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A teenage girl meets a boy she's been dreaming about for as long as she can remember, but if she doesn't figure out how his dangerous secret ties into their connection, she could lose him forever.SUMMARY: In Your Dreams is the story of Jessie Harte, a teenage orphan who is excited to start university so she can finally, hopefully, join the swim team and pursue a career in science--like her mom--to help find a cure for cancer, which took her dad.After trying out for the swim team, Jessie runs into Chris, a guy she's sure she recognizes-- from her dreams!Like most people, Jessie can't remember her dreams well, so she and Chris agree to work together to figure out how any of this is possible--all while Jessie struggles to adjust to university classes, strange weather patterns, being away from her family and missing her parents, whom she's always struggled to talk about out loud. Grateful for her best friend Casey and her sort-of-new best friend Chris, Jessie comes to accept her new view on reality and, for the first time in her life, starts to be able to talk about her parents.Then one day Jessie remembers dreaming that Chris is in trouble, and she's sure it's real. The problem is that even though Jessie and Chris have dreamt about each other since childhood, it feels like they just met, so Chris hasn't shared his secret in real life. How can Jessie help Chris if she doesn't know what kind of trouble he's in? Will confronting him affect the deep friendship--and maybe something more--developing between them? And can she help him before she loses another person she cares about?…

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Do you want to make writing a regular part of your life, or to reconnect or start fresh with a creative project or activity? I understand, and I can relate. I created this workbook, from my heart to your screen, in the hopes of helping you.The workbook is divided into 7 sections and 2 parts that explore your journey with writing as well as solutions to common challenges that either stop us from writing or slow us down when we're working towards making our writing dreams come true. Each section includes questions and exercises designed to help you feel EXCITED and good about writing, and motivated and ready to write regularly, no matter what your schedule might be.If you enjoy this free preview and think this workbook would be helpful, you can access it by becoming a paid subscriber to my newsletter Doing the Write Thing: https://doingthewritething.substack.com/p/workbook-start-fresh-and-reconnect. If a subscription is outside of your budget, I understand! To help decide whether this workbook is right for you, you can review the workbook table of contents in the "Coming Soon" section of this newsletter post: https://doingthewritething.substack.com/p/writing-tip-6-read-what-you-love.Thank you for reading, and I wish you luck on your writing journey!…

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Amy's mother left mysteriously and now her high school is being attacked by fantastical creatures. Is there more to life than this?Gilmore Girls romance triangle meets Lord of the Rings fantasy adventure meets Harry Potter finding out he's a wizard (except with incredible defensive abilities instead of magic).I wrote More Than This in grade eleven while listing to the soundtrack from Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings and The Last Samurai. Though its premise is fairly fantastical, it is grounded by humour and a familiar tone. If you enjoy using your imagination, miss high school or enjoy daydreaming about that someone special, this is for you.…

marisabaratta

We make mistakes. We're "only" human.But we're also beautifully human. We have the ability to reflect, to look inside ourselves, to learn and to grow.We have the ability to try to put ourselves in others' shoes, to consult them and listen to them, and to consider their perspective.We have the ability to form habits, to identify helpful and dangerous/destructive habits, and to form new habits. We have the ability to feel emotions, have thoughts, and form opinions. We have the ability to change our mind and to persuade others to change theirs.We have the ability to open our minds and the ability to open our hearts. We have the ability to love.And we have the ability to hurt.Others and ourselves, accidentally and on purpose.And that is why I wrote this book 💜…

marisabaratta

For once, summer-loving Caitlin is not looking forward to her favourite season. Her best friend in the world - her 13-year-old cat - passed away a few weeks ago. She almost wishes she hadn't just finished her university exams so she'd have a reason to get out of the house, but something keeps her at home - her mom asks her to play host to a family friend and her son, Luke, who live almost an hour away in the country.Caitlin's stuck sharing a room with her sister and her house with two strangers. And she can feel Luke's presence everywhere - if he's not asking questions that sound like insults, he's making comments that she's sure are meant to be insults. Frankly, Caitlin thinks he's coming across as a bit of a snob. But as she wades through Luke's questions in his efforts to understand suburban life, Caitlin finds herself really getting to know someone better - herself. And when she reluctantly takes Luke with her to meet some of her friends, something happens that puts several things in motion.Is Caitlin ready for romance? Is there more to Luke's mom's visit than a chance to catch up with an old friend? And how is Caitlin going to go back to working at an animal hospital when her heart's still broken over the loss of Kitty?…

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"Every day is an opportunity to grow. Every day is an opportunity to love. Every day is an opportunity to do right."In 2017 I created a story called Every Day is an Opportunity, inspired by the words above, which were spoken by a priest reminding us all that every day is a chance to love, laugh, cherish and thrive. Every day is a gift.In 2018, I created the sequel, Shine (alternate title: Every Day Is an Opportunity...to Shine). Celebrate Love (alternate title: Every Day Is an Opportunity...to Celebrate Love) is the 2019 addition to the series :)…

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Are you a writer? If you love to write and do write, then yes!A million things can keep us from making our dream come true - we're busy, we're tackling more projects than there are hours in a day, we're not sure what to write, we're not sure how to write what we want to write, and more.If your heart yearns to write, then let's get you writing! As I work on editing the book I hope to publish soon, I share writing tips and inspirations here to help you make progress on your own writing journey.…

marisabaratta

"Every day is an opportunity to grow. Every day is an opportunity to love. Every day is an opportunity to do right."In 2017 I created a story called Every Day is an Opportunity, inspired by the words above, which were spoken by a priest reminding us all that every day is a chance to love, laugh, cherish and thrive. Every day is a gift.Let's make 2018 a year to shine!Alternate title: Every Day Is an Opportunity...to Shine…

marisabaratta

"Every day is an opportunity to grow. Every day is an opportunity to love. Every day is an opportunity to do right."These words were spoken by a priest who was giving all of us a chance to remember, again, that life is a gift, and every day is an opportunity.Every Day Is an Opportunity is a collection of positive, inspiring quotes. We just need to hear the words, sometimes.Love. Life. Laughter. Each other. Kindness. Hope. This story is about all of that. It's about us.…

marisabaratta

Based on a true story, From House to Home takes you on a tour of the houses my husband and I visited in our search for our dream home. We had no idea just how horrifying and hilarious our house hunting journey would be, but we learned a valuable lesson along the way: perhaps, sometimes, things do happen for a reason.…

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The desire to be happy may be the one thing that unites all of us. I've put a lot of thought into this. "What do we all have in common?" I want the answer to be love, I thought the answer might be "to feel like we belong" and sometimes I wonder if it might be "nachos with green onions and salsa," but I think the answer is that we all want to be happy. And I think I know how to help. Disclaimer: The content of this book is not meant to replace professional help. It is a first draft of my thoughts, observations, strategies and inspiration for finding happiness and spreading it to others. It's important to remain true to yourself and to respect others. It is there that we'll find happiness.…

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That is the question. It's your choice, to live while you're alive. Or it's the end of the world as we know it. ***A big thank you to my husband, my mom, my sisters and my friends who read the story prior to publication to share their interpretation of the story's message.…