[This book has officially been published and only a sample remains. See inside for details.] Nora Montgomery's primary goal was to remain seemingly unnoticed until graduation, and that meant staying away from Ryder Collins. But when both she and Ryder are selected to participate in the local police department's handcuff demonstration, they find themselves inescapably chained together. The tension between them is thick; filled with unresolved issues from their past friendship. But things get a whole lot worse when the officer loses the key and the pair are forced to accommodate each other until a replacement is available. Being handcuffed to the opposite gender was sure to introduce some extremely uncomfortable situations. Things are about to get awkward, right? 2013 Watty Awards Winner Most Popular, Mystery//Thriller

Aspiring writer Norah Jacobs needs an escape. In the span of two weeks, her corrupt brother has been jailed for murder and his partner has been hovering on her doorstep, threatening to ruin what little peace she has left. Packing her car, Norah flees the city and goes off the grid, finding refuge in the small coastal town of Bellvale. However, Norah's newfound refuge lands her right in the middle of a power struggle between creatures she thought only existed in fairy tales, and she begins to see that no matter how hard you try to run from your troubles, they seem to have a way of catching up with you... Watty 2014 Winner Haven Copyright © Melissa Lucas 2013 All Rights Reserved. No part of this literary work may be reproduced or used without written consent from the author.

I don't like One Direction. So can someone please tell me why I'm stuck on a game show with the five boys who have stolen millions of girls' hearts?

{Watty Awards 2013 Winner} This is simply a story about a lonely girl who finds love. I was inspired to write this because I wanted to know that there are good things that happen to invisible girls like me. I wanted to write Hope for those who seem hopeless. • • • In March of 2013, Letters was #1 in the short story category. June 2013: Short Story #3 and Romance #40 February 2014: Winner of The Watty Awards 2013 for On The Rise Short Story

Serena Davidson leads two lives. At school, she's a morbidly obese, stupid, nerdy, bitchy, slutty, and a teacher's pet. But at home she's the scrawny vegetarian pushover. What would possess someone to wear a fat suit every day? And what happens when someone finds out?

Imagine the second you're born, a consultant removes you from your mother's grasp and runs a battery of genetic and physiological tests on you. Thirty minutes later they give you a score out of one hundred which denotes your level of perfection. If your score is above eighty and you work hard to maintain that score you will have a charmed life; well fed, well-rewarded, spoiled. But fall below eighty and you're labelled Flawed, and life will not be so kind. Hannah is adopted by a Flawed family when her birth parents choose their social standing over their daughter and endures a life of struggle, hunger and service. One day Hannah is escorted to the regional government office and told that the Consultant who delivered her, who labelled her Flawed got it wrong! Now, she is being relocated back to her birth parents, to live as one of the Ninety-Five- all medically and legally judged as perfect. Entering this new life Hannah has an impossible decision to make which puts not only hers, but the lives of everyone she cares about at great risk. "The Numbered- where no one wants to be number one". Authors notes: -This is a first draft of my story and will be edited soon. -2013 Began writing Flawed -2015 Watty Winner/ Named changed to The Numbered -2016 Completed The Numbered -2019 Optioned by eOne for development into a TV show.

"Y-you," she stuttered, staring at the handsome man sitting on the sleek black throne, "you're..." He rolled his eyes, waving his hand impatiently and said, "Hades. Come on, say it with me. Ha-des." "Hades," Ariel breathed out, still not believing the sight before her. Every picture she had seen of the gods had not depicted Hades' beauty. The god sitting before her was not a crusty old man with a white beard; no, he was a Calvin Klein model. "Yes," Hades clasped his hands together and grimaced, "the God of Death and riches; that's me." Ariel nodded, still refusing to believe but knowing she had to and Hades' grimace turned even bitter, "And you, darling, will be staying with me for quite some time." ~*~ Cover: _nymphomaniac Published: 8/6/14

{Part of the Bloodlines Histories} Waking up in the morgue is not how 18-year-old Charlotte Alders expected to end her first Halloween in college. While enjoying a night out with friends, she realizes too late that she has fallen into the hands of a sinister figure she knows only as Luca Acerbi--a vampire with a less than stellar personality who has a torrid past that spans hundreds of years and dozens of history books. Soon Charlotte realizes she has escaped the radar of her murderous creator--for now-- only to be pursued by vampires who work for the mysterious duo Renaud and Violette, and protected only by the guarded and sometimes untrustworthy witch Gwendolen. Gwendolen has taken a keen interest in Charlotte and her existence, but why? Charlotte is trust into the care of impatient and pessimistic vampire Cormac, who has a mysterious and lengthy past of his own and there may be more to the vampire than meets the eye. Upon becoming a vampire after living a life as what the supernatural world calls a Mundane, Charlotte must reign in her thirst within her if she wants to hold onto what is left of her humanity before she becomes like many of the jaded and self-loathing vampires she meets. Things in the supernatural world are quickly darkening with whispers of dark forces, both living and undead, taking hold. Charlotte is all to willing to stay neutral, but danger is always knocking on the door as she is left to determing: who is a friend and who is a foe? Only time will tell, but Charlotte is quickly learning that she may be more important than she ever thought possible...