Contemporary Stories

Free to read! 19-year-old Jane, newly-single, moves to London to work for her friend, Kitty. But Kitty is hiding something about the café - and about Jane and Kitty's past. ***** If you looked at her Instagram, you'd think Jane had the perfect life. But a family tragedy and a big break up shatters that illusion, prompting Jane to drop out of university and move to London. She gets a room above a bookstore and a job as a barista, thanks to her childhood friend Kitty. Struggling with feelings of loneliness among the happy staff, Jane feels further ostracized when Kitty refuses to discuss Matt, who used to live in the bedroom Jane took over and who left under mysterious circumstances. As Jane struggles to find herself, and get the attention of the cute bartender, Harper, she discovers that the Brew Books café is brewing with dark secrets. [[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]]

ORGINALLY A 'PAID' STORY. NOW PUBLISHED ON AMAZON/KU *** 4 CHAPTER SAMPLE HERE *** Jake Bryant must stop the criminal mastermind who orchestrated the murder of his best friend from killing his new family. ***** More dark secrets from Jake Bryant's past come to light. Dolan, the criminal mastermind who ordered the hit on Jake's best friend, Tom, is searching for evidence Tom collected against him for another murder - evidence Tom hid with his widow before his death. Desperate to bring Dolan to justice, Jake finds himself in a race against time to save the lives of those he loves. But with allies double-crossing him left and right, Jake must discover who he can trust before Tom's family is destroyed along with the evidence. Can Jake win the race or will he die just like his friend? [[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]]

Anne De Ville is a do-the-same-thing-every-day kind of ordinary. On the one day she chooses to try and do something different, she ends up dropping her shoes down several flights of stairs, right onto the head of her crush-and her brother's best friend-Hunter Denegan. Will her Prince Charming look for the girl who lost her shoe? [This book is going to be published with Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group in the Summer 2025] [[word count: 20,000-30,000 words]]

WATTPAD ORIGINAL EDITION When her initiation into her college's History Club goes awry, Sol has to come face to face with Ethan-the cute guy whose house she just broke into. ***** Soledad Gutierrez, or Sol to her friends, decides to join the History Club at her Community college. However, this club is not like other clubs: they have an initiation process and a slew of other 'extracurricular activities.' In order to join the club, Sol must break into the oldest house in her small Californian town and steal one of their forks. The club members provide all the materials to break in; she just needs to take the utensil, take a selfie in the kitchen, and get out undetected-with the fork, of course. The problem is: Ethan Winston spots Sol in his grandparent's house, and he's determined to uncover the reason behind the break-in. However, both he and Sol are thrown for a loop when feelings begin to develop between them. And as Ethan becomes suspicious of the History Club, he and Sol get tangled in an adventure none of them were expecting. [[word count: 90,000-100,000 words]] [[Wattys 2019 Winner for Young Adult + Being Published by Wattpad Books in Fall 2020]]

WATTPAD BOOKS EDITION. The past always resurfaces . . . Five years after almost drowning, Olivia Cathart returns home to Caldwell Beach determined to face her fears and take some risks-not just by swimming but by opening her heart. Hoping to rekindle her friendships, she's excited about a carefree summer with her best friends Keely and Miles. But life in the sleepy town has changed, and no one and nothing is as it seems. When a series of startling crimes threaten Olivia's fragile state, she is plunged into a terrifying game of cat and mouse. Her only solace from the chaos is West, Miles's disowned and ruggedly handsome brother, but even he can't answer the question on everyone's minds-is Olivia really in danger or is it simply all in her head?

