ONC 2023 Shortlister, An Ambys 2024 Favourite (Fright) & Fright Pride Month Feature 2025. *** Accomplished writer Ríone Embers' life takes a turn when she learns from the solicitor that her dead mother has left her their childhood home in Loutham. It unearths memories buried deep in her past, threatening to unravel the life she has made since leaving that place. Seeking the advice of her therapist, she decides to confront the demons of her past. Nestled by the ocean, Loutham is a quiet town with no discerning feature that might make it different from any other American small town. It's forgettable, a mere pointer on a map. Yet it has a chilling secret hidden in the very waters by which it is situated. And it is calling Ríone to come back home. *** Started: 1/02/2023 Ended: 15/04/2023 Cover Credits: @MoranaInDesign (a total magician!)

A normal human girl discovers she's an elf-shapeshifter hybrid the day after her birthday, bringing into question her entire existence. ------------ Thyra Solberg always knew she was adopted. Magnus, the man who took her in, maintained that she had been left on his doorstep one night, abandoned by her mother. It's a story that Thyra has never questioned -- until now. The night after she turns sixteen, she awakes to her room in disarray and the knowledge that she has shapeshifted into a leopard. Healers determine that she's a rare elf-shapeshifter hybrid and, by law, must attend a school that caters to magical individuals. Thus, Thyra is ripped out of the very normal Streamfield High School and dropped into the unfamiliar territory that is Brightwood Academy. Navigating a new school is hard enough, but now those struggles are compounded by an unfamiliar body. Then there is the question of the man who raised her, the man who Thyra puts all her trust in. Is Magnus Solberg who he says he is, or is there something he isn't telling her? [[ cover and banners made by Pennywithaney ]]

High school senior Jess Smith meets Ace of Spades, an online friend who helps her question her mask of celibacy and recognize her true asexuality. Except that their friendship begins to develop into something more. [Featured April and May 2020 under Love and Heartbreak and June 2020 under #PrideatWattpad] ___ It's the last year of high school. Everything's in full swing for academic awards, prom, and graduation. Everyone knows their place. Everyone fits in their neat little boxes. Everyone except for Jess Smith. Join Jess as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery. In 1999, asexuality isn't widely known--even to her--or accepted as an orientation. With the help of Ace of Spades, she explores what asexuality means through her blog and conversations with family and friends. Can she embrace her true self, or will she keep wearing the mask of celibacy? ___ Status: completed Highest tag: #1 in blog | #1 in asexual Cover created using CANVA PRO June 1, 2023

Who are you, really, when your own memories may not serve you? When the 'you' of just a year ago is a stranger to you today? When your own psyche blurs the lines between complex and insane? Two people, three minds, and an unresolved mystery converge between the pages of a decade-old notebook. What happens next proves that identity and self are ephemeral concepts, and that murder does not always leave a body. ❖❖❖ Content Warning: This book contains dark themes and depictions of psychological distress that may be disturbing to some readers. Proceed at your own discretion.

[ONC Shortlister - 4x Featured] Professional thief and smuggler, Nio Barn, lives by one rule: break them all. When his criminal past finally catches up to him, he's faced with a choice: win the world's most dangerous racing competition in exchange for freedom or face a lifetime in an overcrowded prison cell. As he enters a world of high-speed thrills, deception and betrayal, Nio realises that life in the Speed Sprint races is far from easy. Forced into a fake relationship with his teammate to keep the money flowing, Nio instead feels more drawn to his fiercest competitor, Ruben Vincuña. With ten races across ten different countries, the stakes are high and the tension is palpable. Only one can be crowned champion. Only one can be free. Death is but a corner away. Written for the Open Novella Contest 2023, based on the prompts: 69 - I had a marvellous time ruining everything - Taylor Swift 49 - Master the rules of the game until you play it better than they can - Michael Scott Four times featured: Romance - Rainbow of Love Dystopian & Apocalypse - Rebellion: Against The System Speculative Fiction - A Crack In The System Science Fiction - Punk Fiction

