MISTAKES WERE MADE. FRIENDSHIPS WERE DESTROYED. BUT NOW HE'S THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD HELP HER. Cassalyn Diao has made a dangerous, faceless enemy, and the only people in the world who could help her are the same ones she had abandoned six years ago. But she doesn't have a choice. Her sister is missing, her family doesn't care, and her adversary is too much for even her to take down alone. Marcus, Earl of Farnsworth, had lost his heart to the dark-haired spy years ago and still hadn't gotten it back. When she arrives at his doorstep half-dead and bleeding, he decides that he'd do anything to return her back into his arms. Whatever it takes. But they'll have to outwit their lethal opponent first, and as the clock ticks forward and the people closest to them are thrust into jeopardy, Marcus and Cassalyn find themselves in danger of losing much more than just their hearts in this game of cat-and-mouse. (Book One of The Sable Sisters Duology) Winner of the 2021 Wattys, Fantasy & Most Engaging World Wattpad Editor's Choice Formerly a Wattpad Original novel

In the Den of the Kingdom of Dreduor, money reigns supreme and one's skill at deception determines how much you can make, and how much longer you will survive. Maize is a thief- a very good thief, and one of the Den's best. So when a wealthy benefactor purposefully seeks her out to fulfill a contracted job, she is neither surprised nor hesitant to accept. Only after she discovers it's the royal palace she needs to infiltrate, Maize quickly finds herself in the middle of the grandest con of her career. Maize must position herself within the court in order to complete her mission, even if it means capturing the eye- and the heart- of the very Prince she's supposed to abscond. But will Maize be able to finish the job before her true intentions are discovered? Or worse- before she finds her heart stolen first? ------------------- This is a FREE STORY with PAID BONUS CONTENT ------------------- Cover by Tina Glasneck ©2019 M.Dalto Published to Wattpad 11.01.19 Initial Draft ongoing - last updated 12.24.2023

A HEIST GONE WRONG. A GANG SHATTERED. Volya Angelov, known by the public as the Priest for his cult-like following, knows how to cut a deal and take what's rightfully his. He and his criminal prodigies have siphoned Gorod Krestov's wealth for years and are slowly draining the city's slums with their profits. Yet when he is arrested and shipped off to an island prison, his empire is left to his closest ally, Mysh, a girl who stands a mere five feet. It's up to her to manage what he's left behind and decide whether or not the syndicate should be risked for his life. But with demons from a haunting past and sinister characters converging all around her: can Mysh pull it off? "SIX OF CROWS" meets "PEAKY BLINDERS" in this twisty, 1920s-set novella with enough suspense to keep you reading until the church bells chime. Honors/Awards: ONC 2021 Top 5 Winner (4th place) ONC 2021 Ambassador's Pick (Round Two) "NOVYYE SAINTS" is 7x featured on: @shortstory's "another time, another place" reading list @action's "thriller" reading list @action's "action spotlight" reading list @historicalfiction's "decade fiction" reading list @badassreads's "the ruffians" reading list @storiesundiscovered's "historically inaccurate" reading list for august 2021 @opennovellacontest's "2021 top five winners" and "2021 ambassador picks" lists Copyright © 2021 Elle Chaika Open Novella IV (2021) | Prompt No. 29

[Soon by WATTPAD BOOKS] In the prestigious race of stars, Sozo must hide the truth of who she is or pay with her life, but her blossoming relationship with the most talented competitor threatens everything she's worked for. ***** Every ten years, the lucky chosen bond with stars and race to win a wish. Any wish. Sozo is one of the lucky chosen, but she has a secret: as an Omen -- cursed beings that can transform into monsters -- she's forbidden from competing. Discovery would mean her death. Can she hope to keep her identity a secret, let alone win the race, especially as the talented and sunny Naqi enters the picture? When Sozo is given an ultimatum, she has to choose: betray her Omen people, or betray the people who are slowly, surely, becoming like a family to her. --- WATTYS AWARD 2020 "Bar none, this was [Senior Editorial Specialist] Amanda's absolute favourite read from the Wattys this year. It makes you cry, just from pure, uncontainable joy, and the ending kept us reading until nearly 6am. Everything about this story is beautiful. We were astounded that anyone could create something so magnificent and moving and magical. This level of storytelling mastery will never not blow us away." [Word Count: 70,500]

{WATTY'S 2020 WINNER & EDITOR'S PICK.} Hopeless romantic and aspiring writer Mare Atwood has fallen madly in love with her childhood correspondent. There's only one catch-she doesn't know who he is. When the beaus of Star's Crossing return from boarding school to begin the courting season, Mare is determined to uncover the identity of her writer, flout her family's intentions of orchestrating an advantageous marriage, and procure the life of writing and romance she's always sought. But as in the tales she so adores, it won't be easy. Galas, masquerades, picnics, and hunts-alongside an old friend, a former teacher, and an unlikely ally, Mare delves into an investigation that leaves her torn between three clever, deceptive, and wealthy young bachelors. If Mare can confirm which is her writer and claim his hand before the courting season ends, she'll have her wish: the love of her life, a valuable marriage, and a future of writing romance. But with the eyes of Star's Crossing upon her, a business plot forcing invisible hands, and the unwillingness of her writer to come forward-Mare's future may not end in triumph, but tragedy. Set against the gilded Victorian backdrop of coastal Connecticut and lush with pre-war luxury, fans of Jane Austen, Margaret Mitchell, and Louisa May Alcott are sure to enjoy this lighthearted, lyrical novel of young love, independence, and identity. #1 Literary #1 YA Romance #1 Victorian #1 Lyrical #8 General Fiction

