I’ve seen a handful of shooting stars in my life. I’ve made a wish on every one of them.

I’m not counting the meteor showers I’ve watched, mind you. That feels like cheating. I mean that rare event where a burst of light shoots across the sky out of the blue (or black, as the case may be).

I love that feeling of breathlessness and joy. Like you’ve witnessed something so special and fleeting it’s a miracle you saw it at all.

In that moment, wondrous things seem possible. So, why not dare to dream they might come true?

I tried to capture that feeling on the cover art of our latest volume of Fiction River. It’s called Wishes, after all.

The magical Rebecca Moesta edits this volume, the third young adult volume she has contributed to the Fiction River line.

Here’s the synopsis:

Forget the old adage that cautions against wishing. The sixteen stories in this latest Fiction River contain just the right amount of heart, magic, pathos, and even hope. From a daughter hoping to save her father with a crash-course in wishery to an unfortunate victim at the wrong end of someone else’s wish, these stories show teens trying to wish away their problems—with often unexpected results. But no matter the dilemma, this volume of Fiction River promises to lift your spirits and remind you just how much magic the universe offers.

Table of Contents
“The Rock of Kansas” by Eric Kent Edstrom
“Movie Boy and Music Girl” by Ron Collins
“Upon_a_Starship.pgm” by Brigid Collins
“Ellen Double Prime” by Alexandra Brandt
“Twin Wishes” by Jamie Ferguson
“Granted” by Robert Jeschonek
“If Wishes Were Kisses” by Lesley L. Smith
“A Winged Heart” by T. Thorn Coyle
“What Alanna Wished, How, and Why” by Dave Raines
“Blame it on the Ghosts” by Annie Reed
“Family, Fair and True” by Dayle A. Dermatis
“True” by Leslie Claire Walker
“How I Became a Fairy Godmother” by Bonnie Elizabeth
“Starfish at Ebbtide” by Lisa Silverthorne
“Turquoise Trail” by Diana Deverell
“As Fast as Wishes Travel” by Dale Hartley Emery

We can all use a little more hope these days. Perhaps this volume of Fiction River will be just the distraction you have been wishing for. You can buy it here.

Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer.