Imperial Russia kills her heroes quickly- and she does not show mercy. ▪︎▪︎▪︎ Imperial Russia, 1852 Arkady Bessmertny's destiny has already been decided. Banished to the Caucasus for his liberal beliefs, he is fated to die in the bloodbath of a cruel war and sacrifice himself in the name of the tsar. His punishment is as devastating as it is simple. But soon Arkady has to realise that there are far more terrible things than the blazing guns of the Circassians and the wrath of his tyrannical superior. For ghosts creep in the old walls of his fortress and blood soaks its mortar as wailing shakes its stones. They are all signs of a terrible truth. Old, long forgotten darkness is rising, ready to swallow the entire empire. But it is the same darkness that flows in Arkady's blood. After all, he is more than a miserable officer and the illegitimate son of a count. ___ Entry for the Open Novella Contest 2024 under the prompts 3 and 36

When cynical addict Rodion Popov makes a deal with the Devil and wagers his soul, his life takes a turn for the demonically surreal. Thrust into a city of shapeshifting sinners and chaos spirits, he must complete five tasks at the Devil's behest in order to escape the despairing world he lives in. And the Devil? He just so happens to be hell-bent on making sure Rodion fails. Thankfully one of the Devil's minions, Shutka, is not. Out of pity, she joins Rodion, serving him as something between companion and counselor. But as the tasks escalate and the strain on his body and mind intensifies, Rodion finds himself seeking an answer to the question at the heart of his deal, a question Shutka can't possibly help him answer: is it possible to redeem a soul? Honors/Awards: ONC 2024 Honorable Mention ONC 2024 Ambassadors' Pick (Round One) "THE DEVIL COMES TO ANGELOVSK" is featured on: @humor's "dark humor" reading list @humor's "ambassadors' monthly pick" reading list @opennovellacontest's "2024 honorable mentions" and "2024 ambassadors' picks" lists Copyright © 2024 Elle Chaika Open Novella Contest VII (2024) | Prompt No. 32

Stories say that the Witch rained curses down on Devil's Corner, that she made the woods grow strange and wild, made shadows leap and dance and snatch up stray children for supper. In a small town on the edge of a dangerous forest, stories are never in short supply, and they are held dearer than truth. Thea lost her hand to the things that live in the wood, and she can't shake loose the voice that lured her there. But her Pa fed her tales of magic and heroes, and promises that even the darkest things have hearts. When her brother is attacked by the Witch's gruesome creations, Thea breaks into her cottage, determined to save him from a fate she knows all to well. Because in Devil's Corner, stories are true, and Thea knows the greatest one of all: the only way to break a curse, is to kill the witch. --- COMPLETE - 20,000 words Written for Wattpad's 2024 Open Novella Contest. ONC 2024 SHORTLISTER

Wren, once a young woman consumed by passion, fell in love with a lord of sin. His promises were as beautiful as his visage, and his touch as sinful as his very nature. Yet after courting her and taking all that she had to give, he stole her soul. Through a forceful ritual, exchanging her pure essence for true immortality. Not content with simply casting her aside later on, he forever changes her nature as she becomes his bound thrall. Having been tormented and toyed with by him for his own personal amusement, he has no intention of letting her slip from his grasp. Yet, Wren, refuses to yield, until she meets another that shows her how to play a deadly game with an artful elegance. Both love and revenge lie buried deeply within her, but finding a path between, risks losing herself to either side.

[ONC 2024 Entry] "I am your God." "But are you my God? The God I want?" "I am the God you need." Sibylle, a Nun in a countryside Abbey, is forced to host a demonic entity in order to prevent it from wreaking havoc upon the world. Main Prompt: 3. Your greatest fear is monsters in the dark. The last thing you expect is to become the Monster in the dark. Sub-prompts: 82. You wake up on a seemingly ordinary day to discover that your thoughts are not private. There is someone else in your head with you. 5. Horror is in the eye of the beholder. 95. "I will become as monstrous as I must." CHECKPOINTS 🥉Round One Qualifier Round Two SUBMITTED!! Total WC: 8,004 words

A tale about a cat and a crow in search of their witch. Asha, a black cat, and her friend Kyrell, a hooded crow, are living their best lives as the familiars of the town witch Cybele. But as Cybele goes missing, their peaceful lives are threatened and they need the help of a mysterious boy to find her. My entry for the Open Novella Contest 2024.

