(Jan.Spontaneous unplanned agoraphobia An abnormal fear of open or public places dastardly wicked and cruel bode be an omen of a particular outcome Sonnets 14 line poems quirky unusual strange odd eccentric competency the ability to do something successfully or efficiently Validity the quality of being logically or factually sound soundness or cogency. Agent: Mandy Hubbard, Emerald City Literary. Through Norah’s poetic internal monologue, Gornall, whose own experience with mental illness helped inform Norah’s story, provides an intimate glimpse into the mind of a young woman battling some very real demons.

While Luke’s almost-too-good-to-be-true patience and persistence help spur Norah to push herself in new ways, Gornall doesn’t minimize the role of therapy in the progress she makes nor the difficult work that still lies ahead for the teenager. Norah’s unease permeates the pages (“Musings, meanderings, conversations that haven’t even happened run in one continuous loop around my head”), leaving readers with a deep understanding of the limitations of her conditions. After a cute boy named Luke moves in next door and takes an interest in her, Norah manages to fight her urges to hide away, slowly befriending him and showing him who she really is, phobias and all. Seventeen-year-old Norah has incapacitating OCD and agoraphobia: she hasn’t been outside of her home, except to see her therapist, in nearly four years.

Rose tainted skies