🌟2020 Watty's Winner🌟 A sixteen-year-old orphan, hoping to find a new family, joins a faction of Rogues and becomes vital in their conflict with a rival faction. *** For as long as she can remember, Valeria Torres has always been the girl no one cared about. Having immigrated to the United States as a child after her parents' deaths, she tried to play by the rules as she navigated orphanages, homelessness, and a juvenile detention center. But her luck is about to change. Valeria discovers the Rogue Faction; a group of outlaws who use real world and mystical talents to steal from the wicked and give to the poor. Things seem to click into place as she joins a new family in New York City, goes back to school, trains as a Rogue, and makes new friends. But when Valeria discovers that two of her new friends are teenagers from a rival faction, she finds herself thrust into the middle of a conflict that could determine the fate of the world. ------------------ A story that combines elements of Harry Potter, Batman, and Robin Hood with a unique female protagonist in a GxBxG love triangle. Winner of a 2020 Watty Award, with the following review: "It's super original, and dang, it's got so much heart. We love all the characters and their relationships. The plot covers difficult topics, but handles everything so well. You can't not fall in love with this story. We love the LGTBQ2+ and Hispanic main character as well!" [Updates] *3rd place in Adventure Category for the 2020 Ocean Pearl Awards! *Selected for the @BootcampMentors program by TeaNHeartache! *1rst place in Fantasy and honorable mention for the 2020 Rose gold awards! *1rst Place in Adventure for the 2020 Diluculum Awards *1rst Place in Adventure for the 2020 Red Cloak Awards *2020 Watty Award Winner for Science Fiction! (Even though I entered it as more of Urban Fantasy ;)

When powerful witch Marithyda Skyelorn becomes a participant of the Royal Exposition, the last thing she expects is to fall in love with the Prince--or to be the cause of his death. ***** Every year, the kingdom of Karvoth hosts the Royal Exposition: a corrupt carnival where a race of citizens who possess powerful magic, known as the Touched, are exploited for the enjoyment of nobles. But when Marithyda Skyelorn's grand performance ends in tragedy and pits her against the deranged King, she must make the impossible choice between remaining in exile and participating again in the dangerous competition that ruined her life--to end it once and for all. (Book One of the Skyelorn Chronicles trilogy) [[2020 Watty's winner, Fantasy]] Content and/or Trigger Warning: Some scenes contain violence that may upset sensitive readers [[Word Count: 50,000-60,000]]

Phones, light typing...and murder. Think breaking into show business is hard? Try landing a temp job without office skills. That's the challenge facing aspiring actress Isobel Spice when she arrives in New York City, fresh out of college and deficient in PowerPoint. After being rejected by seven temp agencies for her lack of experience, Isobel sweet-talks recruiter James Cooke into letting her cover a last-minute vacancy at a bank. New to his own job, and recently sober, James takes a chance on Isobel, despite his suspicion that she's a trouble-magnet. His misgivings are borne out by lunchtime, when she stumbles across a dead secretary in a bathroom stall. Can Isobel find the killer before he strikes again?

She chose her apartment because she liked the attached balcony and the peace and quiet it afforded her. That is soon about to change thanks to a new neighbour. Author's Note: This story is dedicated to my person, my Yang, my Lorelai. I write today because you asked why not. Cover Picture Courtesy: To the ever lovely @AasthaKatrela!

What happens when you find yourself tangled up in what could be one of the biggest criminal lawsuits in the nation? Well, you get tangled up with the best lawyer in the country. And maybe, with a little trial and error, you get love as well. Copyright © 2017 by Taylor Collins. All Rights Reserved

--Watty winner-- In Victorian London, monster hunting isn't just a job, it's a way of life. Freddie Westman, a reporter for a paranormal magazine, is one of the best in the business, but now it's personal. His childhood friend, Jim Penderry, has disappeared, and the signs point to sinister forces from beyond the grave. If Westman wants to save Jim, he'll have to face his worst fear. No, not fighting a demon with only a cake to hand. Something far more daunting. Sceptical Sophie Penderry doesn't solve mysteries or go on adventures. She's more at home in the library with her nose in The Botanist's Guide to Plants and Fungi. But she puts the science books away to help Westman find her missing brother, whether he likes it or not. Which he really doesn't. Westman is a loner, reluctant to lead anyone into danger. According to him, the supernatural is not just the stuff of folklore and children's nightmares, and a world of black magic awaits them. Now Westman must decide if he should push Sophie away for her own safety, or take a leap of faith and accept an offer of help and friendship. Either way, time is running out to find Jim, and worse still, they may not make it back in time for tea and biscuits. ~Featured story (Sep 2014 - Aug 2017) ~Selected by R.L. Stine's 'Slappy' (Goosebumps Movie's sponsored reading list) ~Winner of the Wattys 2014 HQ Love Award

With a dream in tatters and another soon to follow suit, Sybil Nightspun still longs for the storytelling days of her apprenticeship. Once a promising Nightspun initiate, now a soil tilling Outcropper she spends her days breaking shovels, resenting her mother and avoiding the High Nightcaster's wrath. But with fields to plough and Sunspell to keep in check her dreams of old and new come crashing down when her faithful jackalope familiar Dewdrop stirs up more than just tall tales from long ago. Can Sybil overcome her families bloodline or will it change more than just her dream? (Cover by @dumplingbabe)

For influencer Carolyn Danes, #aboutlastnight is the best hashtag. It perfectly sums up an evening filled with adventure and excitement. And her last evening out really WAS perfect. Her dress fit perfectly, her hair and makeup were on point, and she met the man of her dreams, out-of-this-world-hot and charming Damian Bradley. It just had to be ruined by something as silly as waking up in a strange empty room, in Damian's body, her own lifeless corpse lying on the floor. No amount of screaming in the world can make the nightmare go away. Her only clue about last night is a letter from Damian himself. It can all be undone. He just made a deal with the Devil, and now the Prince of Darkness wants one small favor to set everything right. Find a tiny shard of soul. But when Carolyn can see every bit of soul the world has lost, finding one particular piece may prove impossible. 👸 This is my open novella contest 2020 entry. Yay me!

He'll take the shirt off your back... Austin Miles can get into any building, safe or vault in the world if he wanted to, but when a former cop obsessed with revenge threatens his most important asset, his reputation, he finds himself accepting a job that even the best would balk at. The only silver lining as he's putting his life on the line is the sexy, mysterious Jennifer Murray. Somehow when he's flirting with her the threat of death doesn't seem quite so bad. Jennifer Murray thought she was going to her eccentric's mother's wedding. The only thing that made the ordeal bearable was the tall dark and handsome man across the hall from her. But when she learns her mother's true motives for elaborate wedding, it becomes apparent that this isn't a party. It's a job. With both Jennifer and Austin after the same payday, there can only be one winner. But no one ever said the score of a lifetime would be easy...