Diabetes in Fiction

Klara and Alex are having trouble connecting, but at least their calendars are in sync. Klara—who’s always thought of herself as a little different, a sneaker in a world full of kitten heels and polished boots—is feeling a disconnect these days. She has type 1 diabetes, currently works in a dead-end job, and is in desperate need of a change. When her dad falls ill, Klara begrudgingly agrees to help run his small construction company while he recovers, even though it means moving back home and pushing the boundaries of her comfort zone to the extreme. Alex has been a shell of himself since his brother died in an accident. He’s unemployed, has bills piling up, and is distant from friends and family. His therapist is encouraging him to keep things manageable by setting up a calendar, checking off tasks each day, and looking for work to help get him back on his feet. When an ad pops up for a carpenter position at a small construction company, he jumps at the chance to take a step forward. Klara’s and Alex’s stories unfold through a series of miscommunications in this clever and witty novel from debut author Ally Zetterberg that’s about finding acceptance and even love in unexpected places.

This modern re-telling of the Beauty and the Beast Fairytale is the story of Lt. Christopher Jameson AKA Beast, a Marine born with a severe facial deformity. Award winning author Pepper Pace gives us an enticing twist with the introduction of Ashleigh, a plus size beauty with identity issues. This adult romance will leave you questioning the definition of beauty. Adult themes include: sex and language and is intended for adult readers only.

Her name is Lana. She wasn’t dealt the easiest cards in life. She wasn’t dealt the hardest. She has an illness, but she doesn’t let it rule her. The first time she laid eyes on her best friend’s twin brother she fell in love at first sight. It didn’t last very long. He was a hateful boy who made her miserable. The happiest day of her life was when he moved away to London six years ago. His name is Robert. He breaks the ones who love him. He’s always liked to play games with Lana, see how far he could push her. He once thrived on her pain, but no more. Now she’s coming to London to live with his sister for the summer and this time he plans on being her friend instead of her tormentor. But Lana is scarred by his past bullying. She doesn’t trust him, nor does she have any reason to. When the two find themselves living under the same roof, they call a truce. This summer will change both of their lives, as they put their history aside and learn one another from scratch. When fear takes over, we use cruelty as a mask. Robert and Lana’s story will see their masks slip away as the love they felt on the inside shows its true face. Not suitable for younger readers. Contains strong language and scenes of a sexual nature.

Ava: Left to die as an infant, Ava Beaumont has not had an easy life. Being raised by the system has taught her to be independent, hardworking and cautious. When Ava becomes a victim she uses her inner strength to put it behind her and move forward. Now she lives a good life with the family she has created through adopting pets that were also throwaways, including a smart mouthed parrot and a skateboarding pig. When Ava meets Gunner she realizes what her life is lacking but does she have the courage to trust a big, rough biker enough to let him into her safe little life? Gunner: Being the President of the Devil’s Angels MC was not something Gunner asked to become but through the loss of his dad the job was thrust upon him. While he loves his club and club brothers wholeheartedly, Gunner wants his club to move in a better direction. And when Gunner spots bakery owner Ava, he realizes that’s not the only change he wants to make in his life. Nothing worth having is easy to acquire. This is an MC story with a heart. Come meet the crazy pets and even crazier club members of the Devil’s Angels MC.

She’s always played it safe… College junior Lucy Washington abides by one rule—avoid risk at all costs. She’s cautious in every aspect of her life, from her health, to her mock trial team, to the boring guys she dates. When a brash, gorgeous jock walks into the campus coffee shop and turns his flirt on, Lucy is stunned by the force of attraction. For the first time ever, she’s willing to step out of her comfort zone, but can she really trust the guy who’s determined to sweep her off her feet? He’s always played around… Entering his last year of college eligibility, linebacker Matthew ‘Matty’ Iverson has the team captaincy in his sights. And it’s his for the taking, if he can convince his quarterback Ace Anderson to give up the starting position. Luckily, Matty already has an edge—the hottie he’s lusting over just happens to be Ace’s childhood best friend. Getting Lucy on his side and in his bed? Hell yeah. Matty is more than confident he can have both, but when he falls hard for Lucy, it’s time for a new game plan: convince the woman of his dreams that she’s not sleeping with the enemy.

Twenty-six-year-old Gaby Barreto might be a lot of things (loyal, sarcastic, one of the guys and a pain in the butt depending on which family member you ask), but dumb isn’t one of them. When her twin brother invites her to go on tour as his band’s merch girl, she isn’t exactly screaming at the top of her lungs with joy. With no job opportunities pounding on her door, an ex-boyfriend she would still like to castrate, and no end in sight to moving out of her parents’ house in Dallas… it would be dumb to say no to the chance of a lifetime. Two bands, three continents, one tour. Spending the next ninety-plus days with three beloved idiots and eight complete strangers shouldn’t be a big deal, right? If only the singer of the headlining band didn’t have tattoos… a great personality… a fantastic body… and if he wasn’t so funny…. Let’s be real: Gaby never had a chance against Sacha Malykhin.

