Books with author Alyssa A Rodriguez

"What if... we kissed?" Ken Arrestor thought it was stupid to ask a girl he'd never met before, never had seen, and was sitting in a dark closet with to kiss him, but when she agreed, he never knew how much his life would change. Four years later, Ken Arrestor is popular and well-known on the soccer team. He could have any girl at his school, but for some reason, he's stuck thinking about the mysterious girl who had been his first kiss. Enter Levy Fennel. Ken fell flat on his face when he met her, quite literally since he tripped over her wheelchair. Never did Ken think that he'd end up being friends with the girl in the wheelchair, or that he'd even end up wanting to be more with her. In the beginning, he was determined just to get to know the sweet, shy, sarcastic, and somewhat familiar girl no matter what, even with his teammate and ex-girlfriend making Levy question her friendships. As he got to know Levy however, Ken couldn't deny that he would soon be faced with his biggest challenge yet: figuring out how to admit his feelings to her. But what about the kiss with the mysterious girl in the closet? Follow Ken as he makes new friends and reconnects with old ones, all thanks to the help of the girl that everyone seems to underestimate. In the end, it's the fact that Levy's in a wheelchair that matters the least.(A 35,000 word novella)

Kara Nightlocke is... different. She doesn't have a super power, she doesn't dress oddly, and she doesn't stand out, but one look in her eyes will set her apart from a crowd. Kara is blind. She's been treated differently since her accident, but at the age of seventeen, she has learned how to live mostly on her own. That doesn't mean her life has been easy however. Her parents got divorced, her two brothers' went away to college, and her mother needs to move around a lot to find work. As if being the new student isn't hard enough, being the blind kid is nearly impossible. In yet another new school Kara expects the same old treatment until she meets Daniel. Danny tries to treat her like she belongs, although she doesn't understand why until finally she finds out the secret he's been hiding. After so many years, that one secret will help her change not only her perception of herself, but others' perception of her as she deals with her disability and tries to find a way to be whole.(A 30,000 word novella)

Pacha Riley's family is being threatened, and they must leave Perú and head to safety in America to live with their Uncle Jamie and Aunt Nina. For one who prefers anonymity, the thought of being the skinny weird kid with the funny name in a new country is not appealing. One night, there is another sudden attack, and twelve-year-old Pacha and nine- year-old little sister Lucy must escape through the window...without Mami and Papi. Pacha begins to realize that there is more going on than protests over the sacred sun disk his archaeologist parents discovered at Machu Picchu. By the time he and Lucy arrive in America, he has more doubts and questions than hope. But Pacha is aided in his quest by his Traveller—animal spirit guide—and his Uncle Jamie. Their father's younger brother, Uncle Jamie is nothing like his buttoned-up sibling; he's a jokester, an adventurer...and a sorcerer? Uncle Jamie takes Pacha into his confidence and reveals a secret: Travellers can take their humans to visit past lifetimes. He also shares his suspicions about Tomás de la Vela, a Peruvian art gallery owner, who may or not be connected to the attacks on the Rileys. While amazed to learn his uncle's secrets, Pacha does not share his own fears that Aunt Nina may also be involved. The stakes are raised when Lucy is kidnapped by de la Vela and Aunt Nina. Searching for clues sparks a fire in Pacha, and he is able to overcome his insecurities and find the fight inside himself. He Travels to his past lifetimes as an Incan emperor and untangles a centuries- old tale of revenge to save both the sacred disk and his little sister.

Nick Knowles has a hard time understanding people. She's got an IQ over 200 with a memory like a tape recorder, and yet expressions and social cues have always been a mystery to her. Anger however, anger and hatred, she knows very well. Ever since she lost her eye by her mother's own hand, she's known exactly what those toxic emotions feel like. Nick is surrounded by them every day after all, and at seventeen, she'd growing tired of it. She's tired of pretending to be stupid, tired of the beatings, tired of the lies, and tired of her own inability to do anything to change things. That's when her old friend, Lucas Tsutaya shows up. Nick hasn't seen him in five years now. Too much has changed for her to even consider being his friend again. All she needs is her friend Vicky and her violin. She doesn't need someone looking into her life and finding out her secrets. But Lucas has a way about him that makes his voice just as beautiful as the violin she plays. Nick knows she's making a mistake, but for the first time in her life, she wonders if friendship and emotions are a mistake worth making.

