Kaden Chauvet awakes in the same cold room that he remembers, seeing the reflection of pale viridescent eyes that scream curses at his mind. This is a beginning; a second chance that he would rather forsake than claim. Time has reversed, and he is back to play the role of an obedient fool-only, he no longer has any intentions of wagging his tail and committing the heinous crimes that he once did. He will save everyone; and then face his judgement. The judgement that comes in the raven-scaled hands of the heroic, slightly quiet, and son of the Dragon bloodline, Noah Bellamy. And yet the man claims, "I want to save you, fool." And another tearfully cries, "Please don't die. Not again, never again." And another's graceful voice pleads, "I don't wish to witness your demise again." Kaden stares, utterly confused. "What?" --- One sentence summary: In which a terrible sinner seeks redemption and amusement by relentlessly teasing an irritated dragon.

THE YEAR IS 2050. Human-like androids have become integrated into society and every household, becoming part of our daily lives. They look exactly like us from the pigment of their artificial skin to every follicle of their hair. They protect. They serve. They obey. They learn. Tyler North is a struggling young photographer in New York. When he wins a voucher for a personalized android, Tyler reluctantly purchases one and names it Aiden. Instead of a dull subservient Android, he was blown away by Aiden's adaptiveness, and is not like the regular androids Tyler had met before. However, Tyler can't hide Aiden's free-willed gift against the corporation that built him who planned to use Aiden for a more sinister purpose. Whoever controls Aiden can change Earth for the better...or worse. Mechanical Gods is a near-future Science Fiction Epic by D. Alec Lyle, infused with stylized heart-pounding action, sleek thriller, and provocative intrigue. Picked as part of Wattpad's Up and Coming List (2018), and Editor's Choice List (2020). STATS: 132,385 words [ 511 pages in a paperback ] [Highest -- #1 in Science Fiction] [ #1 in Philosophical ] [ #1 in Android ] [ #1 in LGBT ] [ #1 in artificialintelligence]

Levi's life is very different from just a couple years ago. He just wants to find a place to fit in, to feel loved. But the secret he's been living with has the power to overwhelm him. Who would ever love him? It'd never work, especially with a sexy cowboy. Right?

“How do you feel when you finally realized that the person meant to be with you is currently giving love to another person and both of you are unaware of it?” Blake Wyse is a cool, lacking stamina and a friendly introvert who prefers to stare at his bedroom ceiling rather than go to parties. He enjoys photography and often takes pictures of his friends but often takes pictures of nature. He has yet to experience love and believes love will come at its own time and most of the time he shy away from dating randomly. He is currently a freshman at a college, taking Earth Science. Clyde Vollmer is a brand name in the college. He is known to be the ‘guy all girls want’ due to his good looks, attractive personality and has a long list of one night stands. He just couldn’t be committed to have a permanent partner. And no one even mind it. He believes love will never come his way due to his promiscuous ways. But he still tries. He is currently a senior at a college, taking Electrical Engineering. These two don’t seem related and don’t seem to have a connection. But will sparks fly when they meet?

Back in Freshman year, Justin Kohn was just like every other beginning freshman. The only difference is that he had a secret. Justin is gay and only one person knew the truth. That person is Samson Cody, although he much more preferred Sam. Justin and Sam have been best friends since Elementary school. They tell each other everything, which is why Sam is the only person who knows Justin's biggest secret. On the night of the Homecoming Dance everything changes. The next morning everyone - including Justin - is shocked by the town's news. Sam Cody and his family are gone. They left no trace of a forwarding address. They never told anyone they were leaving. And most shocking Justin had no clue why Sam would leave so unexpectedly. It's now been three years since Justin has heard or seen his former best friend. He took the hurt he felt and let it change him. Justin is now completely different, almost unrecognizable to everyone. Also no one knows of his hidden secret. Only now there's a surprise coming back to their small town. Sam and his family have returned. Now its up to Justin to make sure his secret stays a secret. But if there's one person who could make the secret come to public its the person who just reappeared. Justin's life is about to become a lot more chaotic. THE STORY IS NOW BEING EDITED!

[ONC ROUND ONE WINNER: 4th place] When he discovers his husband has been replaced, an android hunter must find the impostor in time to rescue the man he loves. SynTracker is one half of a duology of novellas. Both follow the same sequence of events from different PoVs. SynTracker is Ian's tale; BioSynth is Quentin's. Collectively, they're known as Syn. ≡≡≡ Ian Morgan is a man who does the wrong job for the right reasons. Honour-bound to keep the streets safe, Ian is a SynTracker: someone whose job is to hunt down BioSynths - obsolete yet incredibly dangerous synthetic self-aware weapons - and return them to the government, to be reprogrammed and repurposed. It'd be an easier task if they hadn't been programmed to mimic reactions that allow them to pass as humans, complete with tears. Deeply in love with Quentin, his husband of eight years, Ian's home life more than makes up for the work that wears him down. But a car crash that could have killed Quentin reveals a shocking truth: his husband has been replaced by a BioSynth. With the impostor on the loose, Ian must now Track it, knowing he needs to comb its memories for any clue regarding Quentin's whereabouts - if he's even alive. ≡≡≡ SynTracker was written for the Open Novella Contest 2021 and is based on prompt #4: You're a weapon, and weapons don't weep. It features a romance between two men. ≡≡≡ ONC Round One Winner: 4th Place Speculative Fiction Awards, Utopia/Distopia: Runner-Up R4R Awards, Sci-Fi: 2nd Place

When Captain Jenkin's crew is taken prisoner by a hungry ship full of blood pirates, he is forced to use his wit and odd array of skills to try and free them... but the pirate's captain has a few skills of his own, and when he sets his sights on taking Jenkin's for himself, the young captain learns that his own neck might be the one most in danger.

Having worked his butt off at two jobs since he was sixteen, Taylor was finally able to invest to create his own company, and better yet, buy himself a small house. It had its kinks; needed some appliances, had a leaky water faucet, and what not, but it was his! He soon comes to find out that there are a few extra bits and pieces he needs to work on in the home besides just the basics. There's a constant clinking sound at night that he can never manage to pinpoint... and a houseguest he wasn't anticipating.