This story is both the sequel and prequel to Don't Date Your Contractor* It is a sweet uplifting story about the friendship of Charlotte and Lena and the love story of Charlotte and Justin.

Six couples receive mysterious invitations for an all-expenses- paid stay at the private island resort of a notorious billionaire, with only the names and a few vague ideas of whom the other guests are. Why they were all chosen, and for what purpose, they would have to accept to see. The one commonality they do have, is each couple are major characters in individual stories I have published here. This is my personal, all-in-one homage to some special, fictional friends.

Maya was the consummate procrastinator. 'Save it til the last minute!' was her motto in life, just as it had been in all the previous. The last minute of the day was her specialty after all, being the temporal guardian of the Twenty-third hour of the clock. And Maya had used it to full advantage in this modern age of time crunches and deadlines living in the Here and Now of humans. Little did she know the greatest deadline of all would soon befall her. If only she could remember what, or who, she needed to save before it was too late. _____ Author's Note: 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 began as a fantasy-mystery submission for the 2021 Open Novella Contest. Originally titled 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫, it was inspired by the contest's #54 prompt: You get a mysterious message on your phone stating, "Agent 23, you've been activated". You guess it's a bad time to have amnesia. _____ This is an original work of fiction protected by copyright. © Elisabeth Long 2022

[2021 WATTYS Winner] Giovanna joins a handsome nobleman to save a friend from an arranged marriage, but they discover a plot that may have victims of Venice's Black Death rising from their graves. * * * As a child, Giovanna Visconti learned the arts of bloodletting and elixir brewing from her father with an intent to simply support his work, not take it over. But when he falls ill from the pestilence that's been ravaging Venice for months, she reluctantly dons the beaked mask of the plague doctor. Vowing to protect her father however she can, Giovanna hides him away and sees her first patient--the handsome, but alarmingly feverish Matteo Barozzi. Although she successfully treats this son of a high-ranking official, in a careless moment Giovanna fails to properly conceal her identity. The only reason she isn't tossed into a dank jail cell is thanks to the young man's honor and feelings of indebtedness. The association between the charming aristocrat and the clever commoner should end there, but when Giovanna's dearest friend goes missing right after her betrothal to the Doge's son and amid strange reports of nighttime attacks, violent commotions, and inexplicable behaviors in the community, the only person Giovanna can turn to for help is Matteo. Together, they must carefully navigate Venice's increasingly deadly canals to uncover a sect peddling false cures and a smuggling plot involving the highest levels of government or risk the entire Republic falling victim to something even worse than the plague: the risen dead. Historical Fiction with Fantasy Elements THE BORGIAS X FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH * * * WATTYS 2021 winner for Historical Fiction and special HQ prize for "Catchiest Hook" AMBYS 2022 winner for Best Zombie story Content Warning for adult situations including assault and death.

What would you give up to dive into your favourite story? Romantic, sharp-tongued, with a tendency to fall in love with tall, dark-haired, brooding men--Leah is the archetype of the "Pride and Prejudice" fan. TV series, movies, comics, musicals: she has seen and read them all. For her birthday, Leah's friends and family pool together to get her the ultimate Janeite gift: the Bridge, a virtual-reality gaming device. By granting access to her five senses, she can live her favourite novel as the iconic Elizabeth Bennet! As she explores Regency England and quarrels with the infamous Darcy, Leah cannot help but digress from the original plot to suit her modern-woman convictions. The longer she plays, the weirder her beloved characters act, until the lines between fiction and reality blur. ⚠️ Content and/or trigger warning ⚠️ This story contains one scene of (unsuccessful) sexual coercion, and mentions domestic violence and death by domestic violence, which may be triggering for some readers. 📖 Featured 19 times! Seen on: 📖 @beauty @SpeculativeFiction @Humor @ContemporaryLit @retold @WattRevenge @ScienceFiction @mystery @StoriesUndiscovered @WattpadGaming @ChickLit @Fanfic @NA @generalfiction @classicauthors @WattpadHistoricalRomance @HistoricalFiction

In urgent need of a profitable job, freighter captain Kalina ap'Theron accepts a mysterious crate meant for delivery to an obscure rim planet. But under a space-gipsy curse and with the space patrol and a band of infamous pirates on her heels, Kali has no choice but to steer her precious "Topsy-Turvy" into an ion storm. The risky manoeuvre has the potential for some dangerous consequences. Lost in uncharted space, Kali faces the challenges of accepting a cute but slimy stowaway into her happy crew of outcasts, fighting off the attraction of both a black hole and a former crush, and getting back on course in order to deliver her load in time. Otherwise, once it reaches its sell-by date, she risks losing her ship to an alien hive mind. My entry for the Open Novella Contest 2020 - I picked prompts 39, 37, and 58 Chapter 1 - 1708 words Chapter 2 - 1883 words Chapter 3 - 1910 words Chapter 4 - 2011 words Chapter 5 - 1861 words Chapter 6 - 1780 words Chapter 7 - 1926 words Chapter 8 - 1963 words Chapter 9 - 1883 words Chapter 10 - 1894 words Chapter 11 - 1975 words Chapter 12 - 2057words Total - 22 851 words

An old family letter tells of an ancient family diary that prompts the search for a family legacy across centuries. Devious relatives, assassins, gangsters and a disquieting budding romance between cousins. This story takes place through different periods of family history and present day. Wattpad doesn't really have a category to cover it so I chose adventure. This was posted some time ago as The Letter but has undergone a facelift and a new name.

Supernatural meets Grumpy Old Men. Richard had always believed he'd enjoy a few golden years before Death's bony hand reached for him. But what does he get? He gets to live across the hall from friggin' Stan Kapcheck with his shiny bald head and perfect teeth that were all his own, Stan Kapcheck who struts around like a peacock in his leather coat. Honestly! What kind of respectable senior citizen wears leather? But Stanley isn't your average senior citizen. He's a Hunter--a slayer of all things unnatural. He reveals to Richard that the one monster which has eluded him is the same beast that killed Richard's wife and it's due to kill again before the next new moon. The two men load up on ibuprofen and prune juice and embark on a cross-country demon-hunting adventure, but when The Devil Herself kidnaps Stanley, Richard realizes the line between Hunter and hunted is very thin, indeed, and the ornery octogenarian only has a few days left to trap The Devil, save Stanley, and slay the monster who murdered his bride. (Now available for pre-order from Scarsdale Publishing as "Some Monsters Never Die")

Jack Hansard is the man who can sell you anything. Luck in a bottle, fame in a box, dreams on a leash, you name it: if he doesn't have it, he'll convince you he has something better. He's a trader on what's known as the Black Market - the occult Black Market, that is. If you're in need of that extra special something to curse your ex-lover or win your fortune, Hansard's the man to go to. Just make sure you check the 'best before' date on anything you buy. This is Season 1 of the Jack Hansard short story series - each Episode is a separate story, but follows an overarching plot much like a TV series. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it! Please do not copy or distribute this work without the author's permission. Cover art by Dominique Lane: http://domlane.weebly.com/

SELECTED FOR FEATURED LIST BY WATTPAD PICKS - JUNE/2018 2nd PLACE IN THE 2018 CORONA MYSTERY AWARDS Ted Wagner has taken a sabbatical from life to travel and write. He chose the desolation of the southwest to escape from the city's pace. On a whim he gets off the bus he was riding in the middle of nowhere at a roadside diner and decides to begin his search for a story there. He's not in the diner more than fifteen minutes when the place is robbed and the waitress murdered right before his eyes.