|| ONC 2021 HONORABLE MENTION || ONC 2021 ROUND TWO FIRST PLACE WINNER || Three friends. One secret. Thoughts of a summery vacation in the middle of winter sounded fantastic until all plans to enjoy the Caribbean sights were thwarted by an unexpected tropical storm, keeping everyone inside. Normally spare time without current-day distractions would be beneficial to a group of long-time friends always too busy to spend time together otherwise, but this is one trip down memory lane they're going to wish they never took... ---------- Entered into the Open Novella Contest 2021 Mystery & Thriller - Prompt #55 ONC Round One Qualifier - 03.23.2021 ONC Round Two Qualifier - 04.20.2021 ONC Round Two First Place Winner - 04.24.2021 ONC Round Three Qualifier (Longlist) - 05.21.2021 ONC Shortlist - 05.30.2021 ONC Honorable Mention - 06.29.2021 ©2021 M.Dalto Published to Wattpad 02.01.2021 Draft Completed 05.02.2021

In Nexus City, people with powers are called kinetics, but Camila Morales keeps her head down and pretends she isn't one of them. Barely scraping by with her day job, she starts working for Psychotics, a gang notorious for dealing drugs in and out of the city. Hunter Dawson is a young medical officer working for Division, the largest kinetics crime unit in the country. Despite his intimidating looks and rough attitude, he finds himself reluctant to arrest the girl who saves his life with a power so rare, people would kill for it. In an attempt to make up for her crimes, Mila shares valuable intel on Psychotics, landing her in hot water and putting a target on her back. With Psychotics wanting revenge, she finds that the only person she can trust is Hunter, who shuts her out every chance he gets with his cold demeanor. And yet, Mila finds herself getting pulled into him regardless, seeing a warmth in his eyes and compassion in his rare smiles. The one person who can help her could just end up breaking her, but Mila doesn't have anyone else to turn to, especially since Hunter is the only person who knows about her deepest secret. Book 1.

Claire, Georgia, and Danny aren't your average ghost hunters. Their hit livestream channel "Creep It Real" rakes in thousands of viewers each time they go live. But what their fans don't know is that the trio fake the hauntings they come across at each location. And their next haunt is supposed to be no exception. While streaming at Grimwood Manor, the "haunted" estate their top donor suggested they visit, they begin to experience strange things. Things they never experienced before. Things that aren't natural, and that will undermine everything they thought they believed. The trio comes face-to-face with real ghosts for the first time, but these aren't regular ghosts. They're something vicious, and they aren't willing to let go. Not until all of their victims' hope is drained and gone. Claire and her friends will have to fight to get back what they had, even if they have to face their pasts and worst fears in the process. *Open Novella Contest IV Shortlister and Ambassador Pick! Copyright © 2021, Heather Dianne Cover and other graphics made by me

[The Nano Watt 2023 Shortlist] [ONC 2021 Longlist] The world as Evren once knew changed massively from doing homework to fighting for survival in a zombie infested planet. Countries were wiped out within months some even days. Bringing a global impact on food and resources. But the infected wasn't the only thing Evren had to worry about. Her last group encounter had created a major target on her back when they found out what she had been keeping a secret. Surviving on her own after the tragic events that left her scarred, she realized the living was far more wicked then the dead. Which brought out a reluctance to trust anyone ever again.... Until she wakes up in the arms of a boy she thought was dead. ✨Round One Qualifier in Open Novella Contest✨ ✨Round Two Qualifier in Open Novella Contest✨ ✨Round Three Longlist in Open Novella Contest✨ 🥇Fist Place in Mystery/Thriller:Lucky Charm Awards(May 2021) ✨Longlist in The Nano Watt 2023✨ ✨Shortlist in the Nano Watt 2023✨ #ONC2021 | Prompt 38 | Prompt 2 ‼️Content/Trigger Warning: Contains gore, violence, some strong language. All rights belong to the author and no reproductions are allowed without the permission of @Renaissance1111. Please respect the author's copyright. 😊❤️ ©2021 C.S Marie

