Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

Imagine:

Four dead teens get one month back on Earth to fix the past before they burn again.

But the past keeps changing. Someone is rewriting their memories.

Only one of them can be reborn.

But for the MC, winning means losing her siblings and the girl she loves who died with her. #wippit

Gray grave, red rose black rose on fire, red rose with blood, hand coming out of dirt holding red rose, red roses on grave, house on fire, red solo cups, clock spinning.

November 23, 2025 at 7:11 PM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

On December 1st, Holly and her friends are cursed to receive gifts that force them to pay for their darkest sins. On midnight of Christmas day, they must choose one of them to die. Now, Holly must discover where the gifts are coming from before time runs out. #wippit #YA 🎁🎄

.
She’s right. Lindi has every right to hate me after the way I let Connor bully her. After the way I joined in.
I made the naughty list for a reason.
“I get it, Lola!” I shout, jumping up to face her directly. “I’m a horrible person! Lindi should hate me! Everyone should hate me! You don’t have to keep rubbing it in my face!”
Lola glares at me, but then I swear I see her soften. Her hands tremble as she takes a tiny step closer, and I back up until I hit the wall.
“You’re killing me,” she growls. “I know you’re better than this.”
My eyes sting. She sees the good in me. And for some reason that only pisses me off more.
“Why do you care anyway?!” I shout.
Lola’s tone grows surprisingly gentle. “You know why.” Then she kisses me, hard.
The kiss is desperate, full of teeth, and tongues, and heat, but I know Lola isn’t hurting me. She never would. I grip her jacket, kissing her back with just as much force until the guilt is so overwhelming I’m dizzy.
When we finally break apart, we’re both panting. Lola loosens her hold on me, her hands still on my face as tears stream down my cheeks. She wipes a few away for me before sitting down on my bed.
“I’m not mad because you’re a horrible person, Holly,” Lola says, softly. “I’m mad because I know you’re not. I’m not even mad at you. I’m mad at whatever is making you hurt this much.”
That makes me cry harder. “I’m sorry.”
“I know. I am too. I shouldn't have yelled. I didn’t meant to scare you like that.”
I know she’s lying about me being a good person. She doesn’t really believe I’ve changed. She thinks I deserve to be on the naughty list this year. Santa only gives presents to people who deserve them.
And mine have made me pay for my sins.

November 23, 2025 at 5:08 AM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

🔥 After dying, Alexandra wakes up in a redemption competition set in the past.

🪦 To win her life, she must relive her worst choices & fix every mistake over the past month.

⏰But history is being rewritten and one of the friends she died with might win first. #wippit #YA

After dying in a fire, Alexandra wakes up a month in the past in a redemption competition for resurrection. To win her life back, she must relive her worst choices and fix every mistake she’s made over the past month. But history is being rewritten and one of the friends she died with might win first.

After a fire kills them all, sixteen-year-old Alexandra, her siblings, and the girl she loves are given a choice: stay in the afterlife forever or compete against each other in a redemption competition set in the real world a month before the fire. To win, they must take part in the Rebirth Trials, where they’re tasked with becoming better people, solving their own murders, and undoing the choices that caused their tragic fate. The catch? Only one of them can return from their grave, and the rest will be erased from existence forever.

When Alexandra discovers that the survivor will be the one who fixes the most of their past mistakes—and proves they’ve truly changed—she’s sure there’s already a grave with her name on it. Her temper has already cost her a basketball scholarship, ruined friendships, and convinced her father she’s a destructive mess. But dying again means losing the chance to redeem herself. The problem? Her hope is as dead as she is, and winning also means losing her siblings and the love of her life. Permanently.

Angel, the mysterious ruler of the afterlife, sends the teens back to Earth one month before the fire. There, the competition begins. But the past is constantly changing. The gaps in Alexandra’s memory suggest history is being tampered with, and the culprit isn’t rewriting it in her favor. If the offender succeeds, she’ll stay dead forever.

To win her life back, Alexandra must keep the fires inside her from burning, while fixing history and stopping the person responsible for changing it. And she can’t do it alone. But trusting the others could be a trap, and one of them may be altering the past to rig the competition.

One month. One mystery. One survivor.

