles, many of these works connect through recurring themes: destiny, observation, transformation, and the quiet moments that reveal deeper truths about human relationships. Within these pages readers will find a wide range of writings including: • Mystical and spiritual reflections • Fiction inspired by real places and personal journeys • Tarot and intuitive guidance • Psychological and emotional exploration • Stories of love, resilience, and transformation Some books unfold as traditional narratives. Others move like journals, meditations, or philosophical commentaries. Together they form a growing body of work that reflects the author's evolving perspective on life, spirituality, and creativity. This collection will continue to expand as new titles are written and published. Readers who arrive here are invited to explore, follow the paths that interest them most, and discover the different worlds contained within each book. - Valeri Caronna ⸻

In East Texas, you're expected to come back with pie, gossip, or maybe a good story. Just not blood on your hands. Briar brought home a Frenchman, a secret, and more trouble than her mama's prayers could fix. Prompt 51: "While in search of a missing friend, you accidentally kidnap the most feared crime lord." #ONC2026 (Open Novella Contest 2026)

Lila Grace Carter talks to dead people. Of course, as she puts it, all Southerners talk to dead people. Frankly, she wouldn't trust anybody who doesn't speak to at least two or three dead relations every week. But the difference is, for Lila Grace, the dead talk back. And when the ghost of a teenage girl shows up on her doorstep, Lila Grace is dean into a mystery of small town murder that may end up being her last.

Arabella Anderson has already made a name for herself at the young age of 17. Being on the cover of Vogue and winning Teen Model of the Year set the teenager up for a very successful career. When a family dilemma occurs she is sent to live with her grandparents in Alabama for the summer. She never expected the quaint town to grow on her so quick. What happens when she catches the eye of the town's heartthrob Weston Brooks? Will she give in to his charming personality, or will she build up walls knowing that she'll be leaving at the end of summer?

Dakota Padalecki is the daughter of Supernatural star Jared Padalecki and Genevieve Cortes's oldest child. while she's 16 and almost 17, the young girl attends a regular school while juggling who her parents are and the eye of the public. Dylan Sprayberry being her best friend even though he is younger then her and now with the new guy in town. what happens when a certain thing happens

In their sixth year at Hogwarts, as Voldemort's shadow grows longer and the castle walls feel more like a prison than a home, Hermione Granger notices something no one else seems to see: Draco Malfoy is falling apart. It starts with simple observation-the shadows under his eyes, the tremor in his hands, the way his cruelty feels desperate now instead of confident. She tells herself she's just being vigilant, just keeping an eye on the enemy. But the more she watches, the harder it becomes to look away. And when suspicion gives way to curiosity, and curiosity gives way to something far more dangerous, Hermione finds herself standing on the edge of a line she never thought she'd cross-because the boy she was supposed to hate might just be the person who understands her loneliness better than anyone.

Kirby is in the 11th grade. He lives in a small conservative town in the south. He's kept his feelings for his best friend a secret for years. The only person who knows he is gay is his stepdad. His stepdad makes his life a living hell every day of his life. He would move in with his older brother to get away from his abusive stepdad and drug addict mother if it weren't for someone holding him back. His best friend Sasha (who is a boy) is one of the only people who is ever nice to him, and he is totally in love with him. So he's trying to make it through two more years of physical and emotional torture just to be near his love. He's never told anyone about his home life for fear of judgment he hasn't even told Sasha. Will his stressful life keep him from seeing tell tale signs for a better possible life, not if picks up on these signs and take the opportunity to leave his family, and find true love, comfort, and truth.

At the annual summer bonfire,the last party before school begins, Marley Brayden wanted to forget about boys and all the heartache they bring. However, her best friend had a different plan. This leads her to a night filled with a certain new boy with an adorable laugh, that makes her believe that maybe she can be happy just like her friend wanted. When school starts and Marley runs into Camden Westford, those hopes of a future with the boy at the bonfire come crashing down and to her distaste she can't seem to avoid him...

After only a few minutes of lying down, from downstairs I hear my radio turn on. It begins playing "The Christmas Song." "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire." "Jack frost nipping at your nose." I jerk up, looking towards my door. The radio is run by batteries so now electricity isn't the culprit here. It's something else. Someone. Else. "Yuletide carols being sung by a choir." Slowly, I get up, opening my bedroom door. Someone can't be in my house...Everything is locked. Maybe somebody broke in earlier when I got home from shopping but that's almost impossible, I re-locked it as soon as I entered the house. "And folks dressed up like Eskimos..." "Everybody knows." Once reaching the bottom of the staircase, I look into the large doorway of the living room next to my kitchen. A man...So I think, is in there, poking at the lights on my tree, holding my radio. I look it up and down. This is no man. No, no this is no man at all." Gene, a twenty-six year old woman usually spends Christmas alone with her Hallmark movies. This Christmas will be different. Her best friend of twenty years despises anything to even do with the holidays but can't help but let Gene into his humble abode after what she encounters one Winter night. ⚠️ WARNING⚠️ THIS STORY IS STILL UNDER MAJOR CONSTRUCTION!!! Thank you for your patience! ALSO ART BY ME 🫶🏻🫶🏻

Riley and Lucas Are now together... Everything's changed!

Momma, Me and the Holler is a story of loss, struggle, survival and the unbreakable bond of a mother and child. It follows the journey of Lee Ann, a young girl growing up in the hills and hollers of rural Kentucky. Lee Ann's Daddy is a raging, abusive alcoholic who brings chaos and fear into her world almost every single day. She often finds herself wondering what life for her and her mother would be like with out her father around. Without warning, Lee Ann gets the answer to her question when Jerry Harding suddenly dies from a heart attack . With no money and no plan for the future, the daughter and mother must cling to one another and the holler to survive.

Hey y'all, I'm Kailey Summers. I'm 16 years old and your typical country girl. I live in a small town in Georgia and would never think of leavin. That is, until my father gets a new job in California. I'll have to leave my best friend, Tanner Johnson and my boyfriend, Caleb Blake. The only thang I won't leave behind is the country in my soul. No one can take that away from me. Cause I'm country - born!

Everyone thinks you're flawless, perfect even. Nothing could possibly be wrong in your life, that would be great right? Only if that was the truth. Do you want everyone to know the truth? Do you even care if they know? You may not, but someone does. Fedora Paganelli is a small town girl living in Tennessee. To everyone else she's a all around girl. Gorgeous, Elected Student Council, Amazing grades. Pretty much has something good going for herself. But sometimes... It only takes one person to change everything. Cedar "Seattle" Aisner is the new boy in town. Daring looks, careless demeanor, and a winning smile, could he just move into this town and nobody notice? Or make the deepest secrets of the town come to light? This Tennessee town isn't so perfect no more, now is it? But just one more thing, when everything goes down, Don't forgive me.

poetry book