Ray is low on time, luck, and hope; his only chance is an artifact that may not even exist. But upon meeting Landon, Ray is beginning to believe he might find all four. ***** Cambions are doomed to tragedy. They are weak, sickly creatures that rarely live to see their twentieth year. Ray refuses to resign himself to that fate. Upon learning of the Crimson Sheath-an artifact capable of preserving his life-Ray is prepared to fight, steal, and kill to get his hands on it. He is not prepared for Landon. Landon is an orphan with no memories of his parents, the only inheritance left to him a dagger, sleeping in a crimson sheath. Though he has no love of bloodshed and no use for a dagger, Landon isn't about to let Ray take his only link to his forgotten history, even if that means following the cambion past the edge of the world and into the shadow beyond. Content Warnings: Violence, semi-graphic gore, character deaths, profanity, mild drug and alcohol usage, abuse discussed but not shown, and morally-questionable people doing morally-questionable things.

A magic-addicted spy trapped in the queen's service must track a princess-turned-assassin in order to earn her freedom, but things get complicated when she falls for the princess she's supposed to capture. ***** Weak. Cursed. That's how seventeen-year-old Kayden Branimir, the realm's deadliest assassin, views herself. Some believe she could save the world with her rare healing magic, but she gave up on her powers long ago after failing to save her best friend. Her life changes when she receives a letter from her supposedly dead twin brother, Alaric, begging to be rescued from rival territory Leodia. For the first time since her friend's accident, Kayden is determined to be the hero, but she must learn to embrace her magic--and herself--along the way. Strange. Unnatural. Those are the words whispered about eighteen-year-old Zara Tait, a Leodian spy addicted to soul-stealing magic. Forced into the queen's service, Zara wants to escape and return home, but she has nothing to offer the queen in exchange for her freedom. When Kayden arrives in Leodia, Zara sees the quiet girl with unique magic as the bargaining chip she needs. But the more she learns of Kayden, the more her feelings grow. Now, Zara must choose between her freedom and the dangerous assassin she hadn't meant to fall for. [2020 Watty Award Winner] Content warning: This story contains mature themes of violence, addiction, abuse, self-harm, and mental illness. Cover by Faera Lane

After being kidnapped and thrown into a VRMMORPG, 17-year-old Suzuki Mato must find the line between his real and in-game personalities before it kills him. ***** Following the death of his popular online persona, seventeen-year-old Suzuki Mato decides it's time to retire from professional VR gaming. However, his plans are abruptly cut short when he's kidnapped from his high school and forced to be a guinea pig for Genaco Gaming, the world's largest esports and entertainment company. Armed with nothing but his wit and a new online persona, he's thrown headfirst into the virtual reality of "Live No Evil," a VRMMORPG littered with overpowered bosses, secretive NPCs, and backstabbing gods. His mission? Find a way to conquer this new world and get back at the company that took over his life, all while avoiding 'Parallel' -- a condition that would make it impossible to separate his real and virtual personalities. Because in a world obsessed with VR gaming, Parallel means death, and Suzuki just doesn't have time for that... [Parallel Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 out now, Vol. 3 coming soon] Content/Trigger Warning: some transphobic language

"Welcome to the world, moje malá holka: Antoinette." I believe that it is important to keep the stories of our ancestors alive for many reasons, but perhaps the most important reasons are to honor their memory and thank them for their sacrifices. This is a true story of my great-great grandma, Antoinette Šeplová, who was forced to come to America all on her own at the young age of 13 around 1900. Every part of this short, episodic fiction is based on records, old letters, and accounts from family members to piece together her life's story as a Czech immigrant in America. From a Pietist commune in Iowa to the rough neighborhoods of the Chicago South Side, my great-great grandmother's story is one I continue my work unraveling to this day. Thank you for your interest and support in my writing, it is very much appreciated. :) P. S. If you like my work, help support it by leaving a vote! Thank you to @grendelthegood for selecting this work for the Wattpad Curator list exploring immigrant stories! #1 in #czechrepublic #2 in #americandream #4 on #truestory #12 in #basedonatruestory #9 in 1910s #32 in #immigration #152 in #nonfiction First published on March 15th, 2021. Cover rose photo by Ryan Song on Unsplash.

Blackwell Boarding School is swarmed with cameras that prey on the students in order to film for the reality TV show that shows an exclusive inside to an elite school. Zora McQueen avoids the glistening TV screen when her nudes are spread around campus, instead taking comfort with the only other person who keeps secrets from the public. Alluring mystery and dubbed slut, Eliott Hearse. Except now, Eliott is missing and no one has the faintest idea where she could've gone. Taking matters into her own hands, Zora believes that the answers may lie in Eliott's favourite game: chess. Partnering with the school's best chess club player, Arwyn Truong, Zora learns that not everything is as it seems and that perhaps the old school holds far more secrets than they'd care to admit. Some secrets hitting dangerously close to home. In order to see things for what they are and find her friend, Zora must escape the gossip and cameras that follow her closely and embrace the title she adorns. The only way to do that? Follow the Slut's Guide to Chess. [2022 Watty's Shortlist] [Featured on Wattpad Editors' Picks, April 2021 + 2023]