Authorpreneur Dashboard – Dani Carlisle
lavender rose
Literature & Fiction
When nine-year-old Hattie Fleet disappears from her school bus stop, everything changes. Every parent will tell you that the thought of losing their child is unfathomable. Stevie Fleet would spend her whole life searching; her three remaining children have troubles of their own. How far would one parent go to find her lost child, and what kinds of obstacles could possibly meet her along the way? Life is full of challenges. Growing up is a challenge in itself.
Rough-Cut Book Bubbles from lavender rose
hattie isn't dead
Hattie's story was all over the news when she was first abducted, right off the sidewalk in front of her bus stop. That was five years ago when she was nine. A lot has changed since then.
our first meeting
She starts out as a simple side character, but Posie gets more and more complex and important as the story goes on.
lipstick lesbian
Hattie, even when absent from the plot, is a central part of it. She was always close with her twin brother; the two shared a room, and often stayed up late gossiping and exchanging secrets.
the truth always comes out
At eighteen years old, Eloise became entangled with the married man whose children she babysat. The affair stemmed out of greed; the man was rich and unsatisfied in his marriage, and Eloise wanted to be spoiled.
the one great event
Like a lot of us, Giovanni has secrets. And like everything else, the truth always comes out.
death doesn't have to be scary
Fletcher wants to be a mortician once he graduates college. This, and all the time he's spent in the hospital fighting cancer, means he knows an eerie amount about the human body and death. Some people might think it's creepy. I think it's fascinating.
emma + eloise
Emma has been Eloise's best friend since the girls began high school four years ago. They're not really anything alike: if anything, Emma is more of a servant than a friend. We see a character arc for Eloise later in the novel, after a life-changing occurrence, but we'll get to that later.
giovanni's biggest secret
Giovanni is the African-American, anxious, introverted best friend of our extraverted protagonist. He's an adoptee, with a story like anyone else: easily manipulated and quick to nervousness. This makes him very easy to control, a fact that Fletcher's sister isn't scared to take advantage of.
a memory
As a twenty-something woman, Stevie had an affair. Her first husband, the father of her two eldest children, remained oblivious to her infidelity until she came clean, which lead to their divorce.
dysfunctional family
Jaxon, thirteen, is the twin brother of Hattie, the girl who disappeared four years previously. Her abduction affected everyone in the family, and all in such different ways. Jax began acting out, finding himself in detention every other week. Fletcher blocked out the event, and now refuses to speak about it, always making sure to be extra cheerful and friendly so nothing seems off. Eloise became bitter, and mean, seeming to have lost her conscious and emotions, but only to hide the pain she feels inside. Stevie lashes out at her remaining three children, clearly favoring the oldest, and clearly neglecting the rest.
introduction
Our protagonist, Fletcher, is a college student who lost his right leg to bone cancer. He's the oldest of four children, and a child of divorce.
whiskey cult
Literature & Fiction
Finn is in a band, trying to make it big in the world. He's also spent his young adult life dealing with mental illness, addiction, bullying, and struggling to find self-acceptance, Whiskey Cult is a story of falling in love, coming out, beating addiction, battling the demons, and learning to love onself.
Book Bubbles from whiskey cult
the breakup
Finn's self-sabotage makes him believe he'll never be good enough for anyone. You can tell him he's more than good enough. He'll never believe you. He'd rather leave than wait around for you to get tired of him.
this kills people!
Finn's an alcoholic. After taking his first drink at the age of fifteen, he became hooked, and began to drink more and more as he got older and his mental health got worse. He's stolen booze, and driven drunk, and it's nearly killed him, but the thing about addiction is it doesn't give a shit if it kills you or not.
a flashback
Kyran and Avery have been friends since they were teenagers, when they met at a pride parade. Though they aren't as close as our other male-best-friend-protagonists (ahem: Adam and Finn), they love each other like brothers.
meeting my future love
Finn and Addie live in different cities, and meet on a nighttime street. Their relationship is long, passionate, and basically, a rollercoaster.
a different point of view
Cleo is our Arab point of view character, a gay woman and Addie's childhood best friend. She's had a challenging life: a foster child, disowned by her family in her teenage years for what they referred to as "an unforgivable crime".
adam and paisley
Paisley has been in love with Adam since her very first time meeting him. This event takes place at her cousin Addie's eighteenth birthday party, after her interest in Adam stemmed from seeing a photo on the other girl's phone.
a flashback, again
Finn's father was killed by a drunk driver when Finn was ten, and his sister was only a baby. Needless to say, he didn't handle it very well.
finn and adam's first meeting
Our meet-cute: He saved me from bullies.
a gay teen in high school
Kyran's family has never been very accepting of his sexuality. He was teased through school, and left home at an early age due to the homphobia of his family. His mom thinks they're close. His dad seems to come around.... eventually. We don't speak about Kyran's brother. We never do.
a flashback
Growing up, whenever Finn had a mental health crisis, it was usually his little sister who had to pick up all the pieces.
a revelation
Adam and Finn have been best friends their entire lives, and do almost everything together. But Finn is queer... and Adam isn't.
a homophobic household
Kyran's family cut him off when he came out as gay as a teenager. Since then, he's joined a band, made friends, and even fallen in love. It's important to remember that family isn't about blood, but about those people who always have your back, relatives or not.
philosopher
Avery is one of Finn's best friends, a bisexual drummer in a band, and a lover of philosophy. As a character, Avery was the hardest to write. I found getting inside his head to be extremely difficult, but at the same time, really rewarding.
drug addiction
This is told from the point of view of Regan, our non-binary drug addict, who later befriends Finn and learns to confide in others.
ellie's worst fear
Ellie is our protagonist's sister and biggest fan, ten years his junior. Her whole life has been filled with his manic episodes, suicide attempts and sneaking out of the family home. After awhile, it begins to wreak havoc on a person.
introduction
This first chapter, told from Finn's point of view, is a look into the life of our protagonist, and draws the reader in by leaving some questions unanswered.
