Lucky Ticket

A debut collection of stories announcing an intelligent, vibrant and highly original Australian-Vietnamese voice in contemporary literature.

TWO WINNING TICKETS Lucy Miles was outraged when a sexy playboy claimed her precious jackpot—a beautiful vacation home. It was a sweepstakes slipup. The company had accidentally issued two winning tickets. Now she'd have to share her beach bungalow—until the real winner was announced—with a hunk that made her heart beat faster… ONE EXTRAORDINARYPRIZE! Ben Capriati had intended to outlast his competition, but then his challenger, Lucy-the-Librarian, changed out of her charity-bin duds and got under his skin. The former little mouse was drop-dead gorgeous and Ben could feel himself falling. Suddenly, the tables were turned and now Ben had just one week to convince his winsome housemate to make their temporary living arrangement permanent…

REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK A thrilling roller-coaster ride about a heist gone terribly wrong, with a plucky protagonist who will win readers’ hearts. What if you had the winning ticket that would change your life forever, but you couldn’t cash it in? Lucky Armstrong is a tough, talented grifter who has just pulled off a million-dollar heist with her boyfriend, Cary. She’s ready to start a brand-new life, with a new identity—when things go sideways. Lucky finds herself alone for the first time, navigating the world without the help of either her father or her boyfriend, the two figures from whom she’s learned the art of the scam. When she discovers that a lottery ticket she bought on a whim is worth millions, her elation is tempered by one big problem: cashing in the winning ticket means she’ll be arrested for her crimes. She’ll go to prison, with no chance to redeem her fortune. As Lucky tries to avoid capture and make a future for herself, she must confront her past by reconciling with her father; finding her mother, who abandoned her when she was just a baby; and coming to terms with the man she thought she loved—whose dark past is catching up with her, too. This is a novel about truth, personal redemption, and the complexity of being good. It introduces a singularly gifted, multilayered character who must learn what it means to be independent and honest...before her luck runs out.

"Working On A Song is one of the best books about lyric writing for the theater I've read."—Lin-Manuel Miranda Anaïs Mitchell named to TIME's List of the 100 Most Influential People in the World of 2020 An illuminating book of lyrics and stories from Hadestown—the winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical—from its author, songwriter Anaïs Mitchell with a foreword by Steve Earle On Broadway, this fresh take on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice has become a modern classic. Heralded as “The best new musical of the season,” by The Wall Street Journal, and “Sumptuous. Gorgeous. As good as it gets,” by The New York Times, the show was a breakout hit, with its poignant social commentary, and spellbinding music and lyrics. In this book, Anaïs Mitchell takes readers inside her more than decade’s-long process of building the musical from the ground up—detailing her inspiration, breaking down the lyrics, and opening up the process of creation that gave birth to Hadestown. Fans and newcomers alike will love this deeply thoughtful, revealing look at how the songs from “the underground” evolved, and became the songs we sing again and again.

In Jamie Pacton’s hilarious and poignant sophomore novel, a teen wins the lotto jackpot and suspicion and jealousy spread through her small town before she can claim her prize. Perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell and Becky Albertalli. 28,643,129. That’s how many dollars seventeen-year-old Fortuna Jane Belleweather just won in the lotto jackpot. It’s also how many reasons she has for not coming forward to claim her prize. If she reveals her win before she turns eighteen, Jane’s hoarder mother will get the money. The last thing her mom needs is millions of dollars to buy more stuff. But Jane’s birthday is a month away, and it’s hard to keep $28 million secret for long in her tiny Wisconsin town. After Jane’s best friend Bran declares on the news that he’ll be the one to find the lucky winner, he drags Jane into his schemes. In the meantime, everyone in town has big ideas about what they’d do with the money and strong opinions on why no one has claimed the prize. Suspicion and jealousy turns neighbor against neighbor and a hunt commences to find the lucky winner. As things in town get ugly, Jane begins to wonder: Could this much money actually be a bad thing?

Dink and his two friends help Lucky find the culprit who stole Lucky's winning lottery ticket.