EPIGRAPH

"Memory is dynamic. It's alive. If some details are missing, memory fills the holes with things that never happened."

Ari Folman
Waltz with Bashir

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SUMMARY

A Painting major who wants to open her first professional art exhibition confronts her past when working with a Journalism major who wants to expose the truth about her renowned, Contemporary painter father.
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College senior Willow Díaz wants two things: to successfully open an art exhibition dedicated to her father, the well-known Puerto Rican painter Leo Díaz, and to complete her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting. As a requirement to finish her degree, she must showcase her art collection on the female body in an exhibition hosted by an up-and-coming art gallery. However, the painful memory of her father begins to affect her art.

Journalism major Maximiliano Abelló is set out to accomplish two things: complete an investigative journalism piece as a requirement to finish his bachelor's degree and expose the truth about Leo Díaz. He's been working on this exposé for two months, gathering evidence, analyzing Díaz's famous paintings for clues, but meeting dead ends. Assigned as the lead writer to cover the exhibition from beginning to end for his campus' #1 newspaper, The Student Voice, his solution presents itself through Willow.

Now, forced to work together during their last semester, they try their best to stay focused on their goals and not fall in love. But, as their worlds collide, Max's exposé unearths a truth that promises to catapult his career as a journalist but threatens to ruin Willow's life.

CONTENT

🖌 Non-explicit depictions of rape and sexual assault. Read with caution.

🖊 Mention/non-explicit depictions of suicide. Read with caution.

🖌 Realistic and flawed characters. Their views and beliefs don't necessarily reflect my own. They're their own people.

🖊 Contains non-explicit sexual scenes/themes/references/language.

🖌 The New York Voice is a fictional newspaper. In the novel, it's New York's #1 newspaper.

🖊 The Student Voice is a fictional college-based newspaper. In the novel, it's the college's #1 newspaper.

🖌 Guggenheim University is a fictional college. In the novel, it's one of the leading universities in the country.

🖊 Since the novel is based in college and the protagonists are college students, there will be some albeit short academic descriptions/works from their part. Just a glimpse of their critical thinking when it comes to art, journalism, and life.

🖌 There will be discussions about real paintings, as well as fictional ones created by me. These fictional paintings will belong to Leo Díaz and Willow Díaz.

🖊 The main female protagonist is Puerto Rican, while the male protagonist is Spanish and Puerto Rican. This means that some dialogue and character memories are going to be in Spanish. Don't worry, though. I'll provide the English translation in an in-line comment.

🖌 Descriptions/depictions of Puerto Rican and Spanish dishes, history, and culture.

🖊 Two settings: New York and Puerto Rico. I live in Puerto Rico and have never been to NY. This means that every description, be it of the weather or the buildings or the city itself, comes from research and from information I get from people who do live in NY. I also love Sex and the City, so there's that. If I describe something wrong, please correct me.

🖌 Willow's grandmother only speaks Spanish, while her mother alternates between Spanish and English. Translations will be provided through in-line comments in their respective chapters.

🖊 Maximiliano's father speaks broken English. This means that his dialogue will have the wrong use of some words and the wrong conjugations. Know that it's intentional.

🖌 Willow is an artist, as in a painter. I know about painting because I used to paint and took History of Art courses in college. However, correct me if I'm wrong in anything.

🖊 Maximiliano is a Journalism major/journalist. I know about journalism because I worked as a writer and junior editor for a college-based, online magazine. However, I am no expert. What I write regarding journalism is based on research. Correct me if I'm wrong.

🖌 The descriptions of organizing an exhibition and art gallery come from research. Correct me if I'm wrong in any detail, no matter how small.

🖊 Dual-Pov narrative.
🖌 Third-person narrative.

GENRE

Contemporary Fiction

Romance

New Adult

TIMELINE

[FIRST DRAFT]
Status: Ongoing

START DATE:

Writing: June 3, 2022
Publishing: September 2, 2023

END DATE:

Writing: • • •
Publishing: • • •

NOTE

Thank you for considering to read this story. This is the novel I've been wanting to write since I was fourteen years old but didn't know how to. The idea has always been with me, whispering over the years and growing into an earth-shattering scream. It wants to be told and demands it.

I wrote two versions of it over the years: one in 2016, the other in 2019. I lost complete interest in them because I wasn't happy with the way they were written or the path they were taking. Luckily, my writing has improved a lot since then, and I finally have a clear idea of what I want to write, so I'm ready to give it another shot. I love how the novel is developing.

It's very important for me that you acknowledge Willow's nationality, ethnicity, and race throughout the book. There's a lack of Hispanic and Latino representation in literature - both in Wattpad and traditional publishing - and I plan to change that with the rest of the books I write. If few people are representing us, then it's my job to do us justice.

Vote, comment, and share if you're liking it. It really means a lot to me as an aspiring author. Feel free to correct any grammatical mistakes.

Last thing, in an in-line comment right here, tell me how you found this book! I really want to know.

DISCLAIMER

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

This is a first draft. Therefore, it will contain some grammatical errors. I'm going to edit every single chapter before publication, but I can make a mistake. After all, I'm only human. Feel free to correct any grammatical errors and be kind about it. The novel's plot, voice, structure, and continuity will be edited once it's completed (in its second-draft version).

Pictures, quotes, and GIFS are not mine unless stated otherwise. All rights to their owners.

COPYRIGHT

My Body Is Not My Own

All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2023 by Abigail F. Boneta

(@siremay)

This story in its entirety - all chapters, prologue, epilogue, and associated content - is copyrighted and may not be reproduced, downloaded, disseminated, published, broadcasted, manipulated, distributed, sold or transferred in any form by any means. This constitutes an infringement of copyright, which is punishable by law.

This book contains material protected under international and federal copyright laws and treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. All characters mentioned and expressed in the book are purely the writers property. Resemblance to any person is purely co-incidental and not intentional. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.

Just don't copy my novel. I work hard on it. Plagiarism is a crime, and I have this book copyrighted in Wattpad and out of it. So don't even try it, unless you'll like to get into some legal trouble with me.

Thank you. Lots of love.

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INSTAGRAM: abigailboneta.writes
TIKTOK: abigailbonetawrites
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