fiction / story

a story I published. fiction 

https://latinosenglishedition.blog/2026/01/16/governess-by-katya-mills/

10.23.25

the lad was downcast watching the oatmeal drip off a sugary spoon. heavy in some story he told himself. she caught his eye. look! my nail polish. isn't it radiant? the counter story began to take ... can we go to the park? I want to feed the ducks.

Don't Take the Poison by Katya Mills

Short Story

' Don't Take the Poison '

by Katya Mills

here: 

https://latinosenglishedition.wordpress.com/2025/07/29/dont-take-the-poison-by-katya-mills/

book review

The latest review on Goodreads.com 

for my novel AME AND THE TANGY ENERGETIC

 "Within the pages of a fantastical world, "Ame and the Tangy Energetic" tells the captivating journey of two friends, Ame and Kell. The narrative is immersed in the gripping challenges that characters face. Addiction, self-discovery, and the resilience required to navigate the complexities of life are explored skillfully by the novel. Ame and Tangy Energetic's beauty is enhanced by the author's poetic writing style, which sets it apart. For those seeking a captivating blend of fantasy and emotional depth, this novel is a must-read that leaves a lasting impression on the heart."    - Archana

Here is the link to the review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6088358547

book review

Latest Review of Girl Without Borders

"I actually enjoyed the plot of this book. I had read a few reviews before reading it and saw that some people didn’t like the layout of the writing. I did enjoy it however the only issue I had was understanding when a person was talking as it wasn’t in speech marks but was in italics instead.
The plot was rather fun to read and easy to keep along with. I just struggled at times to understand it due to the writing style as stated before! However, it was often poetic to have the writing this way.

It was a great novel by a fascinating writer and I hope to read more works by this author in the future!!"

link to Georgia's review on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6427587464

undercover

they were posted at a rest stop off of the highway. casually smoking tobacco in conversation. two middle-aged Chines-American men blending in with bleary-eyed truck drivers. anytime a sedan matching the color and make pulled into a spot, one would nudge the other and they would do a performative piece of cat and mouse. she was stretching her arms and waiting for her friends to get back to the car when she sensed it. she turned fully around and several yards away caught the guy staring directly at her. 

 #katyamills

book review

Review of Ame and The Tangy Energetic by Katya Mills

Reviewed by Kelly Marie Purdy

"Like the last book that I read by this author, this felt like a pretty intense read, but I liked it. I liked the fact that I had the perspective of both the protagonists, and I felt as though I got to know each character quite well, during the time I was reading.

For me, something about the narration felt intimate, as though I was reading someone's diary, or having a deep conversation with a friend. I think the author writes in a way that makes the reader feel connected to the characters, and aware of their emotions and experiences. While I was reading, I cared about these characters and their story."

Link to the review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6018445999#_=_

book review

 Goodreads review of Girl Without Borders by Katya Mills. 

Reviewed on Dec 1st, 2023 by Kelly Marie Purdy... https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6015720556

This felt like a pretty intense read. I felt the author wrote in a way that was very to the point, very raw, without sugarcoating anything. I think that made me feel more aware of the characters' emotions and experiences, and I did feel connected to them. Something that I noticed was the fact that I felt quite sorry for these characters. The whole time I was reading about them, I felt as though I never fully understood them, or why they behaved the way they did, and that impacted me a little bit psychologically. I did like reading this though, it definitely had my attention after a few pages, and I became invested in it.

final trick

her life did come apart and it was a tale as old as time. she took on credit card debt and sometimes her checks bounced. they came and ripped her cable out and the car on lease was long since repossessed. she found it harder and harder to tough it out. she got by on canned goods at the save mart and public transportation to a minimum wage job. she wasn't going to ask anyone close to her for money when there was little hope in paying them back. second hand stores for clothes and government assistance for food. she had already moved several times and the rent was going up. she chose escorting to bring some stability to the equation. this worked for a while but she got discouraged by the scum of the earth. maybe one out of ten johns. the other nine were fine. the work paid well enough and she met them online so she had not yet been in trouble with the law. she had a guy she trusted to watch her back. she paid her debt and got a high def tv with all the movie channels. she shopped at Macys and bought a lightly used late model Ford. she signed up for classes to become a phlebotomist and got prescription glasses. she met a man who made her laugh and did not judge. she had close calls with cruel men and she got beat. the guy she hired for muscle caught one and payback. in tribute to her sister, the one who disappeared and never heard from again, she did a final trick and got out of the game. this super turnaround would not be covered by the nightly news.  #katyamills

ph phrenia

i often saw sweet images 

as we pressed liquid into fabric

processing soy sauce for the restaurant

i kept this to myself for years 

until the voices began to speak to me 

you can't make me do anything I don't want to

i cut and stretched and framed the fabrics 

let me share with you

here. open your eyes

can you see?

#katyamills

thought

after all kinds of sophistry

they finally read something honest

in a world detoured from books

they had just about given up 

themselves 

they thought wrong they

caved they pushed the tablet into the portal 

surgically wired into they chest

where the heart once 

resided   #katyamills

book giveaway

 
 

    Goodreads Book Giveaway
 

   

       
   

   

     

          Trouble '99
     
     

          by Katya Mills
     

     

         
            Giveaway ends June 28, 2020.
         
         
            See the giveaway details
            at Goodreads.
         
     
   
   

    Enter Giveaway

fictions

what really happened

memory clouds it

feelings color it thoughts about it

change it

what it really was what

you guess it was

just don’t go thinking

pretending you know

the facts are closer but alone

they are meaningless

that’s why it’s fun to write

fiction

published on wordpress

by Katya Mills

0202.2020

you wanna tell a story of what really happened but you cannot because your memory clouds it and your feelings about it colors it and your thoughts about it change it from what it really was to what you guess it was, and that's all right... just don't go thinking you can or pretending that's the real truth because it's not. it cannot be and it's not. no one has the real truth not even the facts. the facts are closer than you or me, but the facts alone are meaningless. that's why it's fun to write fiction.

excerpt from my yet-to-be-published novella

Katya 2019

There may be hope for me, I thought, rolling the smoke between my fingers. How different everything felt. The box, the stem, the lighter, the cig. I could sense the tobacco leaf inside the paper. Crunchy, resilient, it bounced back when you pressed it. I set fire to it and watched it burn and glow. I felt the smoke hit the lungs and exhaled at the top of my breath, I can breathe. Maybe I will last, after all, I thought, relaxing and getting used to myself again, taking drags. Aden looked worried, huh, I suppose they all did. I wish I could tell him...I still see things that turn me on. The barber shop cylinders have gone dark, the neon lights are lit, the end of the night far away, the dance floor naked and ugly without a dance. I paid the check and smiled. - Katya, Trouble '99

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