Three college friends, Darren, Josh and Nelson, pick up a pretty girl at a diner and take her to a private island where the guys spent a summer as teens. Only what they don't tell her is that one of those summers a girl disappeared. There's a mystery here but she soon discovers someone will go to any length to keep it from being solved. The suspects: • Darren, the athlete, used to taking what he wants - even if it means crossing the line • Nelson, loyal friend, who hates the way girls have it so easy • Josh, on the outs with the group, and not willing to rock the boat • The girl, whose name they forgot, but who might just have a trick up her sleeve Stranded in the cottage, in the growing darkness, with no cell service and no way to reach the outside world, the girl finds herself the target of someone's worst intentions. "Claustrophobic much...reading this was like having a noose around my neck and it was getting tighter except I couldn't scream or else whoever was holding the rope would pull it tighter." @LenAiono "The raw realness of the emotions portrayed right here, it's hooking..." @LaFayeJones "Four main characters are at the center of the mystery, but the reader is kept guessing as to who might actually know the truth about what happened. Each chapter ends in a cliffhanger leaving the reader begging to know more." @DennisRoyer "Great descriptions in 'difficult' scenes. I like the way you don't shy away from anything and really get into the characters' feelings" @SheilaDalton "This is so emotional. I really like it but I have to go watch some puppy videos now to calm down!" @Kibika Entered in the Open Novella Contest 2021

When a simple job goes horribly awry, ghosthunter Anya must prove she has what it takes to do spirit work or risk losing her job, her brother, and a second chance with the One Who Got Away. *** Second-rate ghosthunter Anya Iteri comes from a family of metalweavers -- powerful mages who can forge iron, shape steel, and even bend blood. Down on her luck and struggling for work, Anya bribes her little brother, a city guide, to let her drum up business on one of his tours. The plan is simple. Summon a hibernating ghost to give the tour a good show, return it to its slumber, and collect a hefty tip. But the moment the tour begins, Anya encounters a ghost of a different kind: Eleira Soti, talented hunter and former love of her life, newly returned to the city after years away. El's familiar face leaves Anya fighting distraction and attraction alike on her way into the city's most haunted grounds. The night goes from bad to worse when the wrong ghost gets summoned and fingers are pointed Anya's way. A malignant spirit emerges from the veil, bent on destroying the tour and everyone on it. Racing against time, Anya must team up with El to trap the ghost, save her brother, and prove, once and for all, that her abilities aren't as second-rate as others think. *** Silverweaver is now available across all major platforms. Once titled just "Weaver," it won an honorable mention in the 2021 Open Novella Contest.

WARM BODIES meets THE BREAKFAST CLUB meets ZOMBIELAND in this YA apocalypse story full of fluff, comedy and humans biting back. ✿ "When I imagined my high school crush would be dying to eat me, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind." ✿✿ Ava Sterling never expected she'd be the one solution to the zombie apocalypse. Then again, she never expected she would end up biting one of them either. But, hey, desperate times call for desperate measures. During a moment of intense panic, Ava's teeth end up firmly lodged in the arm of her old crush, now turned very much zombie. A spur-of-the-moment impulse that even drowning in mouthwash wouldn't erase. After this impromptu bite, Gabriel the zombie turns back into Gabriel the human and the zombie apocalypse suddenly takes a completely different turn. This not-so-fun revelation changes everything for Ava's ragtag group of survivalists. Tensions are higher than ever. Feelings are getting in the way. And it seems that being newly re-humanized does leave some nasty mental side-effects on the previously zombified. Still, not everything is that bleak for Ava and her survivors. For one, it's finally time for the humans to bite back. ✿✿✿ ACHIEVEMENTS: 🏅ONC Round One Winner, Ambassador's Pick & Shortlister WARNING: There is occasional swearing, some gore, and lots of laughs. You have been warned.

Rory Wade is terrified of what happens to her when she sleeps. One morning, she wakes up to find bruises and scars covering every inch of her body. She doesn't know what's happening, but suspects it has something to do with her father's disappearance, which happened at the same time she started developing her sleepwalking symptoms. And then she meets Seth, the mysterious boy who walks with purpose and may have all the answers to her questions. Her idea of reality is shattered when her world collides with that of four teenagers who call themselves "Dream Crashers." They fight a war against demons who pray on humans in their vulnerable sleep states, except now they've encountered an enemy they can't face alone. They are interested in Rory because she possesses unique abilities that they can't explain. She discovers a part of herself she never imagined existed and the truth behind her father's disappearance. --- Started March 2014 | Finished September 2014 Parnormal #1 | Action #2 Wattys 2014 Winner for "The Best of Instant Addiction" Beautiful cover made by @Ashihara

One woman's guide to falling in love, getting fit and surviving the end of the world. Karla is busy running her own business, half-heartedly trying to lose her belly fat, and avoiding thinking about her single-status - she does not have time for civilisation to fall apart rn. But when the world as she knows it crumbles like a triple-choc cookie, Karla will have to embark on the trip of a lifetime to find safety. Traversing the vastness of the Australian east coast, Karla and her companions - a misfit band of workmates and one reasonably attractive stranger - will find adventure, love and a new dress size. Rom-com meets disaster movie meets extreme-makeover, this story is for anyone who needs the motivation of a planetary disaster to change their world.