[Watty's 2021 Shortlister] Two girls. Separated. Connected. For Anna, her world is one of privilege and safety. A lonely prison. Ken lives with complete freedom, but her world is one of darkness and danger around every corner. When their worlds collide, neither knows if the other is real or only a dream. To find out, each must undertake a journey that takes them far from the worlds they know, into the unknown. 🥇1st place in the Sci-Fi category of "The Temeraire Awards"! (1 Mar 2021) 🥇1st place (tied) in the Sci-Fi category of "The Rainbow Awards"! 🥈2nd place in "Hello 2021 Awards"! 🥈2nd place, Sci-Fi category, of the "One In A Million Awards"! (11 Oct 2021) Cover created in Canva, using an AI generated picture.

Born with a damaged heart, Leanna Weston has lived a sheltered life with little chance at adventure. When she hears that Finvarra's Circus is coming to her small town, she sneaks off to witness the magic first hand, sure that this is her only chance at experiencing true magic-even if the frightening rumors about the heartless Ringmaster, Finvarra, are true. Caught by Finvarra, Leanna is given one chance at survival: she must join the circus. As slowly she becomes part of the strange family, Leanna learns that there is more than magic to this circus, but an ancient curse that has tied Finvarra's life to its rings. If the circus fails, he dies. Leanna vows to save the circus, but when a ruthless enemy emerges, set on destroying it and Finvarra, will Leanna be able to save them both, or will her broken heart fail her just when she needs it most? Cover Artist: Lisa Rhodes

{SAMPLE: Published on Amazon} A war has begun, and heroes are always born from the debris of battle. Saffron is a demi-god, with power unmatched by any immortal before her. With abilities she does not understand and death looming in every corner, Saffron only has one option. She must learn how to master her powers from one of the greatest gods in history, and she must learn fast. To defeat Kronos, Saffron has to lose a part of her naivety and innocence, and she must become the hero the world needs. She must become the Savior. ​​​​​​​She must become the God-Killer. {Book Two of Ichor Series} {Book cover commissioned by Fantastical-Ink}

{SAMPLE: Published on Amazon} Five hundred years ago, humanity's freedom died. When the Greek Gods and Goddesses were usurped from their home on Mt. Olympus, they crashed upon Earth and enslaved the human race. Children spend their existence inside prisons ran by ruthless Immortals, and upon their eighteenth birthday, they are thrown into an arena to be fought after. Once won, they are scarified with their name and short-lived identity in an unforgiving world, where there is an absence of hope for people with mortality coursing through their red veins. Servitude shackled humanity, but then a girl stood in the arena on the first summer solstice since she turned eighteen years old. A nameless girl, trembling behind the safety of her friend, landed in the Gods' worlds without knowing that she was going to be their unraveling. This wide-eyed slave, who bled two colors. One red like humans. One gold like the gods. Five hundred years ago, humanity's freedom died, but she's here to take it back. Final Book Cover commissioned by @Fantastical-Ink

2020 WATTYS WINNER in NEW ADULT! Oliver Ausman has been given a second chance at life, but it's hard to feel grateful when he was the one trying to end it in the first place. Returning to his normal life after being released from the hospital is hard, especially since his parent's idea of normal is made up of dinner parties, prep school, fancy suits, and fake manners-- all paired with a complete disregard for the mental health of their firstborn. He's long been fed up with it, but the final straw is when he finds out that his "father" isn't actually his father at all. Oliver decides he's had enough of the perfect facade, so he packs a suitcase and grabs his younger brother, "borrowing" his mother's car to sneak off on a trip to find his biological father. But he never expected to pick up a girl with her own similar set of problems, to be followed across the country by a money-hungry pair of criminals, or most of all, to find out that maybe this life thing isn't as bad as he thought. 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐃 (𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝) - 𝟏/𝟐𝟐/𝟐𝟎

"It is your choice," he said, stepping so close to me that our lips were almost touching. "Either do what I say - or get another job." My heart stood still as I gazed up into his deep, dark, dangerous eyes... In a world where women's only role in life is to sit at home and look pretty, Lilly is determined to fight for her freedom. There's only one problem: a powerful man blocking her way.

Lenora did not have a wonderful life. After her engagement to Prince Ronan is broken, she loses everything... her reputation, her home, and her family. Starving on the streets, she dies angry and bitter at how her life unfolded... Only to wake up in her old bed, fifteen again, five years before she died. Now she must struggle to change her fate, and the fate of those around her. This time she won't trust in something as flimsy or changeable as love. No, this time she'll have the power and the money to protect herself. Lenora has already lost everything once. She's not going to lose again. No matter what the cost. (Cover submitted by @QueenHelmer)

There's nothing you're forced to trust more than your own mind. You're dependent on it, it stores the memories that make up your world. But what if it could be stolen from you? Aspen's world is growing, from the boundaries of her country farm to the edges of the city. Her first year of university. It's supposed to be full of independence and new beginnings, and Aspen's is filled with new friends and the prospect of romance. Until she finds out her best friends are killing people. A YA thriller swimming with mystery, romance, and a seething danger that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Highest rank: #10 in Mystery/Thriller Cover by @supernovass © 2016 AUTHERAS, All rights reserved

Ari Callahan has no idea how to talk to boys -- or how to talk to anyone for that matter. Enter Zac, the cute new guy in town who won't stop texting her. But is his interest real, or does he have a hidden agenda? ***** Found as a young child washed up on the beach, 17-year-old Ari Callahan has never uttered a word out loud to anyone -- not even her adoptive family. Psychologists have diagnosed her with a condition called selective mutism, but Ari can't help identifying with her namesake character, Ariel, the little mermaid in the fairytale whose voice was stolen by a sea witch. Mermaid-obsession aside, Ari's silence makes socializing tough. She's never had a boyfriend or been asked out on a date. Not until Zac, the confident new arrival in town, asks for her number. But Zac has his own reasons for texting with Ari. He's part of a movement to sabotage the artificial music app called SirenSong, threatening to render human singing obsolete. Zac's collaborators have scoured the globe in search of a singing voice perfect enough to break the SirenSong spell, and their search has led them straight to Ari's beachside town. Will her relationship with Zac help Ari find her voice and unlock the secrets of her origins? Or will he use her and leave her high and dry? Title: Ari and Zac (formerly The Mermaid Hypothesis) Content Warning: This story contains references to selective mutism, suicidal thoughts, and early childhood trauma.

Irony {noun} - a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often wryly amusing as a result. Khloe Matthews had never really considered how ironic her life was until she died. At parties, the head cheerleader would do something BIG to get revenge. If this meant spreading secrets and telling lies then she would do it. How ironic is it that Khloe used parties as a way of ending her peers' social lives and in turn someone used her own end of summer party to end her life? The sad thing is that Khloe didn't even really see it coming, but as she recounts her story, it becomes increasingly obvious that her so called 'friends' did. Now her friends will have to learn that just because the bitch is dead, it doesn't mean she's gone. Who said you had to be alive to get revenge? graphic by @obsessedhumor- [highest ranking = #1 in mystery & thriller {29/12/15}] All Rights Reserved Copyright © longtimegone Steal my work-face my wrath.