Crystal A Hill
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crystalahill.bsky.social
Crystal A Hill
@crystalahill.bsky.social
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Mom of 2. Aero Analyst by day, YA writer by earlier in the day. Previous life: pilot, film projectionist, barista. she/her Rep: Tina Schwartz of Purcell www.crystalahill.com
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crystalahill.bsky.social
Pitch Becky Vaughn is a pushover. In her junior year of high school, she endures her ex-best friend’s bullying without a fight. She also follows Dad’s plan without question, partly because he monitors and controls her every decision, move, and keystroke, but mostly? She’s too close to earning his pride, maybe even his love, to risk losing any scrap of his favor. When Becky discovers Mom’s secret—her dad isn't biologically her "real father" due to an unfathomable mistake made at a clinic—she’s faced with a “what if.” Who was she meant to be? Would she have turned out better, stronger, if Scott, her biological father, had raised her instead? To find out, she schemes to secretly get to know both Scott and Dad’s bio-son, Alex, whose commonalities with Dad end with height, black hair, and alcoholism. As they build a platonic closeness, Alex shows Becky that inner and outer monsters don’t have to dictate who she is. Just like how he has to battle his addiction, it’s up to her to not become the thing that controls her. Becky no longer wants to let Dad’s bigotry influence her actions in hopes to please him, but if she can’t escape his control over her, she’s doomed to remain his hard and judgmental version of herself forever, regardless of DNA. Written By: Crystal A Hill is mom of two and an aeronautical analyst living in St Louis, MO, but once upon a time, she flight instructed in small airplanes and operated film movie theater projectors (experiences to be included in future stories!). Represented By: Tina Schwartz, The Purcell Agency, tina@thepurcellagency.com Snippet His eyes go distant. “Some people think artificially created people like us are unnatural, outside of God’s plan or whatever. Like artificial souls. But we’re a step further, aren’t we? Completely accidental people.” I might need a few hits from someone’s blunt to meet him in these drunken deep thoughts. “That’s a weird way to think about it.” “But you know what?” he says, his focus back on me. He sits up with a slight sway. “Aren’t we all accidental people? Not just you and me, but like, everyone?” His words actually resonate—the secondhand must be working in my favor. Had we been raised by our bio-dads, he’d still wonder if boys can marry boys, still be tempted to surrender to his addiction when things got too hard. I’d still draw and yearn to create. But the way our dads react to what’s inside us affects how we see ourselves. “We’re born who we are,” I say, “but influence can help us love or hate ourselves for it. Shape who we are on the outside.” He grins as he shakes a finger at me. “Accidentally.”
March 2, 2025 at 4:45 PM
crystalahill.bsky.social
Same, I’d never survive without audiobooks!
November 23, 2024 at 2:13 PM