CHINESE ARYA STARK meets THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. *A Wattpad Featured story* When everyone wears a mask, who do you trust? In the unforgiving empire of Erden where the Imperials reign supreme, Sarna is a slave. After escaping the brothel where a man burned half her face, she is determined to lead a new life by joining Zichuan Theater as a performer. When an assassination attempt on the crown prince casts suspicion on Zichuan Theater, the fragile foundations of that new life begin to crumble. Incarcerated with a death sentence in line, she is offered a dangerous deal: the crown prince's head in exchange for Zichuan Theater's freedom. To save her theater, Sarna journeys to learn the dark art of Facechanging from a forgotten god, hides herself behind borrowed beauty, and uses her new identity to infiltrate the Jade Palace. But no godly transaction comes without a price. Not only does she find herself trapped not only in a web of court intrigue, but in a battle for control of her body and her life. As time ticks down for her theater, she must decide between her heart and her freedom, or risk losing everything she has ever loved and worked for - including her identity. Highest ranking: #54 in Fantasy (14/2/18) Cover trailer by @Abyss-of-Crazy

[ONC 2021 Grand Winner] After the events of Ragnarök, the God Vidar has settled in the nice and quiet city of Antwerp where he keeps an eye on the local paranormal community. Nearly a millennium later, Vidar is a grumbling bookstore owner by day and a lazy paranormal detective by night (albeit a slightly furry one during a full moon). The morning after a particularly rough transition, the young teenage girl who normally wastes her days on the skatepark across the street enters his shop, fervently looking for a book on the legend of Brabo and Antigonus. As she struggles to pay, she reveals that the bronze giant has disappeared from the statue on the town square. At the foot of the fountain now lies a body that has been dead for three hundred years. Prompts chosen: (25) The war has ended, and thus the immortals return to their natural state: forgotten, hiding in the shadows until humankind is in need of them once more. They did not expect to be stumbled upon by a young farm apprentice. (*) (60) Rumours of a mysterious dark force under the earth have spread around the city. You are sent to investigate. (*) To fit the plot I have in mind, the young farm apprentice will become a bookstore "apprentice"

This is a FREE STORY with one paid bonus chapter! An exclusive boarding school on the coast of Maine. The unexplained death of a female student. A sister determined to find the truth...even if it kills her. * * * * * When Mia Greenley's older sister, Ava, dies under mysterious circumstances, she's determined to uncover the truth no matter how many rules she has to break. But when she enrolls at her elite New England boarding school, possible suspects reveal themselves at every turn, messing with her head and agitating her deep-rooted trust issues. With the help of Xander, an attractive yet aloof art student, Mia exposes secrets that may have played a role in Ava's death. Someone knows more than they're letting on, and if Mia can't put the pieces together, she could end up like her sister...dead. Sweet Deadly Lies is a FREE story with one paid bonus chapter. Learn how to earn free coins here: https://www.wattpad.com/earncoins/ ✨2022 WATTY AWARD WINNER FOR MYSTERY/THRILLER✨ TRIGGER WARNING: Sweet Deadly Lies is a young adult mystery/thriller that may contain triggers for sensitive readers. There will be mentions of mental health issues, murder, suicide, mild drug use, and underage drinking. Reader discretion is advised. Sweet Deadly Lies (available only on Wattpad) Copyright © 2022, Darly Jamison All Rights Reserved This story is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents in this story are either the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Cover photo by Jasmin Chew on pexels.com, and edited on Canva Pro. Notice: This document is not authorized for upload or use with artificial intelligence systems or platforms. Any attempt to upload, analyze, or process this content using AI technology is strictly prohibited.

(Nocturnal Law Series) { ONC 2025 Shortlister }Magic and justice collide when witch lawyer Gwyneira Grimheart fights to save vampire Emrys Hawthorn's sorry fangs. Sanguine City is notorious for corrupt bat cops, human trafficking, highly addictive fairydust, and contract killings orchestrated by the bloodthirsty vampire mafia. But even these lowly criminals deserve a fair shot at trial and someone has to do it. Gwyneira defends the supernaturals that no other witch or sane mortal will go near, so when Emrys Hawthorn comes politely knocking at her law office's door in the middle of the night, she knows what she has to do. Vampires are dangerous beings, and Gwyneira knows the risks all too well, but if she's not careful, it won't just be her blood he takes. It might be her heart too. Beautiful cover featuring Gwyneira illustrated by Neige❤️ Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Thriller

For a small price, a Collector can make you remember things you have never done. In 1815 England, Meera Sterne defies societal expectations to play the dutiful daughter, marry into a rich family, and become the property of a man. Instead, she runs away and trains under the aloof and distant Aurelius Mackleberry, spending her days buying and selling memories. A stranger visits her trainer for a crime from years gone. Aurelius Mackleberry owes a debt with his life -- and his time has run out. Meera must unravel the violent and bloody past behind the wonders of Collecting memories and save the life of a man destroyed by his own magic. For Open Novella Contest 2020.