Snow Richards is a shy seventeen year old girl. She's always kind of blended into the background, although she's never had a problem with that. Her life has been the opposite of easy in every way. Her mother died in a car accident when she was ten and Snow became the mother of the family. She cared for her father when they found out he had cancer and practically raised her brother younger brother Rain. Now she needed a job to keep them afloat as medical bills suffocated them. Finally she found one as a maid for a wealthy family: the Johnson's. Snow just wanted a job, but she was surprised by their caring son Ryan and how sweet he was to her. The whole family practically took her in. She doesn't want them to get too close though. Her burdens were her own. But when they keep trying to edge their way in, how will she handle it? How much more could she carry before she finally shattered like glass?(A short novella less than 30,000 words)

"What if... we kissed?" Ken Arrestor thought it was stupid to ask a girl he'd never met before, never had seen, and was sitting in a dark closet with to kiss him, but when she agreed, he never knew how much his life would change. Four years later, Ken Arrestor is popular and well-known on the soccer team. He could have any girl at his school, but for some reason, he's stuck thinking about the mysterious girl who had been his first kiss. Enter Levy Fennel. Ken fell flat on his face when he met her, quite literally since he tripped over her wheelchair. Never did Ken think that he'd end up being friends with the girl in the wheelchair, or that he'd even end up wanting to be more with her. In the beginning, he was determined just to get to know the sweet, shy, sarcastic, and somewhat familiar girl no matter what, even with his teammate and ex-girlfriend making Levy question her friendships. As he got to know Levy however, Ken couldn't deny that he would soon be faced with his biggest challenge yet: figuring out how to admit his feelings to her. But what about the kiss with the mysterious girl in the closet? Follow Ken as he makes new friends and reconnects with old ones, all thanks to the help of the girl that everyone seems to underestimate. In the end, it's the fact that Levy's in a wheelchair that matters the least. (A 35,000 word novella)

Kara Nightlocke is... different. She doesn't have a super power, she doesn't dress oddly, and she doesn't stand out, but one look in her eyes will set her apart from a crowd. Kara is blind. She's been treated differently since her accident, but at the age of seventeen, she has learned how to live mostly on her own. That doesn't mean her life has been easy however. Her parents got divorced, her two brothers' went away to college, and her mother needs to move around a lot to find work. As if being the new student isn't hard enough, being the blind kid is nearly impossible. In yet another new school Kara expects the same old treatment until she meets Daniel. Danny tries to treat her like she belongs, although she doesn't understand why until finally she finds out the secret he's been hiding. After so many years, that one secret will help her change not only her perception of herself, but others' perception of her as she deals with her disability and tries to find a way to be whole. (A 30,000 word novella)

Pacha Riley's family is being threatened, and they must leave Perú and head tosafety in America to live with their Uncle Jamie and Aunt Nina. For one who prefersanonymity, the thought of being the skinny weird kid with the funny name in a new country isnot appealing. One night, there is another sudden attack, and twelve-year-old Pacha and nine-year-old little sister Lucy must escape through the window . . . without Mami and Papi.Pacha begins to realize that there is more going on than protests over the sacred sun diskhis archaeologist parents discovered at Machu Picchu. By the time he and Lucy arrive inAmerica, he has more doubts and questions than hope. But Pacha is aided in his quest by hisTraveller—animal spirit guide—and his Uncle Jamie. Their father's younger brother,Uncle Jamie is nothing like his buttoned-up sibling; he's a jokester, an adventurer . . . and asorcerer?Uncle Jamie takes Pacha into his confidence and reveals a secret: Travellers can taketheir humans to visit past lifetimes. He also shares his suspicions about Tomás de la Vela,a Peruvian art gallery owner, who may or not be connected to the attacks on the Rileys. Whileamazed to learn his uncle's secrets, Pacha does not share his own fears that Aunt Nina may alsobe involved.The stakes are raised when Lucy is kidnapped by de la Vela and Aunt Nina. Searchingfor clues sparks a fire in Pacha, and he is able to overcome his insecurities and find the fightinside himself. He Travels to his past lifetimes as an Inkan emperor and untangles a centuries-old tale of revenge to save both the sacred disk and his little sister.

Snow Richards is a shy seventeen year old girl. She's always kind of blended into the background, although she's never had a problem with that. Her life has been the opposite of easy in every way. Her mother died in a car accident when she was ten and Snow became the mother of the family. She cared for her father when they found out he had cancer and practically raised her brother younger brother Rain. Now she needed a job to keep them afloat as medical bills suffocated them. Finally she found one as a maid for a wealthy family: the Johnson's. Snow just wanted a job, but she was surprised by their caring son Ryan and how sweet he was to her. The whole family practically took her in. She doesn't want them to get too close though. Her burdens were her own. But when they keep trying to edge their way in, how will she handle it? How much more could she carry before she finally shattered like glass? (A short novella less than 30,000 words)

Nick Knowles has a hard time understanding people. She's got an IQ over 200 with a memory like a tape recorder, and yet expressions and social cues have always been a mystery to her. Anger however, anger and hatred, she knows very well. Ever since she lost her eye by her mother's own hand, she's known exactly what those toxic emotions feel like. Nick is surrounded by them every day after all, and at seventeen, she'd growing tired of it. She's tired of pretending to be stupid, tired of the beatings, tired of the lies, and tired of her own inability to do anything to change things. That's when her old friend, Lucas Tsutaya shows up. Nick hasn't seen him in five years now. Too much has changed for her to even consider being his friend again. All she needs is her friend Vicky and her violin. She doesn't need someone looking into her life and finding out her secrets. But Lucas has a way about him that makes his voice just as beautiful as the violin she plays. Nick knows she's making a mistake, but for the first time in her life, she wonders if friendship and emotions are a mistake worth making.