[Wattys Shortlist 2025] 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒆? Sereia Reuben. Top of her class. Renowned overachiever. Everything she touched turned to gold-until one tragic moment shattered it all. The accident left her in a wheelchair. In its wake came stares, pitying glances, and a haunting question: What good is a girl with dreams, if she can't even stand? She withdrew from everything that once defined her. Frustrated. Bitter. Humiliated. Her pride dragged through the mud, her spark snuffed out by pain and silence. Until one afternoon at the mall. Dragged out by a friend for the first time since the accident, Sereia finds herself suddenly wheeled to a table-his table. Theodore Prescott. Her academic rival, her constant annoyance, the boy she'd sworn to despise. And yet, he doesn't flinch. Doesn't hesitate. Doesn't treat her any differently. And that's where it begins About the girl who couldn't walk, but who learned to stand tall again-even while seated. And the boy who, against all odds, saw her before she could even look in the mirror. This is a story not about sudden miracles, but slow rebuilding. About pain, rage, and fragile hope. Of breaking down, healing slowly, and finding strength-and love-in the most unexpected of places. Highest Ranking: #1 in crippled- July 25th 2025 #1 in wheelchair- August 4th 2025 #6 in clean- September 27th 2025 #5 in resilience - September 29th 2025

Crown Princess Leonore, heir to the queendom of Dranath, likes women, obviously. The Queen Mother Carmilla marries her off to Sir Gabriel, obviously. So when she finds out Sir Gabriel is a woman... Dranath; queendom of mystique, bordered by jealous allies. To the southwest, the states of Aurune. East is the coast and the maritime poleis of Raham. To the north, the Hierstag clans. Rich in land and crop and poor in everything else, the queendom is closed in from all fronts. And when the sword of years-long grudges is brought to bear, who will play it to the hilt? ------------------------------ i wanted to say that this book is my love letter to imperialism, but it's actually lovingly crafted hatemail non-anonymously submitted to imperialism's tumblr asks. this is an exploration of how much suffering one can propagate in order to achieve one's goal, and the degree in which your decisions can be justified (even only to yourself!) before you become, essentially, irredeemable; an exercise in Is It Worth It Though yeah there's magic(k) in this one. and a lot of geopolitics! might have gotten carried away with the geopolitics. come for the gay, stay for the political machinations. or come for the political machinations and stay for the gay, i dont mind. 3rd person pov, leonore-centric, no homophobia (at least, not the kind we usually see), i want to say butch/femme but honestly it's butch gabriel/whatever the hell leonore is. folk anti-hero narrative or villain origin story, you decide

Synopsis: Alex Crane was flying to meet his family for the Christmas Holidays in Paris. However, when a connecting flight has to make an emergency landing due to a snow storm, his Christmas is detoured to the beautiful small country of Nakoshia. He seems like all hope is lost for his holiday until he runs into the soon-to-be King, Prince Edward Holland who is 4 days from his wedding and crowning. Things only get chilly from here. A SHORT. 6 Chapters

Leona, a late-blooming lesbian who feels lost and alone, writes a letter to Santa Claus on a whim, not knowing that on the other end of the mailbox is a woman who knows exactly how she feels.

An ambitious royal, and the insurrectionist who wants to destroy everything she stands for. They meet, unwittingly, and their stories intertwine so thoroughly that unraveling one from the other would break them. What happens when their secrets are made bare? What will become of them when their quarreling desires come head to head? completed, approx. 70,000 words, 3rd person pov --- wlw, medieval fantasy in an alternate world. no homophobia, only a judgemental in-law. mostly slice of life but like, with an overarching plot composed of a potential succession crisis and a little bit of revolution to spice it up. also another blacksmith because i have a type

Casandra (scion of Abaddon, reaper angel, professional pen-pusher) gets her chance to live life outside the Dream. Solomon Maria, nepo baby, has problems about where her life is headed. They go to fantasy university! As grad students (they're like almost 30). And they fall in love! angel x devil (incubus/succubus/whatever you need her to be, darling) pairing, but the angel is an underfunded researcher and the devil is unemployed with a case of impostor's syndrome despite having two master's degrees! ft. other characters such as Very Normal Middle Aged Human Man, licensed pharmacist fish girl, god's megaphone, and more! -------------- approx. 30,000 words, 3rd person pov

1st place winner! Thank you!!! An entry for the #MysteryFriday contest, in for the 25th November 2016. Go check it out and good luck on your story!

On his way to be publicly executed for being a deviant, Nikolai is rescued by a shot gun toting drag queen and he's faced with a choice. Escape the republic to the safety of a more progressive government, or stay in the republic and help others like him.

She was a lone star forced to stay away from the sun. She learned to keep quiet and sit in the back. She forced herself to stay hidden and unseen because she was only a star pushed out of the constellation. He was the planet that moons were captivated by. He learned to stand up and burn bright for others. He forced himself to achieve greatness because he was the planet who grew too lead. Could the star possibly fall back in its course? Or would the star fall out of orbit forever? "𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐢𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞." Highest Ranking: #1 in brittle bones- August 4th 2025 #4 in fated- December 15th 2022 *UNEDITED © 2022 insane_over_books. All rights reserved. ***Yes, stars do orbit. They orbit the center of the universe and don't barrel around like drunkards! But this story doesn't concern astronomy just the title does :)

After a car crash leaves Benjamin Everett alone in the world, he's sent to stay with his mysterious Uncle Wish at his even more mysterious home, Bramble Manor. Between the burned-down conservatory and the locked-up garden, Ben feels surrounded with uncertainty, and if that wasn't enough, he's been... causing fires. Left with only a key and a note from his mother telling him to "Unlock the past," Ben is determined to find out what she means, why the adults are keeping secrets, and why there's a girl hidden away in the garden. A story that's part Harry Potter, part Secret Garden-if you like magic and mystery, you'll love The Girl in the Garden.