Weneeddiversebooks Stories

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]]

He just wants her booty, but she'll end up stealing his heart. ***** After pirates kidnap seventeen-year-old Ana in a case of mistaken identity, the orphaned housemaid prepares for the worst. Instead, between a shipwreck, mutiny, and her growing feelings for her captor -- the dashing Pirate King of the Caribbean, Alestair Kincade -- Ana soon realizes the secret she keeps is far from the most dangerous part of her new life. But playing the wholesome daughter of a Spanish admiral among rag-tag buccaneers isn't easy either, and to avoid both discovery and the gallows she'll have to learn to rely on more than just her wits and her charm. But is Alestair Kincade really on her side? Or will his protection and his love both disappear the moment he learns the truth? Book Two of The Pirate King Series is called SCUTTLE (formerly The Reluctant Pirate Queen) [Now an audiobook from Hachette, Powered by Wattpad] [word count: 90,000-100,000 words] PLUNDER (Book One in The Pirate King Series) © 2014 by R.S. Kovach. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced without the author's written permission. Cover designed by Ren T

WATTPAD BOOKS EDITION. There are some friends you never forget. It's the summer of 1955. For Ethan Harper, a biracial kid raised mostly by his white father, race has always been a distant conversation. When he's sent to spend the summer with his aunt and uncle in small-town Alabama, his blackness is suddenly front and center, and no one is shy about making it known he's not welcome there. Enter Juniper Jones. The town's resident oddball and free spirit, she's everything the townspeople aren't-open, kind, and accepting. Armed with two bikes and an unlimited supply of root beer floats, Ethan and Juniper set out to find their place in a town that's bent on rejecting them. As Ethan is confronted for the first time by what it means to be black in America, Juniper tries to help him see the beauty in even the ugliest reality, and that even the darkest days can give rise to an invincible summer . . .

Running away from their jobs as camp counselors, Ellie and Seb embark on a road trip with unexpected turns en route to their destination - New York. ***** Camp Raukawee was meant to be where Ellie Morrison and Sebastian Lee spent their summer working as camp counselors, but they've had enough. Escaping in the middle of the night, the friends hatch a crazy plan to make their way to New York to visit Ellie's dad, who she hasn't seen since he moved five years ago. Along the way, however, a series of cities and events have the pair not only questioning their individual futures, but wondering what will happen to the growing spark between them as the countdown to adulthood begins. [[word count: 90,000-100,000 words]] Cover designed by Gillian Goulet

She is about to marry a man of immense wealth and influence, but his chilling request changes everything. "If you love me like you say you do, then you'll do it," he insists, pushing the boundaries of trust and control. Will she compromise her own soul for love, or will this demand expose the betrayal lurking beneath their opulent life? Prepare for a gripping exploration of power, love, and sacrifice.

ONC 2026, Prompt 78: You begin to realize that nothing is quite what it seems ONGOING! Couture Magazine: the most prestigious fashion publication in the world, where hemlines are sacred, deadlines are deadly, and the coffee runs are... surprisingly literal. Every intern who walks through those gleaming Manhattan doors dreams of landing a full-time position-complete with vision, dental (including twice-yearly cleanings), and an endless supply of designer clothes fresh off the runway. Sure, the demands from editors, photographers, and even the notoriously temperamental writers can be exhausting. But an intern's day at Couture is pretty ordinary, right? WRONG. Alcide Lancaster is about to discover that his summer internship working for the iconic-yet-terrifying Ellen Montclaire comes with a few... unexpected job requirements. Like why he and a select few employees-including the formidable Editor-in-Chief herself-are the only ones taking mandatory two-hour lunch breaks. Why his thirty-to-fifty-something coworkers look suspiciously athletic, eerily youthful, and are borderline obsessed with eyewear that definitely isn't just a fashion statement. And why A-list celebrities who stop by the Couture offices seem less interested in the magazine's latest cover shoot and oddly fascinated with Alcide himself. But most importantly... What does any of this have to do with Alcide's late family, their disturbingly narrow worldview, and the real reason they wanted him out of their lives forever? All excellent questions for a young man trying to survive a summer packed with Fashion Week chaos, superpowered coworkers who treat the office like their personal runway, and a boss who's less Anna Wintour and more fierce-but-loving grandmother. Between navigating new friendships, an unexpected romance, and enough secrets to fill an entire September issue, Alcide is about to learn that in the world of high fashion... Not everything is just an illusion.