Chapter One
(The Past: After Death)

In less than one month, three of us will burn again.
Literally. Flames on skin, smoke in our lungs. Real pleasant stuff.
I still don’t know who lit the match that ended our lives or why it’s supposed to happen again.
And I doubt I ever will.
In the afterlife they call this a rebirth trial. Four dead teens. One month back on Earth to fix our past mistakes. One survivor.
And no bets are on my train-wreck ass. Unless I fix what my rage fire burned.
Ha. Yeah, right. The wall next to my bed has a goddamn hole left over from my last explosion. Right next to the dent in the flimsy Walmart nightstand I bought myself because I’m cheap. My hand trembles as I tease the hole with my fingertip. I laugh, but nearly choke on a sob anyway. The ache in my bloody knuckles says it all—if you Google “person most likely to set their life on fire,” yeah, I’m your girl.

November 23, 2025 at 5:07 AM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

Quick snippet from Roses 🥀🪦

Anna is twisting her sweater around her fingers again. “I need to tell you something.” Her voice cracks as she speaks.

“If it’s about that B you got on your last math test, I won’t tell dad,” I say. “I promise.”

Tears stream down Anna’s cheeks. “That’s not it…It’s…I knew Lainey was drunk the night of the fire.”

The blood rushes to my head. “What? You knew? I thought you’d assumed she only drank a few sips. That’s what I thought too; it’s why I went along with it.”

Anna shakes her head. “I knew most of the night. I saw her drink several cups. There was no way she was still sober after that and I knew it…I didn’t convince Aiden to let her drive because I thought it was safe. I did it because I was scared. Scared about what people would think about me if I let them make a scene. And I’d be Ass-Kisser Anna again. It’s stupid cause, I’m ass kisser either way, but because I’m kissing their asses not the adults’ they don’t care. If I told anyone at that party about Lainey being drunk, we’d all get in trouble. And I’d be the school joke again.”

For a moment neither of us speak. My blood is boiling, and I know I’ll snap at her if I open my mouth.

Who really cares this time? She deserves it.

“Let me get this straight, you knew and you let me get in that car with her? Let Aiden get in the car with her? What were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t, that’s the point!” Anna cries. “I feel awful about it, okay.”

November 11, 2025 at 5:43 AM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

🔥 After dying, Alexandra wakes up in a redemption competition set in the past.

💀To win her life, she must relive her worst choices & fix every mistake over the past month.

⏰But history is being rewritten and one of the friends she died with might win first. #questpit #W

November 6, 2025 at 2:05 AM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

🔥 After dying, Alexandra wakes up in a competition set in the past where redemption has a deadline.

💀 To win her life, she must relive her worst choices & fix every mistake over the past month.

⏰ But history is being rewritten and one of the friends she died with might win first. #questpit #W

November 5, 2025 at 5:01 AM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

🔥 After dying, Alexandra wakes up in a competition in the past where redemption comes with a deadline.

💀 To win her life, she must relive her worst choices & fix every mistake over the past month.

❤️ But history is being rewritten— and one of the friends she died with might win first. #MelsNoWrimo

After dying, Alexandra wakes up in a competition for resurrection, where four dead teens must relive and correct their worst mistakes to win their lives back. But only one can win, and history is being rewritten, not in Alexandra’s favor.

November 3, 2025 at 11:02 PM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

Updated pitch card for Roses 🥀🪦

🔥 After dying, Alexandra wakes up in a competition in the past where redemption comes with a deadline.

💀 To win her life, she must relive her worst choices & fix every mistake over the past month.

❤️ But history is being rewritten— and one of her dead friends might win first.

November 1, 2025 at 11:48 PM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

After dying, Alexandra wakes up in a competition in the past where she must relive her real life choices and become a better person. Fixing her mistakes over the last month is the only way to get a second chance at life before one of her dead friends wins one first. #WIP 🥀🪦🔥

‪ Graveyard, red rose with skull, black rose, red rose, red rose with hand coming out of dirt, red rose on grave, shed fire, red solo cups, swirling numbers.

