“Some nights, I wake up screaming…”
“Screaming from a nightmare that isn’t. It always happens the same way, but no matter how many times the memory resurfaces I have this urgent feeling. If I can get home faster, answer his phone call, the outcome will be different. I’ll run into the house, throw open his door, and find him sitting on his bed smiling.”
Ally Jean wants answers. Unfortunately, dead men don’t talk. Senior year finds her alone, screaming obscenities at the sky or into the bottom of a bottle. Stumbling numbly through existence toward an early grave, she meets a man who pushes past her fractured facade. When his existence becomes endangered, her spiral threatens to become a nose-dive, and this becomes clear: if Ally Jean has a prayer of living to see a happy ending, she must learn how to keep it together while everything falls apart. Easy, right?
Four Letter Words: Act One is a raw, darkly comedic tale that brutally explores suicide, addiction, depression, and self-harm. Its pages are packed with ample blood, sweat, and tears, alongside familial drama, a touch of romance, and edge-of-your-seat adventure. With the cliff at the end of Act One, you’ll be swearing under your breath at our heroine as you root for her survival.
About the Author:
Four Letter Words: Act One is Haley Beth Costisick-Unwin’s first published novel. The series author writes like her life depends on it. They grew up in a podunk Upstate New York town, dreaming of drama. Dreams do come true, and Haley uses every ounce of strife to write novels with widely identifiable themes, full of hell and hope. And love, their favorite four-letter. Haley and their sweet dork of a husband have five cats, filthy mouths, wicked laughs, and good hearts. Major craft influences have been Rob Thurman’s novels, Marc Maron’s humanity, and everything created by David E. Kelley.
Accolades:
“A coming-of-age story that’s real, gritty, and down to earth.”
-Karen Hodges Miller, Bestselling Author
“This nightmare is gnarly…Chapter Nineteen is a tidy package containing a severed finger. Well done.”
-Devon Kosior, Composer & Twitch Streamer
Read Act Two in May 2023! In the meantime;Connect with the author on Twitter, TikTok, Reddit & Facebook @haleybcuVisit haleybcu.com for the latest updates & bonus contentSubscribe to the YouTube Channel Haley BCUFollow @haley.bcu & @allyjeanseries on InstagramRemember “every story is a God damned love story.”
