Unmasked

Serena Ryder’s punk-rock heart was born for the stage. But after a stinging loss in a singing competition, she retreats to a job as a music journalist, kissing her headlining dreams goodbye. The bands she interviews have more social media clout than talent, but her boss demands flowery pieces. Desperate to remain in the industry, Serena appeases him with emphatic adjectives and exclamation marks. In her first drafts, at least. When he catches on to her post-editing changes, infusing honest critiques between compliments, he grants her one last chance to do things his way, or lose her job—and ties to the music industry—for good. 

Enter Skull, an up-and-coming enigmatic masked singer. Serena expects his responses to be shallow and unoriginal, but instead he shares his own struggles to stardom. Despite his mask staying firmly in place due to a paranoid manager, his vulnerability resonates with Serena, inspiring her to sing for the first time since the competition. Doesn’t hurt he performs shirtless, displaying an impeccable pack of abs. Serena writes an article her boss approves while remaining authentic to herself, and tumbles into a romance with Skull offstage. 

When her boss demands a glimpse of the man beneath the plastic, Serena could boost her career with Skull’s unmasking. Or, she could protect his anonymity, and maybe even take the stage with him, seeing her dreams come to fruition.