November 1, 2025 at 9:11 PM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

Happy late Halloween! Here’s the opening to my Halloween book. 🎃👻 #WIPsnips

Chapter One
October 31st, 6:00 p.m.
(The Hallowgreeds)
It’s Halloween night, the sky is as purple as a bruise on a pumpkin, the loud ass kids are high on sugar, and I might just be about to dig my own grave.
Oh, well. This will all be worth it.
Every time mom said humans and monsters used to live together in harmony, I told her she was off her broomstick. I would think, sure mom, we totally loved each other at one point. You’re just being as optimistic as a vampire at a blood draw.
“No, honey. I’m serious,” she would tell me. “Before the grave war we were all totally chill.”
Us humans always blamed the monsters for the grave war, saying they the started the long and bloody conflict that lasted until the year I was born.
I used to believe that too. Until I met the others.
Vampires, witches, goblins, and ghosts aren’t as bad as everyone claims them to be.
Fine, I might be biased. I did just kiss a witch on the mouth.
People call them the hallowgreeds. Say they’re evil, disgusting creatures responsible for the recent murders in town.
But I don’t believe that’s true.
And I have until midnight to prove it.

November 1, 2025 at 5:04 AM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

After dying in a fire, Alexandra and her friends are sent back in time to compete in the Rebirth Trials. Whoever fixes the most of their past mistakes gets a second chance at life, and the losers are erased from existence forever. #Ghostpit #YA #W 🥀🪦🔥⏰

Red rose, shed fire, red rose, red party cups, red rose coming out of dirt with hand, red graveyard, skull with red rose on black background, til death in white letters on red roses background, red clock.

Chapter One
(The Past: After Death)

In exactly one month, three of us will burn again.
Literally. Flames on skin, smoke in our lungs. Real pleasant stuff.
I still don’t know who lit the match that ended our lives or why it’s supposed to happen again. And I doubt I ever will.
In the afterlife they call this a rebirth trial. Four dead teens. One month back on Earth to fix our past mistakes. One survivor.
And no bets are on my train-wreck ass. Unless I fix what my rage fire burned.

Ha. Yeah, right. The wall next to my bed has a whole goddamn hole left over from my last explosion. Right next to the dent in the flimsy Walmart nightstand I bought myself because I’m cheap. My hand trembles as I tease the hole with my fingertip. I laugh, but nearly choke on a sob anyway. The ache in my bloody knuckles says it all—if you Google “person most likely to set their life on fire,” yeah, I’m your girl.

I wasn’t always this way. Not before Mom died.
Okay, I guess that’s not really true. My temper has always been warm, but it wasn’t until I joined the land of the dead that I realized it had gotten hot enough to burn my life down.

I guess I should be grateful I’m even getting a second chance after all the crap I pulled. No, I’m not a ghost. I’m not alive either, not in any real way. I’m somewhere in between. Where my soul is still attached to my body, but my mouth tastes like ashes. But what’s the point of a second chance when it means losing the only people you care about?

Not that my second chance even exists. Because the fires inside me don’t linger. They ignite, burning everyone in my vicinity to ashes before I have the chance to put them out.

Want proof? Fine. Let’s rewind.
To the night I burned everything down.

October 30, 2025 at 4:15 AM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

After dying in a shed fire, Alexandra and her friends are sent back in time to solve their own murders and compete for resurrection. Whoever fixes the most of their past mistakes comes back to life, and the losers are erased from existence forever. #YA #SFPit #WIP 🥀🪦🔥

Red rose, shed on fire, red rose with red liquid, red solo cup, hand coming out of grave, red grave, skull with red roses, til death with red roses, red clock.

October 21, 2025 at 4:00 AM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

Opening to Roses 🥀🪦

Chapter One
(The Past: After Death)
In less than one month, three of us will burn again.
Literally. Flames on skin, smoke clogging lungs. Real pleasant stuff.
I still don’t know who lit the match that ended our lives or why it’s supposed to happen again. And I doubt I ever will.
Only one will survive, and no bets are on my train wreck ass. Unless I fix what my rage fire burnt.
Ha. Yeah, right. The wall next to my bed has a whole goddamn hole leftover from my last explosion. My hand trembles as I tease it with my fingertip. I laugh, but nearly choke on a sob anyway. If you googled “person most likely to set their life on fire.” Yeah, I’m your girl.
I wasn’t always this way. Not before Mom died.
Okay, I guess that’s not really true. My temper has always been warm, but it wasn’t until I joined the land of the dead that I realized it had gotten hot enough to burn my life down.
I guess I should be grateful I’m even getting a second chance after all the crap I pulled. No, I’m not a ghost. I’m not alive either, not in any real way. And, let’s be real: I’ll never come back to life. But what’s the point of a second chance when it means losing the only people you care about?
Not that I have to worry. Because the fires inside me don’t linger. They ignite, burning everyone in my vicinity to ashes before I have the chance to put them out.
Want proof? Fine. Let’s rewind.
To the night I burned everything down.

