Danilo's life is a mess, from the drinking to the smoking to the nagging of his mother. It seems nothing is ever going right until he meets Dulnuan, a ghost who lived during the time of American imperialism in the Philippines. He befriends her, and she becomes a light at the end of his dark tunnel with the promise of a romantic adventure and a chest filled with gold to get him out of his miserable life. But how can he be together with Dulnuan? How can she help him find the gold? Will he wish desperately enough to make it all come true? *** Premise: A man on the brink of suicide befriends his savior, who is death itself. *** Genre: Adult Grimdark Paranormal Fantasy *** CONTENT WARNING: Grim Themes Explicit Sex Morally Gray Characters This is not Romance *** Happy Reading! Hi_D

Anchor Morningstar owns and operates the Resting Point, a hole-in-the-wall tavern sitting right on the border between life and the afterlife where travelers catch a brief respite before passing through a portal for judgment day. For years, Anchor has lend a kind ear to those desperate souls and has offered words of encouragement as he polishes glasses and serves drinks. All this changes the second Cass stumbles into the bar. Carrying with her a tremendous amount of guilt and remorse, she begs Anchor to let her stay, so he offers her a warm bed and some tender loving care for the night. The outcome is not as expected. In hell, they say that soulmates are real and dangerous. They hold the power to bring someone back from the brink of death or tear their soul in half. Only the devil has no heart, and he has already claimed Cass as his soulmate. Warnings: 🌶️ High Heat Level 🤬 Swearing ☠️ Touch Her & Die 🦸🏽‍♂️ Anti-Hero 💓 Dangerous Love 💋 Two domineering, broody love interests who are hot and larger than life (but might deserve love) 😈 Dark Humor Read with caution! ~~~~~ This is my entry for ONC 2024 based on the following prompts: Prompt #7: You are the barkeeper, the owner and operator of the resting point between life and the afterlife, being a kind ear to those who have passed on. Prompt #25: Soulmates are real and dangerous. They hold the power to bring you back from the brink of death or tear your soul in half. And a devil with no heart is the soulmate that awaits you. Prompt #32: A drunk dare and the biggest mistake of your life. A sin you can't wash off your hands. After all, blood leaves its traces and so does the taking of a soul. | Round Two AMBASSADORS' PICK | ~~~~ © Sal Mason/Fire Rose 2024

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚 | 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 When Mara Santiago is laid off from work and dumped by her boyfriend, she moves in with her parents. Struggling to find another job as a ballerina, she begins go-go dancing at Penthouse---a high-end nightclub in San Francisco where her brother Lucas bartends. He warns that underneath the glitz and glam is a dangerous world she should stay away from, but Penthouse pays well, and Mara is determined to get back on her feet. One night, an older gentleman tips her handsomely. At first, it seems like a one-time thing, but his generous tips continue. Curious, she asks him why. After all, she's a go-go dancer, not a stripper. He confesses he wanted to do something kind. However, it's not the only reason. Enzo Esposito is looking for a "companion." If Mara agrees to accompany him to important work events and dinners, he'll pay her a thousand dollars each time: no strings attached or hanky panky. The offer is too tempting. So, Mara agrees. But nothing is ever that simple---especially regarding to whom she entrusts her heart. Not when a murderer is on the loose with sights possibly set on her. 𝙊𝙉𝘾 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙨 #69, #46 𝙖𝙣𝙙 #33

A young woman makes the brave decision to flee her toxic stepfather, only to be taken hostage by an escaped convict hours later, but he may just be the key to her freedom. 🔥BOOK ONE IN THE MAYHEM SIX SERIES🔥 *** After stealing money from her wealthy but controlling stepfather, Nataly Collins makes the bold decision to run away with her four-year-old sister. But as she does, she crosses paths with an escaped convict from the local penitentiary, and he plans to keep the sisters hostage until he can safely cross the Canadian border. Of course, the more Nataly spends time with this convict, the more she learns he isn't what he appears to be despite his death-themed tattoos and intimidating stature. Soon it becomes obvious that they need each other to avoid capture. And Nataly can't help but feel the safest she's ever felt around him. Will she be able to fight off her emerging feelings for this dangerous criminal?l? ~ ACCOLADES ~ 🏅ONC HONORABLE MENTION ✨ ONC Shortlister ❤️ AMBASSADORS PICK 🔥 Third ranking in #badboy

When Marissa's poodle, Thor is snatched, the police can do nothing, so she goes to a private investigator. Their initial encounter leaves her shaken and wondering whether it's time to review her decision to avoid men. Graham gave up on women after a series of disastrous relationships, but something about Marissa stirs him. Dog? Oh, yes, there's a dognapping to solve. Written for ONC 2024 in response to the prompt: Sometimes words speak louder than actions. This story was named a Winner in both Round One and Round Two.

