Poem Grandparents

In the coastal quiet of Baler, a studio is born—not of architecture, but of intention.* Founded by Yam, a poet whose words cradle pain gently, and Franc, an artist who paints tenderness into walls, the studio becomes a refuge for those learning to stay—with grief, love, longing, and themselves. As visitors arrive, they leave behind more than footprints: a sigh recorded in bamboo, a poem tucked into the “Found Letters” shelf, a mural painted in crooked lines. Through zines, tea, silence, and sketchbooks, the studio teaches softness as revolution. Ren creates the *Window of Soft Returns*, an installation of anonymous voice recordings—each whisper forming a community of echoes. Drew builds the *Staircase With No Wrong Turns*, inviting people to walk through emotions without shame. Franc offers brushstrokes as brave work, and Yam curates writing circles that map healing in half sentences. Together, they host festivals that feel like hugs, and they begin traveling their archive, letting softness cross oceans. Even those who once left—like Miguel—return, discovering that some doors never truly close. Others, like Tala, capture the studio’s sound and turn it into a podcast of breath and becoming. Over seventy chapters, the studio transforms into something larger than itself: a mural of memory, a sanctuary for second chances, a place where return is sacred and voice is proof of survival. In the final bloom, the studio stands not as a monument—but as a reminder: > *“Staying isn’t easy. > But chosen together, > it becomes home.”*

A paranormal romance novel inspired by the children's poem In a Dark Dark Wood Leslie Sherman is a YouTube famous paranormal investigator who finds herself in the care and company of a captivating, attractive and mysterious man, Walker R. Blackwood, who lives alone in what she thought was an abandoned manor she stumbles on after becoming stranded and injured deep in the woods of Acadia National Park while out on a solo hike. As a single twenty three year old woman who’s still grappling with the turbulent breakup from her high school sweetheart, Randy Turner, nearly two years ago, Leslie struggles with the loss and regret of what they had together. Desperate for affection and love, Leslie becomes intimately drawn to the seductive yet brooding Walker Blackwood, who's formally prestigious reputation is tainted by the mysterious deaths of Mr. Blackwood's three female employees. Torn by her growing feelings towards Walker Blackwood, Leslie grows suspicious of him the more she learns about him and the more he refuses to disclose his past to her.

Xavier Bishops and Rain Simmons are an odd pair. Xavier is the quiet rich guy who instigates her bullies and Rain is the girl who finds him hot despite knowing this. They find themselves in a supply closet together on school prank night and they share their first kiss. Xavier's obsession with her increases after this but he still doesn't know how to act towards Rain. They soon enter a secret relationship but Xavier's attitude towards Rain in public doesn't change. He no longer eggs his friends on but he doesn't address her in public either. Rain convinces herself that she's okay with this but her patience continues to wear thin as Xavier's friends keep treating her worse. It all ends when they trash a car her father gave her for her birthday and she exposes her secret relationship with Xavier to everyone. Xavier denies it and laughs at her. Humiliated beyond belief, Rain leaves town for winter break but she doesn't come back and no one knew why. Rain is in a new town, pregnant and alone with grandparents who think she's worthless. They insist she has an abortion and when Rain refuses, they agree to give the baby up for adoption. When Rain changes her mind, they throw her out. She can't go back to her sick father with a baby she can't take care of so she drops the baby with Xavier, promising to come back soon. Twelve years later, Rain is back. She is a military investigator and is investigating a leak in Xavier's company. Her son hates her and his father still wants her. She has a lot on her plate, make her son forgive her, get Xavier to leave her alone and find the person selling government secrets in Xavier's company.

Twenty-year-old Lyra Moreno appears to be nothing more than a cold, sleepy noble girl porcelain-doll beautiful, always wrapped in blankets, and seemingly uninterested in anything beyond her next nap. To her father, stepmother, and scheming stepsister, she's a burden. But beneath her drowsy charm lies a dangerous secret. Lyra is the anonymous founder of GALAXY, a covert hacker syndicate responsible for dismantling criminal empires from behind glowing screens. Living quietly under the doting care of her powerful grandparents, Lyra is named heir to their fortune but on one condition....she must marry Elias Vale, the ruthless, cold CEO of Vale Corp, who just so happens to be investigating Virgo.exe, her old hacker alias. Seven years older, Elias is brilliant, powerful, and emotionally walled off until fate throws him into the path of the sleepy girl he's been unknowingly watching. When her scheming stepmother and stepsister pay a criminal to ruin her, the two are dragged into a public relationship... and a private war they can't avoid. And even, secretly..... marriage. As they work together to uncover a traitor within Vale Corp, Elias begins to see the fierce strategist behind Lyra's sleepy façade. And Lyra, used to keeping the world at a distance, starts to wonder if she's finally found someone who sees all of her and wants her anyway. But with enemies in her own home and shadows from her past returning, Lyra must decide: can she let someone into her world, or is silence the only way to survive?

"It started as a prank. So...how did I end up on my knees for my neighbor in his office?" Zoe Justice (20) is finally free—no dorm rules, no nosy RAs, no lukewarm cafeteria mac and cheese. With her grandparents’ inheritance and a playlist full of bangers, she’s ready to celebrate her first night as a bona fide homeowner. New digs, new vibes, and definitely a party worthy of the milestone. She expected a few noise complaints and maybe a fussy neighbor or two. But she didn’t expect the cops to roll up before 9 p.m. and shut down the whole thing like it was some kind of crime scene. Apparently, someone across the street didn’t appreciate her welcome-home energy. And when Zoe spotted him—the smug, too-serious man on the porch, standing there like he owned the cul-de-sac—she knew exactly where the betrayal came from. So naturally, she let her middle fingers and death glare do the talking. Veterinarian or not, Mr. Peace-and-Quiet was officially on her list. And she? She wasn’t going down without a little payback. But what happens when the prank war turns into a love affair neither of them saw coming?