October 6, 2025 at 2:22 AM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

Lola Montgomery From my book The Naughty List #LoreOutLoud 🎅🏻🎁

“Yeah, I’m excited for your party, Con,” I say. “Should be a fun time.”
“Me too.” Connor grins. “My parents will be gone, so we can drink the night away, baby. You’re all invited. Oh, except Lola.” He smirks.
“Geez.” Lola puts on a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Way to make a girl feel special, Connor. Just make out with me, why don’t you? Since apparently treating me like dog shit isn’t enough.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” he fires back. “My tongue down your throat.”
Lola freezes for a second, then forces a laugh before sticking her finger down her throat and releasing a loud gag. “You wish. I’d rather kiss a frog. And besides.” She leans back in her chair, smirking. “All the girls say you kiss like a slug.”
“Right, I forgot.” Connor smirks back at her. “You only kiss girls. You know that’s a sin, right? Santa’s definitely putting your ass on the naughty list this year.”
The rest of our friends howl with laughter. I start to laugh too, not because I want to, but because I have to. But then I see the frown on Lola’s face. I stop immediately, my mind flashing back to the day she and I practiced kissing in her room. But it didn’t mean anything. She was just showing me how, so I was prepared when a boy tried to kiss me. Don’t get me wrong, kissing that boy at Connor’s last party was hot and all, but he wasn’t as gentle with me as Lola was.
Lola ignores Connor, her cheeks growing bright red as she glances toward the window, tossing her dark, straight hair behind her shoulder. “You know nothing, asshole,” she murmurs.
Lola treats bullying like it’s a crime. Like she promised someone she has to speak up. I’ve always wondered why it bothers her so much. She doesn’t know Lindi the way I do. Whenever I ask her about it, she always changes the subject.
I should say something in her defense, I know that. She is my best friend. But the words get caught in my throat.
“You’re just jealous because the girls like me better than you,” Lola tells Connor.

August 19, 2025 at 9:59 PM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

This snippet doesn’t have the exact word but is inspired by it. Trigger warning for an aftermath of SA.

Lainey just stares at me for a moment, like she’s trying to decide whether or not to call me out on my crap. Like she’s wondering how much pain I’ll let her see. The ache in my stomach subsides, and it grows warm and fuzzy.
“You’re crying,” Lainey says gently. “You wanna tell me what happened? Who do I need to kill?”
I release an ugly, choked up, laugh. “No one.” I turn my head away from her because I can’t look at her when I’m like this. Part of me wishes she’d waited until I’d stopped crying to barge in here, but the other part doesn’t want her to leave. I haven’t felt this safe in a long time.
But if she stays long enough she’ll see that I’m no more put together that picture frame I smashed after mom died.
“Some guy.” I shake my head as if I can erase the memory from my mind like it’s an etch a sketch. “He touched me…And I didn’t want him to.”
Lainey’s face grows dark. “He what?”
I nod slowly. “But I didn’t stop him.”
“He should have known, though. Should have read your body language. I can always tell when someone I’m kissing isn’t into it.”
“Yeah, but he might not have. Maybe he thought I wanted it.”
Lainey shakes her head, her jaw clenched. “Absolutely the fuck not. You’re not going to blame yourself for this.” She jumps up from the bed. “Now who was the guy?” Her voice is low and dark. “Becasue I swear to god, I’ll kill him.”
“Don’t!” I sob, reaching for her. “Please. He’s going to hurt you too.”
“Okay, okay.” Lainey’s voice softens as she sits back down and takes my hand, tracing gentle circles over my palm. “I won’t force you if you’re not ready. But I’ll be here when you are.” Her jaw tightens. “And then I’ll kill the asshole.” She looks at me for confirmation and I nod, so she places a hand on my knee, so warm it almost burns my skin. “I’m so sorry this happened to you.”