When Zev finds himself on a journey away from his home in Sanctum with only a new friend and his less-than-powerful ability, he must travel a path of hardship and dedication to find his lost older brother. In a tornado of self-discovery and more mysteries about the twelve-layered world he lives in than he can count, Zev must travel down the layers on his own path or die trying. Though, as he knows all too well, death can have many unexpected consequences. My official ONC2024 Entry Prompts 80. "Meet me next life." 95. "I will become as monstrous as I must."

| Amby Awards 2024 Top Pick | Ever since she was injured in a terrible accident, Cordelia Williams has felt adrift. The accident claimed more than her limb; it ruined her reputation and destroyed her dream of becoming a famous painter. Worried that her disability makes her a disgrace to her prominent Regency family, Cordelia tries to find other ways to contribute to her family's legacy. But Cordelia's mother is determined to keep her hidden at their country estate--especially after a wealthy gentleman begins courting her beautiful sister. When Cordelia's father arranges her exit from high society, Cordelia is faced with a difficult decision: accept the quiet life her family planned for her, or overcome her fear of being seen. ☆ FEATURED @HistoricalFiction @ShortStory @Wattpad Ambassadors

𝐎𝐍𝐂 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 - When Eventyr spirals into war, three young foxes from its divided kingdoms must discover themselves and their united purpose if they wish to save their home from being destroyed. -❈- A reluctant heir. A living mistake. A misguided ambition. One knows nothing but violence, one knows nothing but deceit, and the last is blissfully ignorant to the war that draws them all together. They all strive to be part of something bigger. And each has their secrets. Colborn is next in line for a role he isn't sure he can take. The burden he bears-and the sacrifice he must make to stoke his father's embers of pride-is all too much to handle. Skadi is scorned and broken. She was never meant to be born, much less, to live. All she wants is to belong, even if it means going against everything she believes in. Trygve just wants to make something of himself, to prove to his family that he isn't just a kit anymore. With passion driven by curiosity and stubborn determination, he's bound to land in the paws of trouble. As pressures rise and the war reaches a breaking point, each fox must face a decision that's bound to weave their threads of fate closer together. Either they accept their role as a force to fuel the conflict-or risk their lives to save another. But there's only one key to stopping the war. They must find the truth before Eventyr is destroyed. -❈- Entry for the Open Novella Contest 2024 Based on prompt 20: Three strangers, two secrets, one key. Final Word-count: ~38,000 Cover by: @avadel

When an orphaned, DACA, pre-med student with a secret gift and a fiery CEO with a legacy to protect are forced into a marriage of inconvenience, the Mayan Moon isn't the only thing causing turmoil. Roger Catzín, a pre-med student with a knack for healing wounds with a whisper and a touch, never imagined his nightly stroll under a blood-red moon would derail his life. But then again, Central Park has a reputation for surprises, and not all of them pleasant. Enter a dramatic old man with a cryptic message, and Roger's life flips from mundane to mystically entangled faster than you can say, Mayan Moon. On the other side of town, or more accurately, on the upscale side of life, Claire Williams navigates the corporate jungle with the grace of a seasoned CEO-a title she earned but now fears losing to the whims of fate, or worse, a grandfather who apparently moonlights as a matchmaker from beyond the grave. When Roger and Claire's worlds collide, courtesy of a will that reads more like a romantic comedy plot than a legal document, they find themselves legally bound in holy matrimony. Who said romance is dead? Mayan Moon is a novella that asks the important questions: Can a man who talks to the moon and a woman who commands the boardroom find common ground? Will they uncover the mystery behind the old man's attack and the secrets Chester Williams hid in his will? And most importantly, can two strangers fake a marriage without killing each other or, dare we say, falling in love? Dive into a story where magic is real, the moon is a guide, and love is... well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Roger and Claire have enough on their plates trying to figure out why fate (or a very eccentric old man) decided they're a match made in legal documentation. Mayan Moon delivers laughs, gasps, and maybe, just maybe, a belief in the magic of the unexpected. Participant in the Open Novella Contest 2024 | Prompt: A midnight stroll and a meeting with a frantic stranger.