Val's father left her mother, her sister and her a few years ago, disappearing with nothing but a note:
'Sorry, but I can't handle this anymore. I'm starting over, in a new life. -J'
Val has always had a passion for reading and writing, having started reading chapter books at the age of six, though she didn't understand a lot of them. She started writing when she was seven, just short little stories at first, then growing longer and longer. Her older sister, Jemma, had always been a great supporter of her work, helping her on her way to becoming a great writer.
Val finally joins Wattpad, and quickly gains friends and follows through her amazing work and friendly outgoing personality. She manages to get through the day-to-day anxiety her father's disappearance left her with, and even manages to be happy when she meets kind supporting people on Wattpad.
But when she meets a troubled boy named Cooper online, she feels somehow connected to him. His parents are getting divorced, and he needs to talk to someone, to let his feelings out. Val decides that she is that person. As Val and Cooper grow closer, Val still can't shake the feeling that something is off with him... But what?
Geoff and Naomi are dead, and they're depressed, but when Geoff's cat Bernie dies as well, they embark on a wild journey to find it in the underworld.
*****
When Geoff dies, alongside his girlfriend Naomi, they end up sharing an apartment in the Underworld as skeletons. But after a few years, Geoff starts suffering a mid-death crisis. What's the purpose of going through the motions as a skeleton if you can't really live? Then he gets word that his cat, Bernie, just died and he can collect him and bring him home! Geoff and Naomi hurry to get Bernie only to discover that, due to a clerical error, their cat has been lost. With the hunt for Bernie giving new purpose to Geoff's un-life, he and Naomi begin a quest to get back their cat. Battling skeleton pirates, climbing the sky ladder and facing off against the villain who took Bernie, Geoff is determined to find his purpose - or die a second time trying!
[[2018 Wattys Winner - The Originals]]
[[word count: 30,000-40,000 words]]