August 19, 2025 at 9:45 PM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

Alexandra is a fire who won’t burn out until she and her friends literally go up in flames. They have one month in the past as ghosts to fix the mistakes that lit the match & catch their killer. But someone’s rewriting history and only one of them can return to life. #PosterPit

In exactly one month, three of us will burn again.
Only one will survive, and no bets are on my train wreck ass.
Unless I fix what my fire burnt.

August 16, 2025 at 4:30 AM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

When the US outlaws same-sex attraction due to rising infertility, Raya is sent to a conversion camp after her wristband monitor catches her staring at a girl too long. There, she meets a group of rebels and must decide if fighting the system is worth the risk. 🏳️‍🌈

#Questpit #YA

Rainbow flags with blue sky backgrounds. Two girls kissing.

Chapter One
My eyes are about to betray me.
I chew on my bottom lip until I taste metal, my gaze locked on Mrs. Jones, as she rambles on about The Genetic Drought. If my eyes even shift over to Liora Flowers, I’m a goner. Damn her for having such beautiful blue eyes and straight brown locks that look like they feel like silk.
But I guess I’ll never know. Because any sign of homosexuality will get me locked up at Camp Genesis. Hell to the no.
I roll my eyes as Mrs. Jones continues her lesson because I’ve heard this all before. Well, technically I looked it up on the Infonet, but whatever. I was bored during English, okay?
Long story short, there was an infertility crisis known as The Genetic Drought, and ever since then, America has never been the same, and it was all gay people’s fault, and blah, blah, blah.
Extremism at its finest, am I right?
I’ve always thought the whole banning same sex attraction altogether was a bit dramatic, but who am I to judge?
If I even think about voicing that aloud, I’ll be in cuffs by lunch.
“Back in The Unnatural Days, same sex attraction was still legalized, until 2041 when the government created the Repopulation Law outlawing it,” Mrs. Jones continues, spitting the words out like they’re poison. My chest grows tight and I sink into my chair.
If I had just been born a year earlier, I would have lived through a time where my attraction to girls wasn’t a crime. I would have been a baby, but still. Now it’s seventeen years later and nothing has changed.
Of course Mrs. Jones is talking about this today. It’s Repop day. The “anniversary” of the day they stripped away our rights.
The government needed someone to blame for birth rates tanking, so of course, they picked us. Claimed we were choosing a sinful lifestyle over our duty. As if birth rates weren’t decreasing for straight couples, too.

August 6, 2025 at 9:43 PM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

Here’s mine :)

“Come here.” Lainey places her phone on the dresser next to her. “Let me hold you for a bit. It’s okay.” She looks at Anna in the bed across from her. “She won’t see. She’s sleeping. I think all that crying tired her out.”
I stand still for a moment. I don’t want to just crawl back to her—not after the way she treated me.
But I really need a hug right now.
“Alright,” I rasp. Rubbing at my sore eyes, I crawl into bed beside Lainey and allow her to wrap her arms around me. I fall into her chest, Angel’s words echoing in my mind. It wasn’t an accident.
“Don’t think about it,” Lainey mumbles into my hair. “Just rest. We can talk about it tomorrow.”
Her fingers trace gentle circles on my back. I assume she’s trying to soothe me, but it doesn’t help. Because tomorrow doesn’t exist. At least not one where I’m alive. And what did Angel mean when he said that I was the fire? Trying to figure it out is making my head ache.
Lainey massages my hands, which helps a lot since they still ache from gripping the bat. But that’s nothing compared to the pain in my stomach. The memory of the shattered glass, Timothy’s pissed off face—it all makes me want to puke. I should have done what Anna always does—just swallowed my anger until it dissolved.
Then it hits me. I’m the reason we’re dead. My fire burned someone who was angry enough to burn back.
“It’s my fault,” I whisper. “Us dying was all my fault. That’s what Angel meant when he said I was the fire.”
Lainey goes quiet, holding her breath. Or maybe she’s not. Can we even breathe now that we’re dead? “What do you mean?” She runs her hands up and down my arms, sending tingles through my body. “It’s not like you started the fire.”
“Yeah, but I made someone pissed enough that they did,” I sob. Maybe that theory is far-fetched but what else could Angel have meant?
“Shh.” Lainey kisses my forehead. “I know. You’re scared and it hurts. But you can’t blame yourself.”
“I can when it’s my fault.”
“No.” She tilts my chin so my eyes meet …