(A dark horror-romance retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth) Jade Salvador isn't your typical dissatisfied, burnt-out twenty-something-year-old. Crushed by the weight of her family's name and high expectations, she finds herself working a dead-end job, hoping for something more out of life. One day, she makes the drastic decision to start catfishing would-be predators online, posing as a teenager and exposing their crimes. But when Jade meets Percy Belrose, a man who's also searching for the same purpose in his life, things get messy fast. As sparks begin to fly and bodies begin to pile up, Jade soon finds out that killing is the easy part. It's falling in love that might be the death of her.

{Wattys 2018 Longlist} {Formerly titled 'Vows'} Bookworm turned high-powered CEO Sora Gallegos Himura has never fought for anything in her life, but she's finally found something worth battling for. Love. * Two years after her husband left her for her older sister, Sora Gallegos Himura is finally back on her feet. She has a killer job with a corner office, a gorgeous baby boy, and her mental health right where she wants it. What she doesn't have is anyone to share it with. Until Ravi, her fashion designer, playboy ex-brother-in-law shows up promising Sora the world. Suddenly, the one man Sora has sworn to never trust is the only person she believes in. Can the Casanova who's spent a lifetime breaking hearts be the one who puts Sora's back together? © 2016-present Idris Grey If you enjoy, please comment and vote!

Weston Edmonds meets Tilda Brentwood singer and actress at a party. They spend one night together that Weston imagines as a one-shot. Tilda is a star, and Weston is in appearance an everyday nobody, yet Tilda seems to know everything about him. Perhaps she knows a little too much.

Let me introduce you to the most spontaneous, random, beautiful, crazy, ugliest girl I know, Tamara. She doesn't care what you think of her because she is Tamara. "Just try..." she whispered

He's handsome. He's charming. He's rich. Did I mention tall, with a dashing smile, that makes the ladies' hearts melt? But even after everything Levi Tau still finds himself playing this losing game of love, which leaves him heartbroken and unsatisfied. You've heard of, always the bridesmaid never the bride- but have you heard of always the Best Man never the groom?

Shonen O'Brien (avid gamer and theatre enthusiast) is captaining the school Drama Club, including their school production, he gets a pleasant surprise when Ellery Francis (Regis' notorious mystique) is there first day of the new term. She claims that her parents recommended Drama Club as occupational therapy after her last sex stunt at a party. Shonen O'Brien detests Ellery's existence, but in theatre, the show must go on even if panties and oral favours get in the way.

(Unedited.) Zoe is an independent, tough girl and the head of Students’ Disciplinary Committee in their school. An average teenage girl on an average teenage life. Her life started to mess up when Craig—a transfer student and Ashton—the unexpected stranger arrived, who she found out that are best friends for a long time. Two idiots who live in comfort and popularity. What will she do when he finds herself stuck in between the two idiots who happen to like her and she has to choose only one? Will she develop the same feelings for one of them? Or will she hide it for the sake of Craig and Ashton’s friendship? Can she handle the attention? The bashes, the intrigues and the jealous girls? She's tough but love is tougher. ************************* Cover by @cracker_jack Trailer by me! :) © 2014 Two Idiots and A Girl temperedinnocence All Rights Reserved