"Entwined" is now published as a Wattpad Book! As a Wattpad reader, you can access both the Original Edition and the Wattpad Books Edition upon purchase. On her eighteenth birthday, Avery Montgomery will discover who the Greek gods have chosen as her soulmate. But what if it's not the boy she's fallen in love with? ***** Seventeen-year-old Avery Montgomery doesn't want a soulmate, but she doesn't get a choice. As a descendant of a minor Greek goddess, it's her destiny to meet her other half after her eighteenth birthday and hear his thoughts inside her head -- just as it's the destiny of everyone else like her, born as part of an Ancient Greek race known as the Hellenicus. But Avery has never had a romantic bone in her body, and while there's a chance her soulmate might be Carlos, her dreamy new crush, or Adrian, her long-time childhood crush, there's also a chance...no, her soulmate couldn't possibly be her best friend's annoying older brother Vladimir. Right? Content/Trigger Warning: self-harm, violence against children [[People Choice Awards 2019 Winner for Best Teen Fiction]] [[The Wattys 2018, Longlist]]

Ella is falling apart trying to live a "perfect" high school life. Then she meets Ren, who can see past her scars. Suddenly perfection isn't her only option. ***** Ella Volkov is a gifted music student, but she's depressed and starting to crack under the pressure of high school. Her overbearing father won't even let her choose what instrument she plays. Then she finds herself alone at a party with Ren, her best friend's crush. She'd always thought he was rude, but after that night he's all Ella can think about. Now she's trapped. If Ella dates Ren, it will ruin her friendship with Jenny. But if she stays true to Jenny, she's losing the one person who can see past her scars. It's up to Ella to decide if she will forge her own path, or stay in the "perfect" box designed for her... Content and/or Trigger Warning: depression, anxiety, self-harm, violence, sexual assault. [[word count: 50,000-100,000 words]]

WATTPAD BOOKS EDITION There are imperfect moments in every life-but sometimes, there are perfect accidents . . . What's the point of pretending nothing has changed when everything has? It's the last summer before college, and Jonas Avery knows he should be excited. Instead, he hides out at home, avoiding his friends, his family, and everything that resembles his old life. Because nothing will be normal again-because of The Accident, when everything started falling apart. Brennan Davis knows she needs to stand up and face her anxiety-the deep, dark, debilitating dread that rules her everyday life. Because what stops her from going out into the world and just living is going to get a whole lot worse. She's leaving for college in the fall, where she'll be confronted with even more to worry about. To get back up sometimes you have to fall down, hard . . . When Jonas crashes into Brennan-in a harmless, albeit embarrassing fender bender-the two teens connect in ways they never expected. As friends, they help each other overcome their biggest falls and faults, and soon discover that while love can't fix everything, it's sometimes a place to start. Sensitive, wry, and unabashedly authentic, The Opposite of Falling Apart isn't about finding perfection in another person or fixing the things we think are broken. Instead, Micah Good has penned an enchantingly honest novel about accepting the very pieces of ourselves that make us unique, whole, and undeniably human.

|| Featured FREE story with exclusive paid chapters - previously a paid story || When Haley discovers the truth behind Xavier, whose silence holds a deeper meaning, she sets her mind on making his life better one small step at a time. ***** Haley Rosamond is happy with her simple life, content under the wing of her father. Well-protected, she has no idea of the darkness surrounding Xavier Hunt, with his all-black attire and infrequent presence in school-accompanied by his bruises and scars. That is, until Haley catches a glimpse of Xavier's reality and is made to question everything she knows about family and life in general. The truth, she realizes, couldn't be more different from everything she has heard. Supported by her father, Haley sets her mind on helping Xavier any way she can, and what begins with tutoring sessions, free food, and random acts of kindness blooms into friendship and something a little more. But when Haley's admission into her dream college and another tragedy in Xavier's life threaten to undo everything she has worked for, Haley needs to decide if she'll stick by Xavier or simply be another person in his life that disappears. [[word count: 80,000-90,000 words]] Cover designed by Holly Thurston

Alison's sister disappeared filming a reality show, so she goes undercover as a contestant, discovering that in some cases reality tv is all too real. ***** Alison's sister disappeared while shooting a Survivor-style reality series, so when the show gets a reboot, Alison gets herself cast as a contestant. Arriving on the island, none of the organizers seem to be giving her straight answers. Forced to manipulate the situation to stay on the show, she starts an uneasy alliance with the handsome and physically capable Travis. They even act like they're falling in love, hoping their romantic appeal will keep them on the show. But as more challenges take place, and contestants go from being injured to dying in front of the camera, Alison and Travis realize that something is wrong. They have to win this game, or they won't make it off the island alive. [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]

