Valeria is an orphan, a High Mage and a descendant of a long line of powerful mages. She is also a child of the Void, one born with a very unique magic ability. Like many of the starving, helpless mages of the Void, Valeria is condemned by the mages of the Light, ever at war with them. She cares little about the war though, for younglings are getting sicker and sicker and no medicine or magic seems to help. Left with little choice, Valeria and her brother must now travel to the Light kingdom of Etherea where a divine fountain is rumoured to exist. One capable of curing every affliction known and unknown. One way or another, Valeria is walking out of Etherea with a cure. For the sake of the children.

Open Novella Contest 2023 #ONC2023 SHORTLISTER Prompt #49: "Master the rules of the game until you can play it better than they can." ― Michael Scott, The Sorceress Who says that youth, beauty, money and privilege don't come with a price? When a group of friends, from a London's elite secondary school, are forced to spend four days together on a separate floor in a hotel in the Italian Alps, none of them expect what is about to happen. One falls in love. But also finds that true love can hurt. Two discover their bodies together for the first time. Three find out that three, indeed, is a crowd. Four learn how to play poker. Only five go back together. But all six will never be the same... Come with Lydia, Alex, Gloria, Mark, Nate and Patrick on the trip that started it all. #1 #itsalwaysbeenyou February 2023

| Round 2 Winner & Ambassador's Pick | Nightshade. It's a name spoken only in whispers for fear that speaking it aloud will summon her. It's the air of death that hangs on the wind and lurks in shadows. It's a curse, a deadly blight that leaves pain, misery, and a single purple flower. Azalea is a weapon, forged in blood and pain. By night, she lurks in the shadows, using her skills to make a name for herself under the careful eye of the King of Assassins. By day, she's nothing more than a simple lady, a ward of a wealthy Lord. When a contract goes wrong, Azalea must use all of her skills to play a deadly game- one that leaves her in the midst of her enemies. Beneath her jewels and lace, a monster waits. But something far darker lurks on her horizon. |Prompts 33 & 62|

A relics collector must uncover a family secret to solve a wizard's homicide before his apprentice's ghost drives her crazy indefinitely ... or she becomes the next murder victim. ******** Mahogany, a human living in the magical town of Pandemonium, has taken a job collecting magical relics from deceased mythical and magical folk. While on a routine collection request, Mahogany finds the wizard and his apprentice assassinated and that the murderer is still in her house! Mahogany narrowly escapes the murderer with the help of her demon spider Bazgul to find the apprentice's ghost has followed her and is haunting her until she solves his murder. With the help of her demon familiar and her new ghost, Mahogany breaks into police evidence to retrieve the enchanted objects before the Guild of Myth and Magic discovers that the relics have fallen into human hands. But Mahogany gets more than she bargained for when she uncovers a clue to her family's past that intrinsically links her to the murdered wizard. Now Mahogany must race to find the murderer before she becomes the next victim. ****** Libra Awards - 3rd Place Winner in the Mystery/Thriller Category The Lotus Awards - 4th place winner in Mystery/Thriller

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One must lead. One must teach. One must transform. And all must decide: will they rise to the occasion, or let the world crumble?... Domi, a young thief abandoned at birth, just wants to save his dying foster mother. But first, he must commit the most dangerous heist of his life, snatch an artifact with miraculous healing powers from under the noses of the most powerful sorcerers in the land, and survive the awakening of his own magic. Daedalus, a young royal, just wants time to mourn his mother, who died two days ago. But first, he must ascend the Throne of Solitude she left behind, don the Onyx Crown she once wore, and become the next Princeps Worldholder, Keeper of Heaven and Earth. Valens, a seasoned sorcerer, just wants to return to the borderlands and battle rogue magic. But first, he must escape the twin burdens of taking a wife and an apprentice-duties that threaten to trap him in the city and tether him to a life he's spent decades avoiding. As the fates of these three strangers intertwine, the sorcery holding the world together begins to unravel. And beyond the planet's weakening magical protections, an ancient threat waits...

Welcome, writer! Here at Shut Up and Write, we're a community of passionate individuals who are committed to helping each other grow and succeed in our writing journeys. Our roots stretch back to 2015 when we were just a small group on Google Hangouts. However, with the guidance and dedication of our incredible team, we've blossomed into the thriving community of over fifty members that we are today on Discord. We pride ourselves on being an inclusive and supportive group that welcomes writers of all ages, genres, and abilities. Our doors are always open, so why not come and join us? Together, we can achieve great things and make our writing dreams a reality.

*Wattys 2018 Winner / Hidden Gems* CREATE YOUR OWN MR. RIGHT Weeks before Valentine's, seventeen-year-old Kate Lapuz goes through her first ever breakup, but soon she stumbles upon a mysterious new app called My Dream Boyfriend, an AI chatbot that has the ability to understand human feelings. Casually, she participates in the app's trial run but finds herself immersed in the empathic conversations with her customizable virtual boyfriend, Ecto. In a society both connected and alienated by technology, Kate suspects an actual secret admirer is behind Ecto. Could it be the work of the techie student council president Dion or has Kate really found her soulmate in bits of computer code? She decides to get to the bottom of the cutting-edge app. Her search for Ecto's real identity leads Kate to prom, where absolute knowledge comes with a very steep price.

Gigi, an aromantic bi, doesn't know what she wants most - a husband, a lover, or her own restaurant. She has just lost her prestigious chef position and kicked out her latest fling, who threatens revenge. With her meagre savings, all three possibilities seem remote at the moment. A holding company acquires a failing restaurant chain, strips its name, and assigns the 'hot potato' to Duncan, a business consultant, to determine whether to rescue or liquidate it. The pressure to succeed weighs on his shoulders when he decides to attempt a turnaround, knowing failure means loss of jobs. Gigi is among those he hires to replace staff who had abandoned the 'sinking ship'. Attracted initially by her resumé, he is captivated by her beauty and spirit. Mutual interests become increasingly personal the closer they work, and maintaining professional façades falters. Gigi sees him as another gorgeous hunk to seduce, and she flirts, but Duncan, convinced since his teens that he's asexual, is confused by his frequent and obvious arousal. His plan of tying the success of the restaurants to the bigger goal of winning Gigi's aromantic heart is endangered when her deranged, stalking ex posts explicit videos of her on the web, threatening to smear her reputation and ruin her career. Can the fledgling relationship survive this and save the restaurants? A certified organic storyline with no artificialities, clichés or stereotypes.