Small Acts

We’ve been best friends since we were five.But nothing’s as simple as it seems.Relationships change and so do people.Especially now.When innuendos and hints aren't enough, it’s time to confess.I’m in love with my best friend.…And I think I’m too late.Small Town Girl is created by Stephie Walls, an eGlobal Creative Publishing Signed Author.

One cruel prank. And two boys who could ruin her heart — or her entire life. Kailee Bennett never wanted the spotlight. Being mocked for her weight was enough, thank you very much. But when the mean girls trick her into the lead role of the school play, she’s suddenly the center of attention… Just when she’s ready to quit, her infuriatingly hot new stepbrother — offers her a deal: He’ll help her transform for the role and win the heart of her longtime crush, if she pretends to date him to make his ex jealous. The rules are simple: No real feelings. No telling anyone they live under the same roof. No kissing unless it’s for “practice.” But lines blur fast when her crush starts noticing her… And her step brother stops pretending. Now Kailee’s stuck between the boy she always wanted and the one who sees the fire beneath her insecurities. WHO WILL SHE CHOOSE?? And what happens when the act becomes something real?

Mom had one rule, and she never let it go: one good deed a day. When I was little, I saved my allowance for an entire year to buy a doll. Then some girl beside me whispered that she wanted one too, and Mom ripped it out of my arms. "Do one good deed a day. Give her the doll." Later, I barely made it into the best high school in the county. I didn't even get to be happy before Mom told me she'd already signed me up for trade school. "Do one good deed a day. The girl who just missed the cutoff is poor. Give her your spot." Later, at trade school, my roommates stole every cent I had for food and rent. I called Mom, sobbing. "Do one good deed every day. Giving them your money still counts as doing something good." Later, I got a part-time job and ended up sold as a bride to some family way out in the sticks. I texted Mom, begging her to save me. Her reply popped up a second later. [Marriage means sticking it out. Give them a healthy baby boy, and that should cover ten years of good deeds.]

In "Desperate Measures," Reina Jackson finds herself in dire straits after her mother's passing and mounting college debt. Working at a coffee shop only adds to her troubles, as she constantly gets into trouble with customers and coworkers alike. Her only focus is on earning enough money to support her younger brothers, until she receives a shocking diagnosis. With her chances of survival slim, Reina meets Ian Bladell, a wealthy businessman who may be able to help her. Despite her desperation leading her to blackmail him, Ian is drawn to Reina's plight and her bravery in the face of her illness. As the two work together to fulfill each other's needs, they both find something unexpected: love. "Desperate Measures" is a heartwarming tale of two people from opposite worlds coming together to support each other and find happiness in the face of adversity.

Grace Hammond lost the most important person in her life, her grandmother, Juliet. Left with little beyond a failing farm and not much clue how to run it, she's trapped-- either she gives up three generations of roots and leaves, or she finds some help and makes it work. When a mysterious letter from Juliet drops a much needed windfall in her lap, Grace knows she has one chance to save the only place she's ever called home and posts a want-ad.The knight that rides to her rescue is Robert Zhao, an Army veteran and struggling college student. A first generation Korean American, Rob is trying desperately to establish some roots, not just for himself, but for the parents he's trying to get through the immigration process, a secret he's keeping even from his best friends. Grace's posting for a local handyman, offering room and board in exchange for work he already loves doing, is exactly the situation he needs to put that process on track.Neither is prepared for the instant chemistry, the wild sweet desire that flares between them. But life in a small town isn't easy. At worst, strangers are regarded suspiciously, and at best, as profoundly flawed-- and the Hammond women have a habit of collecting obscure and ruthless enemies. Can their budding love take root in subtly hostile soil and weather the weeds seeking to choke them out?

Twenty-three-year-old Samantha Peters has been a good girl her entire life. She's never broken the rules, never did anything crazy, and never stood out in any way. When her best friend conveniences her to go to New York for the weekend, she has her first one nightstand. No big deal, right? No one back home will ever know and she'll never see him again.