Abe Barrett is surrounded by ghosts - some of them are even his roommates! But now Abe's visions show something dark coming, and it wants Abe dead. ***** When Abe Barrett's family died, he started seeing ghosts. Soon he was living with three of them, and it turns out ghosts are just as eccentric as people. Abe is bothered by the ghosts constantly since he doesn't want to solve their murders, avenge them or do much of anything. He just wants to do his job and relax. His dreams, however, have been getting darker as people in town start to disappear. Soon Abe realizes there is something hunting him, and that same threat was involved with his family's deaths. A legacy of darkness is chasing Abe Barrett, and his supernatural roommates may not be enough to save him. [[word count: 60,000-70,000 words]]

Sophie Allen is a Pre-Med student, a hard worker, and head over heels in love with her long-time boyfriend, Bryce Harrison. Bryce Harrison is a baseball jock, a lover of the movie Hairspray, and head over heels in love with his long-tie girlfriend, Sophie Allen. That is, until Bryce's world is turned upside down with the big-C. A cancer diagnosis. What does it mean to love someone unconditionally? And just how far would you go for the person that you love? Sophie is about to find out.

[This story is now FREE!] When Andie Bank agreed to take a job to help save her friend's reputation, it wasn't supposed to end up in a romance-fueled galactic rescue mission with her irresistibly hot boss. ***** With a merciless tabloid set on destroying the Hollywood career and reputation of Andie's best friend, Andie accepts a job offer with the same company on the condition that they leave her friend alone. She knew about her smoking hot boss when she accepted the accounting position, but the tabloid failed to mention small details like celebrity kidnappings, alien imposters, camera-shaped ray guns, and their absolutely abysmal knowledge of the American tax system. Unable to deny their atomic attraction, Andie and her boss's kisses quickly evolve into a forbidden affair that must remain secret at all costs. When a certain vengeful ex-fiancé discovers their secret, the laser guns come out and Andie is forced to flee for her life. As time runs out, Andie must choose between love or committing a crime that goes against everything she stands for. Plus hot alien sex! ... [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]] Cover designed by Eva (Fathima) Ismail

WATTPAD ORIGINAL EDITION When a summer of fun turns upside down, Olivia must figure out whether her paranoid imagination is playing tricks on her or if she's being followed - and by who. ***** It's been years since Olivia nearly drowned in Caldwell Beach, and after moving away, she's back for the summer to reconnect with old friends. However, not everything-or everyone-is the same. Her childhood best friend, Miles, is still sweet and carefree, but his older brother West is not. Disowned and working at the local garage, he's distanced himself from everyone, until Olivia accidentally uncovers the reason why. But as the two grow closer, strange things begin happening to Olivia. She can't stop seeing shadows and hearing voices, but as she slips into a downward spiral of obsessiveness and paranoia, she must fight to uncover the truth behind who is after her, and why. [[word count: 60,000-70,000 words]]

ORGINALLY A 'PAID' STORY. NOW PUBLISHED ON AMAZON/KU *** 4 CHAPTER SAMPLE HERE *** When the biker gang calls in a Jake Bryant's debt, he has no choice but to hunt down an old friend by any means necessary and retrieve their stolen drugs, even if it cost him the woman he loves. ***** Time has run out for Jake Bryant. The Devil's Hand motorcycle gang has cashed in the debt he owes them. Jake must hunt down his old friend, Rick, to retrieve the million dollars worth of heroin he stole from the gang. Soon, Jake finds himself double-crossing both Rick and the Devil's Hand, but his true loyalties will be tested when his girlfriend becomes a bargaining chip. After failing the other women in his life, will Jake finally be able to save someone he loves? [[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]]

