Autumn Masters is a failure in her own mind. She is about to let her dream of being a writer die when she is given an opportunity that may be too good to be true. She has to navigate dating, sex, attraction, writing, teaching, and learning all at the same time. Will she survive the torture, use it to her advantage, or be swept beneath it all?

The Torture of Autumn

Autumn climbed back onto her rooftop perch and felt the wind carry the sweat off her stomach and out into the world. It was so relaxing to be up there, so comfortable, that she barely noticed the strain on her eyes as she stared at the screen, the only source of light for her out there.


Sometimes, writing is just a way to pass the time. It’s just an invitation for inspiration to strike. I never realized that would be good advice. To be honest, I never really even thought about it until today, when Steve asked me what I was writing. 


I suppose the question could just as easily have been why I was writing. It’s a legitimate question. Why do I write? Why does any writer write? Some, if you ask them, will say that they do it for the paycheck. Or for the challenge. Or because they’re good at it. I say fuck those people. Fuck them all. I don’t write for so lofty or so materialistic or so narcissistic a goal. I write for a more neurotic reason. I have to.


Chapter 15: And a Writer Writes