A young woman jilted by her ex-fiancé is given a second shot at love when her meddling relatives contrive ways to pair her up with her handsome neighbor in this laugh-out-loud contemporary romance novella that will sweep you off your feet. After Sophie's long-term boyfriend decides he doesn't want to marry her, she flies back home to her native Philippines with her tail tucked between her legs. Forget romance. With the help of Ninang, her wealthy grand-aunt on her mother's side, she picks her pieces back up and throws herself headfirst into her dream project: opening a coffee shop on the famous beach resort island of Dalisay. But there's a catch. Ninang agrees to help fund the cost of starting a new business, if and only if Sophie hosts her younger sister, Narra, and their cousin, Layla for the summer. Fresh out of college, Narra and Layla have come to Dalisay for three months of fun and romance, and they refuse to leave Sophie out of it. Enter Archie Hastings. A smooth-talking, motorcycle-riding Brit, he moved to the island to work at a non-profit and nurse a heartbreak of his own. When Narra indulges in a little too much fun and romance, he's there to help Sophie save the day, only to find himself pulled into a scheme to get Sophie-and by extension, himself-laid. Sophie just wants to be left alone. But love has a funny way of sneaking up on you, and this summer, on the beautiful sunny island of Dalisay, where the white sand is soft like powder and the blue sea impossibly clear, it might just catch her off-guard. * * * "True North is the perfect beach summer read, especially for those who want something short & sweet! I enjoyed every moment; Archie & Sophie's story having me smile from ear-to-ear. I also loved how there was great focus on friendships & sisterhood." - Tine

If you ask Jema what his life is like, he'll probably give you a shrug. "Fine." At sixteen, he's already emotionally drained, and often finds himself caught between giving up completely, and chasing after the dream of life getting better. But it's just a dream, after all. The school's administrators have lumped him in with the 'troubled kids', his mother thinks he's just acting out... but then his life really flips upside down. After a wild sophomore year and junior summer, confessions are made and secrets are out. But Jema feels more trapped than ever. Along comes a boy with a harder shell than Jema. The unexpected bond between them flourishes. But all good things must come to an end. "Jema" has been #490 in Teen Fiction. (boyxboy in the title because WP asked me to)

PINOCCHIO tells the tale of forgiveness, friendship, and the desperate longing for acceptance. This is a coming-of-age story many look over. | This book is dedicated to all of the transgender children who wanted the acceptance of a family member but never received it. | |original story line|

in which maisie tran [potential editor in chief of the wildwood high gazette] winds up on a competition team along with four other girls for the annual battle of the sexes [where the boys seem to miraculously win every year] whose boy team just so happens to consist of blaise cavett [also potential editor in chief of the wildwood high gazette], her ultimate rival and ex-boyfriend. COMING SOON. CEPARA © - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - 2020

A scholarship program from Penguin Random House, the Creative Writing Awards are focused on encouraging the next generation of diverse and unique voices. We Need Diverse Books began partnering with Penguin Random House in 2019 on the CWAs, which distribute $50,000 in scholarships each year. Five students receive $10,000 each in these categories: fiction / drama, personal essay, poetry, and the Maya Angelou Award for Spoken Word. There is also a New York City entrant award, in recognition of the Creative Writing Awards previously being centered on New York City. Read the 2019 winning entries here, along with a selection of honorable mention submissions. For more on the Creative Writing Awards go here: https://social-impact.penguinrandomhouse.com/creativewriting/

Alayke Tru lost everything in her life with a single bullet. All her family is dead. She's ignored by almost everyone. All she wants to do is go home but home doesn't exist anymore. If Alakye is willing to take the risk, she can disappear into the world of magic. And never look back. That can only happen if she's strong. Right now she isn't. She can't use magic, has almost no money, and flashbacks haunt her. Survival is the first test but can she endure the crossfire of two mysteries opposing powers? The result can be only one thing modern magical mayhem. Orphan. Junkie. Runaway. Un-Magical. Maker. Alchemist. Underdog. Alayke Tru. "If I'm honest with myself, the only real monsters I know are the human kind." Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/oXj880KhYj4 updates every other Thursday rewrites

After a shocking discovery, a young man must piece together his adopted father's mysterious secret, and realize it might connect to his own tragic past. **** Though his childhood was marked by brutal tragedy, Dick Grayson's life couldn't be any better. As the adopted son of one of the richest and most successful men in the world, he is following in his father's footsteps. But when he makes a horrifying discovery one night, Dick's world is suddenly changed forever and everything he thought he knew about his life is thrown into question. Dick must confront the unthinkable question of whether the man he has grown to care about and even considers family is hiding a dangerous secret. Even worse, could he be the reason why his biological family was killed in the first place?