Neurodivirgint

Ellory Root has always been a little offbeat, and at nearly forty she’s beginning to feel the weight of her stalled life. Still working the same job she’s held for over a decade alongside her father and sister, she spends her evenings scribbling poetry, making wry observations about a world that never seems to make space for her. When she finally musters the courage to read her work at an open mic, she’s heckled and humiliated. The sting of bullying doesn’t fade—but it sparks something surprising. Instead of retreating, Ellory decides to flip the script on her setbacks. She creates a fortieth-birthday bucket list that includes bold steps to push herself beyond her comfort zone. At the top of the list? Lose her virginity. What should be a straightforward, if awkward, arrangement takes a wildly unexpected turn. When she books an escort for a hotel rendezvous, the man who arrives is none other than the heckler who crushed her confidence at the poetry night. The discovery is horrifying, hilarious, and strangely magnetic. She wants nothing to do with him, but fate seems determined to push them together. A series of unlucky events keeps Ellory and the heckler colliding in ways she can’t avoid. Every encounter chips away at her assumptions about who he is—and forces her to examine her own beliefs about intimacy, trust, and change. Meanwhile, she develops a crush on another man. When this relationship finally leads her to losing her virginity, she finds the milestone rather anticlimactic, pun intended, and she’s met with rejection that reinforces the narrative she’s attempted to deny. Ellory’s quirks have always been paired with a stubborn courage—she’s the type to speak up against harassment or injustice even when it backfires on her. And as her path keeps intertwining with the man she once dismissed as an enemy, she’s confronted with proof that people can surprise us, for better and worse. Slowly, she begins to question her belief that first impressions and past mistakes define someone forever. Through heartbreak, humor, and a string of misadventures, Ellory discovers that growth doesn’t mean erasing her quirks or fitting into a mold. It means embracing who she is, even when the world pushes back. She leaves her long-standing family job in search of work that finally feels fulfilling, and risks opening her heart to someone who once seemed impossible. What begins as a playful bucket list quickly takes a backseat as Ellory’s life unravels in ways she never could have planned.” She’s stumbled, embarrassed herself, and fought back against people who tried to keep her small. But she’s also proven that change is possible—for herself, for the people around her, and for the love she never thought she’d find. Neurodivirgint is a heartfelt, comedic story about resilience, reinvention, and the messy, hilarious ways people can surprise us—especially when we dare to be ourselves.