She survived an abduction. Now she’s trying to get on with her life. But it’s not easy being a university student with a challenging mental health condition. The ‘mean girl’ voice in her head just won’t leave her alone. To complicate matters, she’s an heiress worth a not-so-small fortune. Enter her sexy new bodyguard, a former paramedic trained to deal with medically fragile clients. He’s determined to help her live a normal life and do all the things she yearns to do. He just never counted on falling in love with her. He’s honor-bound to keep things strictly professional between them, but that’s hard to do when one look from her is enough to send him to his knees. Finding Layla is the first book in my new spin-off series, McIntyre Security Protectors. No cliffhanger. Just one glorious happy ending. This book contains themes of mental illness related to auditory hallucinations, anxiety, low self-esteem, and self-harm. Please be advised if you might find these topics troubling.

Working as a maid on a luxury yacht certainly isn’t Urvi’s idea of a dream job, but she needs money, fast. As a student at the Royal academy, who’s been cut off by her family for choosing music instead of medicine, she needs every penny of the exorbitant fee the powerful advertising executive, Jack Bailey, is willing to pay. So what if she thought Jack was asking her out but offered her a job instead? So what if she thought they had a connection during all those late night chats they had at the bar where she works? Jack and his mega yacht are clearly more out of her league than she realized. A bit of banter with a barmaid obviously meant nothing to him if the cold shoulder he’s now giving her is anything to go by. Urvi can’t afford pride if she wants to survive, and, with the way her diabetes control has been lately, survival is fast becoming her number one priority. Maid for Advertising is a friends to enemies to lovers contemporary romance novella. It is approximately half the length of a full-length novel.

Ellie Pang has had enough of her controlling family​ who has been micromanaging her life since her type 1 diabetes diagnosis​. When her parents orchestrate a public proposal from their business partner’s son, a proposal that goes humiliatingly viral, Ellie escapes to the other side of the country to put her dream of opening a sugar-free bakery into action. Afterall, she’d done her research. How hard can it be? She hits a snag when her storefront turns out to be a dump and in need of major renovations. Worse, the only person who can help her turn things around is Alec Mackenzie, her brother’s best friend and the man responsible for crushing her teenage heart ten years ago. But Alec has a proposal of his own: he needs a pretend girlfriend in order to cement a business deal. All they need to do is feign love and affection, while trying not to maim each other. But when the thin line between hate and fake-madly-in-love starts to blur, and buried secrets resurface, Ellie must learn to trust her heart, and choose between love and family.

Lily Hopper has two more weeks until she’s officially finished with boarding school. With graduation quickly approaching Lily is worried that she’s somehow missed out on the fun of being in high school. So, when she receives a mysterious note inviting her to join the anonymous senior class Jester in executing the end-of-year prank, Lily sees her chance to put her goody-two-shoes reputation behind her. When Lily realizes the Jester is none other than Taggart Swell, her ex- boyfriend, she’s already in too deep to back out. Lily might’ve dumped Tag, but she still has major feelings. Plus, his brilliant plan to steal the school’s yearbooks, targets none other than Lilly’s prom date: the Senior Class President, Daniel. As the group of pranksters hide cryptic clues across campus for Daniel to find, Lily and Tag find themselves in close quarters. As the exes dodge Campus Safety guards, night owl teachers, a troop of freshmen, and even Daniel himself, new sparks fly. But old hurts and painful secrets refuse to be ignored. And with graduation on the horizon, Lily can only hope that breaking the rules will help mend her heart.

Viggo Bergman, hopeless romantic, is thoroughly weary of waiting for his happily ever after. But between opening a romance bookstore, running a romance book club, coaching kids’ soccer, and adopting a household of pets—just maybe, he’s overcommitted himself?—Viggo’s chaotic life has made finding his forever love seem downright improbable. Enter Tallulah Clarke, chilly cynic with a massive case of writer’s block. Tallulah needs help with her thriller’s romantic subplot. Viggo needs another pair of hands to keep his store afloat. So they agree to swap skills and cohabitate for convenience—his romance expertise to revive her book, her organizational prowess to salvage his store. They hardly get along, and they couldn’t be more different, but who says roommate-coworkers need to be friends? As they share a home and life, Tallulah and Viggo discover a connection that challenges everything they believe about love, and reveals the plot twist they never saw happily ever after is here already, right under their roof.

"Some people get exactly what they deserve. And, as it turns out, I deserve to be called Persephone. No simple-to-sound-out Pride-and-Prejudice-style name like Elizabeth or Jane for me. Nope. Demi had to go Greek. Define ‘Persephone’. Bringer of destruction. That pretty much sums it up." Persephone is angry. Angry that her life revolves around finger-prick tests, carbohydrate counts and insulin injections. Angry at Alexander Manson. Angry with her mum for lots of things, for nothing and for everything. But most of all, she’s angry with herself. For deserving it all. Because of what she did, or didn’t do. Because one year ago she did something and her dad died. But then Persephone finds a body on a bush path, a young woman she doesn’t know but feels a strong connection to. And as she tries to find out what happened to Sylvia, Persephone begins to understand her own place in the complex interconnectedness of the universe. Sugar is the story of a sixteen-year-old girl trying to make sense of the life-changing events that have sent her world into a spin, her search for a reason behind it all, and ultimately her acceptance of life’s randomness.