ORGINALLY A 'PAID' STORY. NOW PUBLISHED ON AMAZON/KU *** 4 CHAPTER SAMPLE HERE *** When Jake Bryant's daughter is kidnapped for ransom, he's forced to gamble with her life in order to discover which of his enemies has taken her hostage and to what end. ***** Jake Bryant's daughter, Sam, is in trouble. Her all-star quarterback boyfriend gave her pills to help her study for a test, but the pair are caught on school grounds with the unprescribed drugs. Since Sam's grandfather is a district court judge, she gets off with a slap on the wrist. Austin isn't as lucky. But with Austin's precious future at stake, his brother attempts a Hail-Mary pass by kidnapping Sam for his release. Can Jake rescue her before time runs out, or will they both pay for her mistake with their lives? [[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]]

WATTPAD BOOKS EDITION. You have to step off the trail to find your path . . . When her mother unceremoniously dumps her at Camp Mapplewood for the summer, Emma Lane's hopes of repairing their fractured relationship are gone with the wind. Now she's stuck in the wilderness facing her worst fears. Trees? Terrifying. Spiders? Even worse. And don't even get Emma started on how she feels about camp activities. But Emma's got a plan, and she will do anything in her power to get kicked out of camp, from sleeping in to playing practical jokes on her fellow campers. Yet when Emma draws the attention of her illusive and attractive camp counselor Vivian Black, she has to come to terms with the fact that how her summer starts isn't necessarily how it might end. Will Vivian be the key to unlocking Emma's fears once and for all?

Tyler is being hunted by the Grinning Man and flees to Marble Springs, where he teams up with Serling and Price, real estate agents who sell haunted houses. ***** After his brother disappears and a burial mound explodes, high school student Tyler Graves starts having strange visions. His brother warns him that something is coming for him. Soon, Tyler's entire family is slaughtered, and he's being hunted by an otherworldly entity known as The Grinning Man. Fleeing to Marble Springs, he meets Serling and Price, real estate agents who specialize in selling haunted houses. It's up to this unlikely trio to stop a madman from destroying the world - by literally unleashing Hell on Earth! (Sequel to Apartment 239.) [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]

WATTPAD BOOKS EDITION How do you trust the ground when all you've known is flight? In this breathtaking debut, Leigh Ansell has created a compelling, heartbreaking, and truly engaging story about a young girl used to flying high only to be faced with living life with her two feet firmly on the ground . . . Seventeen-year-old Corey Ryder can't remember a time when she wasn't gliding through the air of Cirque Mystique's big top. As a trapeze artist in a traveling circus, Corey wakes up every day in a different place, buzzing for the moment she can suspend gravity during the night's performance. When the circus pulls into small-town Sherwood, California, everything seems normal - aside from meeting the exceptionally cute Luke Everett at a local diner. But that night, in the midst of the performance, tragedy strikes and flames overtake the tent. While Corey narrowly escapes, in the ashes of the circus pitch lies the only home she's ever known. Repeatedly thrown out of her comfort zone, Corey must learn how to push toward her future without forgetting her past, what it means to be a daughter to a mother she's never known, and how to navigate the confusing magic of first love, even as she performs the high-wire act of being true to who you really are.

WATTPAD ORIGINAL EDITION Finished high school, Emma's forced to spend her summer at a camp. But a striking counsellor, Vivian, changes her plans from escape to together forever. ***** Seventeen-year-old Emma Lane usually lives with her dad, but she's once again being forced to spend the summer with her homophobic mom. This time, however, instead of spending a summer on the beach, her mom drops her off at Camp Mapplewood while she heads off on a cruise with her new husband. Emma hates the camp and tries to escape, but she is caught by a camp counsellor Vivian. She's drawn to Vivian's voice and her charm, while Vivian is fascinated by Emma's instinct to protect others and to feel with her whole heart. The two grow close, but the end of the summer looms. Can they find a way to stay together when they have to return to their normal lives? (Has a sequel: My Pretend Summer.) [[word count: 50,000-100,000 words]]