In a land of swordsmanship and myth, three English children are about to change the course of history... ~~~ Colin, Madeline, and Brian Evans have always sought adventure. But try as they might to find intrigues and escapades at their ailing grandfather's estate, their quest continues to prove fruitless. Until one day, a misplaced door leading to a misplaced stairway takes them to a foreign world of warriors and legends. At last, an adventure seems within their grasp. In the beautiful and mysterious land of Makoto, the Evans children meet a pair of young samurai - siblings Shin and Min Kazuo - who show the children that Makoto's peaceful beauty is nothing but a façade. The country is plagued by unpredictable raids, a clan of merciless bounty hunters, and a faction of sinister Shōgun. When Min is captured and taken to the Shōgun's palace, Shin teaches the art of swordsmanship to the Evans children, and they begin a perilous journey toward freeing Makoto. However, the origin of the Shōgun's rule is far darker than the Makotan people know. Evil forces are at work. And amidst the war for freedom, the Evans children discover that no adventure comes without danger or cost. {For fans of Narnia, Oz, Wonderland, Neverland, and Japanese history & culture.}

Everyone has their place in the world. Fate is inescapable so it does little good to fight it. Lena Rivers has been told this her entire life. She's a farmer's daughter. One day she will marry, have children, and be a farmer too. That's the way things work. Lena absolutely hated the idea of being a farmer or the wife of one. There had to be more to life than what everyone told her. However, that seemed to be the life she was destined for. Until the traces of a large beast, larger than anyone in her town had ever seen, were discovered on the outskirts of the forest. The mayor of her small town hires Aust, an elfin King's Ranger to root out and destroy the beast. When Lena meets him she finds herself absolutely taken at the sight of his longbow and massive stag and falls in love with the prospect of becoming a ranger. However, if she wants to be of any use to find the monster that's terrorizing her home then she has a lot to learn. Rated PG-13

{ ᴏɴᴄ ʜᴏɴᴏʀᴀʙʟᴇ ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ & ᴀᴍʙᴀꜱꜱᴀᴅᴏʀꜱ' ᴘɪᴄᴋ } Tate has been the bartender at The Imp's Bottle for years. The dive bar attracts a trickling array of unusual patrons, but due to his social anxiety, Tate avoids conversation and interaction. ...Until a random encounter with a beautiful girl causes Tate to open up in a way he never imagined possible. Unbeknownst to Tate, the girl's kindness plants a seed, inspiring him to abandon his wallflower nature. The changes are subtle at first, but rather than hyperfocus on his beloved retro music and impulsive need to clean, Tate begins to converse and interact with the bar's patrons. He becomes more outspoken, engaged, and confident. And his positive changes inspire changes in those around him. However, not everyone is thrilled with Tate's newfound confidence. Ali, the bar's prickly lone waitress, has a bone to pick with Tate. And she plans to come out on top of their little workplace rivalry, no matter the cost to her coworker. || A story about how the tiniest pebble can create the biggest ripples, this is my entry for ONC 2023. ||

Stella used to spend all her summers with her parents at their summer house in Walnut Grove, where she met her best friend Brit - a popular, pretty star cheerleader. And Stella could never understand why Brit choose to be friends with her. But she did, and every summer, they were inseparable. Until last September when Brit went missing. After months of searching, police presume Brit to be dead, and everyone in Walnut Grove moved on. But now it is the summer after, and Stella is back at their summer house, and new evidence starts to come out. There's a new body found of a local girl, and someone seems to be leaving Stella mysterious notes. Could the two girls be connected? Who is the killer? And what roles do Brit's ex-boyfriend Trevor and mysterious guy Jake play in all of this?

After a traumatic breakup, Cassidy moves into a new home. In an old wardrobe, he finds a mirror on which messages begin to appear from a brutally murdered girl who insists ghosts don't exist... ### Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the murderer of you all? Cassidy is attempting to rebuild his life after a torturous breakup. He moves into a new house, where an old wardrobe hides a mirror, and a deadly secret. On that mirror, messages appear from a girl brutally murdered years before. A girl he used to have a crush on. A crime that remains unsolved. Can Cass stand back when the messages lead to the killer's true identity? No, and that might just be the death of both him and the siblings desperate to help. "Just when I thought you couldn't get any better at writing, you proved that you're a master at this!!!" "Wow, that's crazy!" "Excellent as always." *Check out the MirrorMirror Spotify Playlist at: https://bit.ly/MirrorMSpotify* #1 in GhostStory #1 in Chiller #1 in LateNightReads **FREE with BONUS CONTENT!**