Sometimes facing old enemies means making new friends.

Freelancer Clara isn't exactly feeling like hot stuff: bills are mounting, clients are scarce and her social circle has been steadily shrinking since her high school graduation. She's desperate for a win, so when it turns out her six-year-old niece is supposed to bring saffron buns to school for St. Lucia's Day, Clara wants nothing more than to make them from scratch. That is, until she remembers that the task involves coming face to face with her old nemesis—yeast.

Luckily for Clara, her very cool downstairs neighbor happens to be a baking fiend. If she can put her pride and social reserve aside for long enough, she might be able to save the buns along with her self-confidence. She might even make a new friend in the process...

Rising to the Occasion is a queer, New Adult, contemporary novelette about self-esteem, anxiety and friendship. It is set in Stockholm, Sweden and is about 8,000 words long.