June 19, 2025 at 8:43 AM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

Lainey and Alexandra 🏳️‍🌈

Lainey sits on her bed, chugging a metal flask.
“Please don’t tell me that’s what I think it is,” I say.
“Yes, it’s alcohol.” She shrugs. “So what? I need it.”
“No you don’t.” I rip it out of her hand harsher than I mean to. The flask still feels warm from her touch. “You’ve had enough. Your body is done with your bullshit and so am I. Why do you think you’ve been throwing up all evening?”
Lainey chuckles, not getting the hint that I’m being serious. But then a tear slides down her cheek, ripping off her mask.
“I’m sorry.” I brush some sweaty, tousled hair out of her face, feeling like an absolute ass for snapping at her when she needs help. “I didn’t mean to be an asshole. I just don’t want to see you drink yourself to death.”
“Trust me, I don’t either.” Lainey groans, leaning back onto her pillow as she wipes her tears away. “Ugh, I feel like I’m going to throw up again.” Clutching her stomach, she gags then swallows. “Never mind, I’m good.”
I never thought I’d see this day. Lainey is usually a bright light. But right now, she’s dim.
“You really want to know why I kissed that guy at Carter’s party?” she says after a moment of silence.
I cock an eyebrow. I’m torn between being over hearing about the situation and wanting to know. “Why?”
“Because he’s an asshole,” Lainey says. “And so am I. I’m good enough for him. But I’m not good enough for you. I don’t deserve you.”
“That’s not true.” If anything I’m the one who’s not good enough for Lainey. I thought that was why she kissed him.
“It is,” Lainey releases a sarcastic, bitter laugh. “And you know it. God, why do you even like me? I’ve treated you like shit.” She chews on her bottom lip. “I’m sorry.” Then she gags again. She rushes over to bathroom and I follow her, watching as she heaves into the toilet. I want to help in some way so I hold her curls back as she finishes. Once she’s done, she wipes her mouth on her sleeve, leans against the tub, and sobs.
“It’s okay.” I trace gentle circles on her back. “Yo…

June 4, 2025 at 5:52 PM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

#wipsnips word was wait!!

“Boo!” A tap on my shoulder makes me jump.
I whip around to see no one other than Sean Nicholson, wearing a yankees baseball cap and a smile.
“God, Sean.” I hold my hand to my heart. “You could have announced yourself.”
“Take a chill pill, will you?” Sean chuckles, nudging his black-skinned elbow against my winter-pailed arm. “Why you gotta be so…”
“Don’t say it,” I say.
“Touch-y,” Sean finishes.
“I am not,” I snap, even though I have no right when I was the one who was an asshole. My eyes shift to the blood soaked bandage wrapped around his hand. “Is your hand okay?”
“Eh, it’s all good.” Sean shrugs me off. “I’m tough, like the Hulk. Grrr.” He flexes his non-existent muscles, causing some passerby to stare. Sean just waves and smiles at them.
“Well, that’s good,” I say. “I’m glad you didn't pass out.”
Sean cracks up even though I’m being serious. “Nah. It’s all good. Like I said, I’m like the hulk. Plus, the nurse was super chill and gentle.”
“Alright then.” I can’t help but smile. “Oh, wait. Whatever happened to Bobby?”
“Oh, he’s in the Dean’s office right now, I assume getting a very stern talking to,” Sean says. “You know what they say, karma’s an asshole.”

June 4, 2025 at 4:21 AM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

After being killed in a fire, Alexandra and her friends have one month in the past to solve their own murder and fix the mistakes that led to it. But history is being rewritten, and only one of them can come back to life. #WIPPit #YA

Changing the past isn’t so easy when a killer is rewriting history.
Sixteen-year-old Alexandra is a fire that won’t burn out. Her hot temper has always been the thing she’s hated the most about herself. But she never thought it would lead to her death.
A few weeks before Christmas, Alexandra, her siblings, and the girl she’s in a situationship with are accidentally killed in a fire. But death is just the beginning—they wake up in the afterlife and meet a man named Angel who delivers two shocking pieces of news: the bad decisions they made in their past lives have them on the road to hell, and the fire that killed them wasn’t an accident, it was murder.
Angel transports the teens back in time one month before the fire, so that they can change history, uncover their killer, and correct the mistakes that got them killed. But the past isn’t how Alexandra remembers it. The gaps in her memory suggest someone is tampering with the fabric of time. And when the teens discover that the killer has also been traveling through time, they become even more determined to catch them. The rule was supposed to be that if Alexandra and her friends succeeded they would get their lives back. If they failed, they were to return to the afterlife where they’d be erased from existence—forever. But there’s a twist: only one of them can come back to life.

