Everything in her heart belongs to the man in the black trench coat, but the collar around her neck tells a different story.

Living in Scappoose, Oregon isn't exactly what you'd call thrilling. It's all blue jeans and cornfields as far as the eye can see, and I'm suffocating here. I've got bigger dreams than this town can hold, I want to be one of those girls who actually makes it past the county line.

But just when I think I've got my escape plan figured out, fate decides to mess with me in the shape of a six-foot-four southern redhead named Colt. And God, this guy is everything I never knew I needed. This so-called bad boy falls into my life, thinking he needs to save me from everything. Little did we both know, he did.

The thing is, there are real monsters out there, predators that are waiting for the right moment of weakness to strike. Evils that even his broad shoulders might not be able to protect me from. I don't know if we can fight our way through all this darkness, or if he can really keep me safe like he says. Hell, I don't even know if we'll get that fairy tale ending everyone talks about. But here we are. 

How My Knight Got his Scars

Kids are supposed to be protected from all the evils and darkness of the world, but what do you do when the kids are the ones doing the protecting? She says I am her Knight, but there is nothing shining about me. Crawling from the darkest tar pits of hell, I am lucky to be alive.

Looking in Remi’s eyes as I tell her my story, I am afraid she will only see me as the monster I was made to be. The evil of my past haunts me every day with a secret I have not shared with anyone outside of my family. When my sweet and innocent Squeaks finds out the truth will she still love me? Or will she do what she should have done when we locked eyes on that fateful day, and run…

Friday Night Writes shines a spotlight on esteemed authors and artists to build support within the book community. Each contributor to this anthology struggles with various mental or physical issues which affect our daily lives. Though some illnesses are apparent, most are unseen and, thus, often overlooked or disregarded by the general public.

Through it all, we persevere and push forward, striving to be the best versions of ourselves, even as our best varies from day-to-day. This anthology is dedicated to all who battle their demons on a regular basis and to those who make every effort to be seen for who they really are.

All proceeds will be donated to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization.

Featuring Stories By:

Evie Black, Cara Blaine, Shazara Brooks, SA Burd, Clarence Carter, Elisabeth Garner, Bobbie Isabel, Rebecca Jose, Kris Mitchell, Samantha Moran, Kimberly Pinzon, D. Raven, Brian Scala, Kennedy Sutton, T.S. Tappin, Lee VanBeek, and Ruki Williams

Featuring Art By:

Ashley Scheller 

Vivian Aldrich-Wyatt

1:38 PM (1 hour ago)

to me

We survived the darkness of my monster, but at a cost I don't know if I can bare.

“Remi, listen. It looks so dark right now, but we will get you through this. I promise you, you will breathe again.” -Whinny

Change Is Inevitable...

What do you do when your entire world is turned upside down? When loss is so all-consuming that it feels like it's going to swallow you whole.

We won, but at a cost so consuming we couldn't survive. They all left me, and when you're so broken that you don't even know how to gather the pieces back together, it allows new demons to come in. I should fight them, push them away, but they feed on my pain and make it bearable. But how long can it go on before I break?

How far can I sink into the numbness before anyone realizes they lost me too.