🗝️Detective Ryker Viltarin must uncover dark secrets before he loses not only his heart but also his life.🗝️ You're on your own, far from home The wind is blowing in the top of the pines A gloomy sky where the sun never shines Deep in the woods, where the night is so cold You're lost, far from home -Mustash- Ryker Viltarin, a former soldier and now a private detective, is asked for help by an old comrade: He has to find his ex-wife, who has kidnapped their child because of their impending divorce. At first, this sounded like an easy case for Viltarin. The search for the missing leads the investigator to the sleepy little town of Silvershore on Everbreeze Lake in Canada. When he moves into the small guesthouse Pineview Cottage, Ryker is convinced that he has found an unscrupulous child abductor. But why does this impression change more and more the closer he gets to her? Why does every step toward the truth raise more questions than answers? And what is the significance of the mysterious key that suddenly ends up in Evelyn's possession? Will Ryker succeed in saving Evelyn and Liam, or will they also fall victim to the killer from Everbreeze Lake? 🗝️ "Taking You Home" is a romantic and gripping mystery-drama story about love, betrayal, and the shadows of the past that must be overcome to finally understand the true meaning of happiness. 🗝️ *** ROMANCE READS 2024 CONTESTANT 🥇Frosty Flavour Award - Adult 🥇Wishing Socks Awards - Others & Best Blurb 🥇TheGemstoneBookAwards - Romance 🥇Inferno Awards - Romance 🥇Cloud Awards - Romance 🥇Black Lace Award - Romance 🥈ELPIDA-Awards - Romance

Vampires and hunters are like cats and dogs. They either tolerate each other, or they go for the throat. There isn't supposed to be a third option. ⋅⋆⋅ Lailoken is a powerful, ancient vampire with peculiar fog powers. He's just awoken from a long slumber in his beloved woods. He thirsts for an adventure in the modern world and brings chaos everywhere he goes. If not whimsical, then bloody... He crosses paths with Josie, a strong, independent woman who isn't intimidated by his fangs. With her as his guide, he's ready for his first road trip of the twenty-first century. While hunters are on their trail looking for a vampire killer on the loose, Lailoken and Josie hide out in shady motels, vampire nightclubs, and blood dens, and their friendship grows into something more. But charming as he may be, Lailoken is a killer, and Josie has the means to bring him to justice. Trusting her may be his undoing. Their entangled tale unfolds in a story filled with campy entertainment, romantic tension, and a fresh take on the vampire genre. ⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄ ✨ ONC 2024 Ambassadors' Pick and SHORTLISTER. Prompts: 13, 58, 15, and 22. 🩸 Content warnings: blood and gore. 💕 Spice level: mild. 🖌️ Book cover artwork and design by Isobel Lynx.

ONC 2024: In college, it was a case of wrong place/wrong time. Eight years later, they have a second chance. But will they take the leap? ___ Prompt 14: "My muse, believe me, waiting for you has been a form of freedom." ___ Excerpt: "Don't look back." Ian stares at me through the screen with his dark, intense gaze. "Don't long for all the things that might have been. Don't chastise yourself for the decisions you've made." For a moment, his words render me silent. "Appreciate all those little indentations that make you who you are," he says with a tender expression. "And remember your superpower." "What superpower?" "Let yourself dream again." A tender smile crosses his features. "Focus that intense drive of yours on the future like you used to do." He's right. For so long, I've been living in survival mode. One foot in front of the other. Stuck in this nightmare, I haven't been able to see any other way forward. Until now. "You're free now," he says, "to make better choices that will make you truly happy." For a moment, I let my mind take me wherever it wants to go. Right now? It wants to be in Boston, beside him. But can I leave everything behind?

Iris's brother has done a stupid, stupid thing by challenging a shadewalker from the Veil family to a game of Creznen Roulette. Unfortunately, he won. Now, the shadewalker's older sister is demanding Iris's life in retribution. In desperation, Iris's father has gone to Adrian Colt, another shadewalker, begging him to protect his family. Adrian has agreed, but the price is that Iris must marry his son. Iris, however, has no intention of being married off - even if it is for her own protection. Special thanks to @plutointhestars for the gorgeous cover art! Author's note: This story is being written for ONC 2024 and is based on the following prompt: Prompt 88. Your father is forcing you to marry someone you have never met. The night before your wedding you tie your sheets together and make your escape through the window. Half way down you make eye contact with someone doing the exact same thing a few windows over.