CAROLINE J. TRUSSELL
Caroline J. Trussell is a published author and has served in a number of editorial roles throughout her career. She was previously a contributing writer for Her Campus and Folio Weekly. She graduated from the University of Central Florida with a major in Writing and Rhetoric and also attended the prestigious Columbia Publishing Course in 2021. Caroline is currently a creative writing MFA candidate at Butler University. Her speculative fiction fantasy novel, ENHANCED, is out with Fire and Ice YA as of 08/11/25. She is a queer, neurodivergent, disabled writer as well as a mental health and chronic illness warrior and hopes to inspire others through discussing these topics in her work.
ADULTHOOD, Flash Fiction (Nonfiction)
BRIGHT FLASH LITERARY REVIEW, OCTOBER 2025
Caroline's first flash fiction piece is now available to read in Bright Flash Literary Review.
Here’s a snippet:
Get a good job after school, move to a big city. Work from 9-5 and sometimes even later. Say yes ma’am and yes sir. Take the coffee orders. Come home late and always be available via email. Go the bar down the street that serves the $3 drinks, try to forget your day. Verbal abuse is expected in the industry, just smile and twist your personality to fit the people who are paying you. Eat a whole box of Cheez Its to numb the pain, lie in bed staring at the popcorn ceiling wondering what you were really taught besides how to endure pain.
Read the full piece on Bright Flash Literary Review's website
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Enhanced, YA Speculative Fiction
A gripping and thought-provoking dystopian thriller that blends intrigue, rebellion, and emotional depth into an instant YA classic. Perfect for fans of Divergent, Legend, Suzanne Collins, and Scott Westerfeld.
When THEA turns seventeen, she’s accepted into The Elite society of New America and given her dose of the Elixir—a substance that promises to eradicate all negative aspects of ‘mental illness’ and enhance natural abilities. With the Elixir declaring one’s place in society, Thea is astounded when she is declared not one, but two roles—a Moodist and an Analyst.
With her newfound skills, Thea is determined to use them to help others. After throwing herself into her studies and befriending the intelligent Seer HARLEY, Thea uncovers a web of lies and deceit surrounding the distribution of the Elixir.
As more and more horrendous truths surrounding the government and the Elixir are unearthed, Thea abandons everything she used to believe in and joins an underground rebellion known as the Disorder.
Bonding with the insurgent ELIAS, they make it their mission to find out why the Elixir is being held back from those who need it most. To take down the corrupt agenda of New America’s governing body, Thea will have to face the mysterious scientific Order of Alchemists and someone closer to her than she could imagine.
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ENHANCED (BOOK 1 OF 2 IN THE ENHANCED DUOLOGY), AUGUST 2025, FIRE & ICE YA BOOKS
MISSED CONNECTIONS, YA Contemporary Romance
EDITING AS OF OCTOBER 2025
- XO KITTY x THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY X TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN X K-POP CONFIDENTIAL
- Pining and yearning
- K-pop vibes
- Miscommunication and second chance
- ANGST
- OCD, trauma, and grief rep​
- Camp setting
- Dual timeline
- International love: Washington--> Seoul
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PLAYING WITH FIRE, Adult Workplace Romance
IDEA SINCE APRIL 2025
- Work rivals
- OCD x PTSD rep
- Prestigious restaurant chain setting
- Heat in the kitchen and out of it
- Jewish and French rep
- Bisexual MMC
- Golden retriever out of the kitchen, wolf in the kitchen
CHORDS THAT CONNECT, Contemporary Romance/Little Women Retelling
IDEA SINCE JANUARY 2025
- What if Beth lived?
- Beth x Laurie pairing in modern setting
- Famous pianist x famous journalist
- Childhood friends to lovers
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THE MARKED ONES, YA Gladiatorial Fantasy
OUTLINED SINCE NOVEMBER 2024
- GLADIATOR II X DIVINE RIVALS
- Decided fate since birth
- Sacrifice to the gods for power and prestige
- Ancient Rome inspired
- Female gladiators
- The prophesied one trope
- Feminine Rage
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KINDLE THE FLAME, YA Magical Realism with Elemental Magic and Feminine Rage
WORK IN PROGRESS SINCE 2023
- Mental illness and LGBTQIA+ rep
- Bi-sexual MC
- Irish and Argentinian folklore
- Elemental, divination, and healing magic
- Prophecy to end all prophecies
- New England setting
-Close knit cast of characters
- Wonderfully supportive dads
PAINT IT RED, YA Psychological Thriller
WORK IN PROGRESS SINCE 2019
Everything changed for sixteen-year-old Elliot Abernathy in the blink of an eye. One night his mother comes home, clearly out of sorts, and is admitted to the hospital, where she is deemed as having large quantities of drugs in her system. She is immediately transported to the Adirondacks Psychiatric Facility, where she stays as a rehab patient. However, Elliot’s mother divulges to him that this was part of her plan: to uncover the mistreatment of the patients by the head psychiatrist, Dr. Axley.
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Elliot must get his mother out of the facility. He discovers that the facility is not only mistreating its patients but is being funded by high-level politicians and that his own father has a connection to the wrongdoings. He begins to write for his mother’s paper to expose the corruption and, with each new discovery, Elliot feels that his world is being turned upside down. A school fire twenty-five years ago, a group of missing children, and the sick-looking appearance of the psych patients all drive Elliot further towards finding out what is going on behind the walls of this facility. If Elliot doesn’t expose the corruption and help release the patients, he risks losing his mother forever, and fears that his town will never know the truth.
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PAINT IT RED is set in 1983 and explores how far someone will go for their loved ones while examining mental health issues. With many twists and turns, PAINT IT RED will keep anyone on their toes and on the edge of their seat. PAINT IT RED strives to tell the story of a young man who fights for what is right, at all costs, and finds himself in the process.
At around 90,000 words, it is a young adult psychological thriller and can be described best as THE PROJECT by Courtney Summers and STRANGER THINGS meets SHUTTER ISLAND.