TLS Special SNEAK PEEK Feature

The Lemonade Stand has spent years bringing you the best the fandom has to offer, and we are very excited to have the chance to offer you MORE. We've watched stories grow and develop from first post through COMPLETE in The Nursery, and now we're sharing previews of the stories that will soon be your new addiction. 

This month, the exciting young talent allihavetodoisdream, author of the incredible stories Hollywood and Dark Paradise, shares a little detail on her upcoming story Kiss the Sky with us.

Grief is like the ocean; it comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim. 

In a nutshell: Bella knew something was wrong.  She just didn't know how serious it was until her mother was dead and gone.

Then everything changed.

Lost and lonely, Bella finds some form of comfort in her new friendships with Tanya and Jazz.  She leaves behind ten o’clock bedtimes and frantic study sessions for parties and delinquent behavior.  She’s desperate to escape her pain.

And a quiet new boy helps her do just that.

...

This story isn't like anything I've written before. Not only is it personal, it also touches on some really sensitive topics—the two biggest ones being suicide and mental illness.

While this sounds depressing, the story is ultimately meant to be uplifting. This is Bella’s journey towards acceptance and learning how to deal with issues most people want to ignore.

Mental illness is such a major issue, and I think it warrants discussion: thus this story was born.

 I hope it doesn't disappoint!

Here’s a little teaser:

I’m good at lying, at hiding things now.

        Grandma and Dad don’t even know I’m hung-over the next morning. I sit at the breakfast table and eat Lucky Charms like I’m not about to throw up.  I smile like my head isn't splitting open. I laugh like my heart isn't sad and broken—but that has nothing at all to do with the hangover. It won’t go away tomorrow and it won’t get better with medicine.  It’ll just stay that way.

        Maybe forever.

        “Did you have a good night, Bells?” Dad asks, reading a fishing magazine.

        I remember the scrape of Edward’s stubble against my neck, the brush of his fingers on my thighs, and I shift a little, clearing my throat. “Yeah.” My voice is surprisingly even. “How about you?”

        Charlie just grunts.

        “Why don’t you eat something other than that crap?” Grandma asks me, motioning towards my cereal box. “Let me fix you a real breakfast—bacon and eggs.”

        My weak stomach makes the decision for me. “No, thanks. I’m good. Really.”

        Grandma sighs, ruffling my hair as she passes. “You’re always eating junk, Bella. I don’t know how you aren't four hundred pounds. But your mother was the same way.”

        There’s this little beat of silence, the way there always is when she’s mentioned.

        Dad’s mustache stops twitching, so I know he’s stopped reading. He’s just staring at his magazine blankly. But then the twitching resumes, and everyone is breathing again.

        Everyone is breathing but Mom.

...

As Lila's beta, I've been lucky enough to read the first few chapters of this story, and I'm being completely unbiased when I say how truly amazing it is. Lila has grown so much in such a short time as a writer, and I'm so incredibly proud of what she's achieved with this story. It's not only beautifully written, but has so much emotion, you'll be left thinking about what you've read for hours afterwards. She's my little superstar.

Don't forget to pop Lila on alert so you don't miss out!

♥ Kim