Happy Summer, Fam! 

It's almost June, which means Pride Month is almost upon us. To help tide you over, welcome back to the Pride Shelf, where we are adding three new stories for your reading enjoyment today! 

Sit back, grab a cup of tea or coffee for yourself, and enjoy some of the amazing stories we can share with you thanks to our wonderful community. 

❤︎⁠ Don't forget to vote and comment on your favourites!

> After the Fall by Kid_Kia

Logline:Two ghosts who were best friends when they were alive meet again in the afterlife. One remembers everything and the other doesn't. Together, they solve the mystery of their death, while hidden feelings might come back.

Q. How long have you been on Wattpad and what makes you stay?

I've been writing on Wattpad since 2012 and honestly I just keep coming back after a writing slump cause I feel like Wattpad is the best writing platform I've encountered so far with the most supportive community.

Q. Tell us how you came up with this story, what was your inspiration?

After watching the series of "Julie & the Phantoms" and "Ghost boy detectives" I just really wanted to write a ghost story... the romance part of it felt like a good beginning after a ruthless ending. The tragic part of it is just second nature. I seem to write a lot of tragedies since I've been very young (without even realising it yet).

Q. Describe the main characters of this story and how you connect with them.

Damien stand before the person he loves the most, he can touch, talk to and hear Lucas. Lucas is real and yet... he's not the same. That feeling of seeing someone important to you, that is a feeling I know all to well. I think writing Damien's point of view is a bit therapeutic for me cause it gives me a place to put that awful feeling.

Lucas on the other hand has no memory and feels like a ghost in his own life. His empathy and the warmth he shines out naturally is something that feel natural to me. His empathy is so big that sometimes it hurts him.

Q. Do you have a playlist for this story? What are your top 5 songs?

Oh Boi! This is going to be so sad...

1. In The Stars - Benson Boone
2. Before you leave me - Alex Warren
3. Ghost Town - Benson Boone
4. Memories - Dean Lewis
5. Drunk Driving - We Three

Q. What is your favorite time and place to write?

Honestly, on the sofa, next to my dog, with a cup of coffee or tea.

Q. Would you like to tag any of your friends or supporters and leave them a message?

Just, never give up on writing the story you want to tell.

> Getting Sentimental by AbiBee

Logline: A dose of nostalgia proves a powerful aphrodisiac for two women.

Q. How long have you been on Wattpad and what makes you stay?

Since 2013, so thirteen years. I enjoy writing to prompts, of which there are plenty here. Everyone I've had dealings with here is lovely and supportive.

Q. Tell us how you came up with this story, what was your inspiration?

A prompt - for the lovely little independent community project called Weekend Write-in (a different one-word prompt each Friday; a rough word limit of 100 or 500 words; a warm welcome, and no pressure). In this case, the prompt was 'nostalgia'. For that week's Weekend Write-in I actually ended up writing a different story, but the seed for this one had been sown, so over the course of the following year or so I let it develop in its own way. Hopefully, the theme of nostalgia works in it on two different levels: there's the old-fashioned music, the re-enactment and costumes and so on; but also Chloe's and Belle's shared past and all their memories, which they're both reluctant to let go of entirely. I also enjoy trying to write about music and am interested in history, but - like Chloe - I find re-enactment (and an obsession with WWII in particular) a slightly strange business.

Q. Describe the main characters of this story and how you connect with them.

Chloe, the narrator, is approaching thirty and her life is finally on-track after a difficult period: she's got over dropping out of music college, has forged a modest career for herself, and has calmed down from the rather wild young woman she'd been in her early twenties. Like her, I messed up university and was probably not very easy company for my loved ones for a year or two; I'm a similar age (a few years older). I also enjoy making amateur music (although she's better than me, and I'm certainly not very good at jazz).

Belle, the other main character, shares many similarities with several older, calmer, supportive and lovely people I know (and in my head is physically based on an ex of mine...)

Q. Do you have a playlist for this story? What are your top 5 songs?

Haha, the story literally provides its own playlist in the title and chapter headings (plus a few internal references).

Q. What is your favorite time and place to write?

Very early mornings before work; late at night; Sunday mornings too. Usually propped up in bed with the laptop. :)

Q. Would you like to tag any of your friends or supporters and leave them a message?

Thank you to everyone who reads, likes and/or comments on my stories. I am glad other people enjoy reading them as much as I do writing them xx

>Agoraphobe Meet Ghost Girl by SerSupernova

Logline: There's a beautiful dead girl in the fine print of Kai's housing contract. How is Kai going to navigate her life around her phantasmic, beautiful roommate when she can't even leave her own house due to her agoraphobia?

Q. How long have you been on Wattpad and what makes you stay?

I had an old account here since 2020, then life happened and I deleted it and left the platform. I recently started this account up again because I lost my spark writing. And I remembered that Wattpad was the place that started it all. So, I returned!

Q. Tell us how you came up with this story, what was your inspiration?

After losing loved ones to illness, I truly believe the ghosts we love never leave us. And being someone with severe anxiety that borders agoraphobia, I wanted to tell a different kind of Sapphic love story.

Q. Describe the main characters of this story and how you connect with them.

I'm also a nonbinary and neurodivergent writer, just like Kai. Similarly to Kai, my deadlines sometimes make me forget I'm also a storyteller who loves what I write, no matter what. This story is helping me remember that!

Q. Do you have a playlist for this story? What are your top 5 songs?

1) Tegan and Sara -- Walking with a Ghost.
2) Nouvelle Vague/Melanie Pain - The Killing Moon
3) Mazzy Star - Fade Into You
4) Siouxsie and the Banshees - Happy House
 5) Black Dresses -CREEP U

Q. What is your favorite time and place to write?

Early morning. Late at night. And when it rains because the rainwater makes my plants happy.

Q. Would you like to tag any of your friends or supporters and leave them a message?

<3 thank you for being so wonderful! 

💛🩷💙💜❤️🧡🤎

Thank you for reading, Pride Month is just around the corner, are you excited?

Well, our team is planning something big, so stay tuned to not miss it!

Warm Vibes,

The LGBTQAIP+ Family

[Disclaimer: Please note, this event and its rules are the creation of a team of Ambassadors (volunteers) and is in no way affiliated with Wattpad or its staff. Selection of said stories is entirely run by our team and is not the responsibility of Wattpad or its staff. This title is not a contest or a challenge, it's just a monthly event to support writers.]