7 Letters
Seven letters. One mystery. Two last weeks of high school that promise to change everything.
The debut novel by MADALENA. A coming-of-age story about first love, betrayal, and the fragility of youth.
7 Letters ~ 7
Julianne.
The name that kindles my dying soul. The sin who carries on at night. Thinking about her. Dreaming of lying on her bed. Feeling the touch I never felt, hearing the voice I never heard, holding the hand I never held. Screaming her name over and over again, from one syllable to the other.
Ju-li-anne.
Ju.
A slight touch of one's tongue on the mouth's ceiling, coupled with its sudden and unhesitating fall.
The hair is what ushered this snowstorm toward my life. Every one of those blonde, straight, bright, and silky lines... Now more than ever, I realize nothing could've prepared me for the first time our spirits crossed, when my heart suddenly paused, overwhelmed by countless feelings marauding my thoughts.
~ 2 ~
13 days until Prom
III
Seconds turned into minutes, minutes grew into hours, and we wound up falling asleep on the same sheets. Only my mother's slipper succeeded in hauling us out of the mattress. We remained awake for much too long, mostly whispering to one another about the letter. Eventually, Martha returned to her house, and I took a shower before getting dressed so as to leave mine. Moments later, her mother pulled into the driveway, we leaped inside, and she drove us to school.
'You two had a lot of fun tonight, didn't you?' Ms. Spencer asked.
Martha and I glanced at each other, and once our eyes locked, we unanimously exploded into laughter.
Brentwood High School, home for the best (and worst) memories I'd accumulated across my life. Only two weeks remained until graduation. Was I ready to leave everything and go to college?
Heck. No.
Not only was I abandoning the city I grew up in, I was also leaving experiences, friends, and my family. Without those, what would I become?
10
278 ~ MADALENA
But that wouldn't be what would happen, even if I begged them a thousand times over. Sure enough, neither carried on with the conversation, and I eventually heard footsteps walking down to the first floor.
XC
The Death of Queen Victoria
Act I
Scene I
Queen Victoria, Sara Bonetta, Narrator
On the Isle of Wight, at Osborne House, in Queen Victoria's bedroom, before her last day on earth can become, Her Majesty muses in a dwam through the sky and back, congruing along the Moon's promise of birthing anew, peeking at the source of heaven, praying for no evils and every good. Silks, Bouquets of Flowers and Wooden Crosses cover the Queen, all sundering her soul from where it direfully belongs. Near by the bed lie paintings of the children that couldn't come. Towards her right, a closed wardrobe shuns any light from drawing in, the which arrives from four candles, each waiting for the others to despond asleep. While the drawer towards her left holds a plate eaten empty, sounds of forks and knives keep the room across unfettered, shedding life while the Queen carries on lonely.
NARRATOR
(Joining the bedroom whilst shouldering a script, waiting for Victoria's goddaughter, who emerges from the wardrobe, to approach the Queen and hold her hand before commencing.)
–Albeit tales of loss gather but thy effusion so near the end, I, for even if lonely, fend from such acquainted faith. Victoria's final
The rest stays sealed until you hold the book.
~ 15 ~
Prom day
Martha
CVI
5:24 PM
369
Julianne's last weeks of high school spiral into a plethora of love, mystery, and courage. Everything takes place after she receives the first letter, a jazzy envelope adorned with her name, and the i dotted with a heart. What begins as a captivating episode rapidly becomes an obsession that pushes the limits of friendship, and trust.
Alongside her best friend, she sets out on a journey to uncover the writer's identity. What unravels is a set of heartbreaking secrets, a web of deceit, and a collection of letters that alter her view of the world. From the boy who sits beside her in history class, to the childhood friend whom she hasn't spoken to in months, her investigation takes on every turn possible so as to discover who is hiding behind the letters.
Beyond their mystery, Julianne's world is shaped by the recurrent rhythms of her life. The restless anticipation of graduation contrasts with the wounds from the past, offset by the beauty of the moments she shares with those around.
7 Letters is a coming-of-age story about the fragility of youth. The book explores the intricacies of a person's first love, the agony of betrayal, and the unsettledness beyond our strongest bonds.
7 Letters
Debut novel · 468 pages · English · First edition, July 2026 · ISBN 978-989-34-0210-8
Available as a paperback on Amazon in 14 countries. Choose the store that ships to you — each one sets its own price and delivery.