Every year of my life, I celebrated my birthday, fully aware that it was the day I was born. And every year I passed my death date, with no knowledge that it was the anniversary of my passing.

May 23, 2025 at 4:22 AM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

Reposting my #WIPsnips post because there was an error.

Anna’s eyes shift to my bloody lip. “What the hell happened?” Her voice shakes with concern.
“I got jumped,” I rasp, tears welling up in my eyes. It’s not the physical pain, it’s the embarrassment. How did I let my fire burn so hot that I got beaten to a pulp like this? I’m supposed to be doing better.
“Oh my god.” Anna’s face falls. “Are you okay? Do you need ice? Some ointment? Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“I’m fine.” I hope my voice doesn’t sound too hoarse. I want her to stop, because if she asks any more questions I’ll really start to cry.
“I cleaned her up with some water, but she might need actual antiseptic,” Lainey tells Anna. “We should also probably bandage her up. I didn’t have anything on me.”
“Wait a minute,” I say, my focus elsewhere now. “I’m confused.”
“Why?” Lainey glances around.
I point to the building on the other side of the street. “Didn’t that house get rebuilt six months ago?”
Anna looks at Lainey. “Do you know if she hit her head?”
“No.” Aiden appears behind her. “She’s right. And look.” He pulls out his phone. “My phone says it’s November 2nd.”
“No, it’s November 8th ,” Anna corrects him, her lips curving into a frown. “I check the date every morning.”
“I know, I do too,” Aiden tells her. “That’s what’s weird about it.”
“Maybe something’s wrong with your phone.” Lainey pulls hers out of her pocket. “Wait.” She grows stiff. “It says it’s November 2nd of 2025.”
“What the hell?” My stomach drops as I take a look at her lock screen. It’s over a year before the fire. How did we travel this far back? This was never part of the plan. Unless Angel did it. I didn’t know he had this much power.

May 18, 2025 at 12:34 AM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

Prologue for afterlife #WIP

Prologue
(The Past: After Death)
Thursday, November 19, 2026, 6:30 a.m.

In exactly one month, I’ll be dead again.
Unless I fix what my fire burnt.
I put my phone on the dresser and hop out of bed. I pull a purple shirt out of my closet. Last time I wore green. Nothing can be the same.
Each footstep in the hallway makes the floorboards vibrate. Dad’s probably on his way downstairs to make breakfast. Last time, my sister Anna laughed at a stack of burnt toast. This time, I don’t think either of us will be laughing.
Dad can’t know what I’m planning. I have to make him believe that things are normal. That this is the first time we’ve ever lived through this day.
The bedroom door creaks open. Anna stands at the entrance, her natural curls looking as beautiful as ever. Last time she spent over an hour straightening her hair to impress everyone.
My eyes shift to her Band-Aid covered fingers. She’s been picking at her skin again. Anxiety followed her to her grave.
I feel like someone sewed my cheeks back to make me smile. But hopefully Anna’s convinced by it. “Don’t worry,” I try to reassure her. “We’re going to be okay.”
Anna nods slowly, but her eyes tell a different story. She doesn’t believe me.
I’m not sure why. This should be easy enough. We just have to make sure we don’t make the same choices we did last time.

May 8, 2025 at 5:03 AM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

After being killed in a fire, Alexandra and her friends have one month in the past to solve their own murder and fix the mistakes that led to it. But history is being rewritten, and only one of them can come back to life. #questpit #YA #WIP

May 7, 2025 at 4:33 AM

Haley Patricia

@haleypatricia.bsky.social

When Alexandra and her friends die in a fire, they’re given one chance to go back, solve their own murder, and correct the past. But the timeline has changed, a killer is rewriting history, and dark forces want them dead for good. #posterpit

April 19, 2025 at 4:41 AM

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