Open Novella Contest 2024
7 stories
How to Poison Your Husband [COMPLETE! Cozy Romantasy With A Dash Of Murder] by SophieKestrel
SophieKestrel
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Three years ago, Ivelle Delaville poisoned her murderous git of a husband and ran away to start a new life. Now blissfully single, Ivelle is content with her carpentry business (apart from the crushing debt), and she's determined to live a life free of romance and villainy. Or so she thinks. Faced with the threat of foreclosure, Ivelle has a choice: poison the evil Prince Eirifold in exchange for a metric f*ckton of gold, or starve to death as her carpentry business goes bankrupt. It seems like a no-brainer... except for one problem. The prince she's been hired to poison may not be as evil as advertised. He's also a really good kisser. ~ Book 1 of The Murdery Marriages ~
Lethal Love: The Novel (GxG) by -MilaSteele
-MilaSteele
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[7x featured] "Well, maybe there is one advantage of being in love with the villain in the story. I won't hesitate to kill for you. I won't think twice about burning the fucking world if it means keeping you safe. Because you're fucking worth it, sunshine." 𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪───※ ·✯· ※───𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 When a cold-hearted assassin falls for her sweet target, she must make a choice: murder her or betray her organization to protect them both. Ava became a K.A.R.M.A. assassin at only sixteen years old. Fueled by anger, hate, and the hunger for revenge, Ava has forgotten what compassion or sympathy even means. Until she meets a sassy beam of sunshine whom she spares instead of killing her as ordered. When Ava feels that heart melting spark, she considers betraying her organization to experience that warm feeling once again. Jennie So-Yeon has been sheltered from any speck of violence her whole life, thanks to her parents and her tough best friend. Jennie believes murder is wrong, no matter the reason. But when she meets a cold assassin who protects her from the same people who are after the super-hot assassin, she finds her isolated life of sunshine and rainbows shattering into a million pieces as she falls for a killer. The truth behind K.A.R.M.A. 's purpose slowly unravels as Eve, the leader of the organization, puts out a hit on both Ava and Jennie. Ava must decide if she's going to throw away all her beliefs and years of her life out the window for that dreaded emotion: love. Will Ava and Jennie be able to hold onto their love despite the pressures and death threats around them? Or will one end up betraying the other as both their worlds fall apart? 𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪───※ ·✯· ※───𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 Onc 2024 longlister Featured by: @Action (Action Romance, 18 Romance Stories We Are Obsessed With) @Romance (Romantic Suspense) @Ambassadors (Dangerous Love) @adventure (18 Romance Stories We Are Obsessed With) Cover by yours truly
Reborn: High Strung | ONC2024 by KenzieGala
KenzieGala
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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."
7 Nights with the Bogeyman by philouwrites
philouwrites
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Single mom Selina Sardi would do anything for her 6-year-old son. Eager to turn their new house into a real home for him, she's devastated when she discovers that the monster under his bed is not a figment of his imagination but the real deal. Elias Zwarteveen started his bogeyman career twenty-four years ago and he has been living in the same attic since. He would love nothing more than a change of scenery, but if he wants to move, he needs to rebuild his strength. The only way to do that is to consume plenty of fear. Selina and Elias strike a deal. She will feed him her fears for seven nights in a row, after which he will leave and never return. There's nowhere to hide in the small attic room and Elias picks up on fears Selina wasn't even aware of. Selina and Elias embark on a heated, emotional rollercoaster. What starts as a game of cat and mouse evolves into an intense yearning that will be hard to walk away from. Yet, that is exactly what they intend to do when the week is over. Seven Nights with the Bogeyman is a steamy monster romance with explicit sex scenes between two consenting adults, written for the ONC2024. Enjoy! ONC Prompt 5: Horror is in the eye of the beholder ONC2024 SHORTLIST & HONORABLE MENTION 1 in #ONC2024 feb.16 '24 1 in #opennovellacontest2024 feb.18 '24 1 in #bogeyman march 6'24 1 in #monsterromance may 2'24 1 in #romantasy may 28 '24 1 in #paranormalromance june 3 '24 1 in #paranormal may 15'24 6 in #lovestory July 2'24 12 in #darkromance July 2'24 1 in #speculative July 2'24
Rot || ONC2024 by Fallxn_Freak
Fallxn_Freak
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{SHORTLIST QUALIFIER} In a world forged from darkness, savage creatures known as Night Walkers roam the land, their hunger for vengeance matched only by their thirst for human blood. From the cover of nightfall, they set out on a relentless pursuit of retribution for the sins of humanity. Amongst their ranks is Mara, a young and fearless Walker whose life takes a turn when she encounters haunting visions about a girl from her past. Determined to uncover the truth, Mara allies with the enemies and delves deep into the darkness that was once her home. As she edges closer to the truth she seeks, she realizes the path of truth is paved of lies and betrayal. When the line between friend and foe blurs, Mara must confront the shadows of her past while navigating a world on the brink of chaos. Rot is a low fantasy novella crafted for the 2024 Open Novella Contest.
The Bird People  by WendyyWolfe
WendyyWolfe
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In 1600s Virginia, a small colonial village sprang up unceremoniously on the sacred burial grounds of the Native American people it was taken from, the Nottoway. Now, an ancient evil has been awakened in the form of Elementals known as The Bird People and it is suspected that the Nottoway Tribe has cursed the ground in revenge for being encroached upon by colonial settlers. After failed crops, still births, deaths, burnt homes and facing starvation, superstitions run rampant and the townspeople do the only thing they can think of in the late 1600s to appease these angry and destructive spirits. Give them an offering. It is quietly decided by the elders of the community, in an effort to keep these spirits of the bird people at bay, that every woman should give up her first born infant daughter to them. One such young mother cannot bear this resolution much less imagine giving up her only child. In order to keep her only child, a daughter, she makes a baby out of straw and gives that instead, bringing chaos to their puritan village. A cursed girl. The man who loves her. A questionable death. Native American Lore. Elemental Guardians. A village built on sacred burial grounds. What could go wrong? -An ONC Shortlisted Winner- -ONC Ambassadors Pick- MAIN PROMPT No. 56 In a world where humans and magical creatures coexist a detective must solve a murder case that threatens to plunge the two communities into war. **My twist of the prompt is that the 'other community' are Wendigos. Wendigos are similar in effect to Skin-Walkers. Ⓜ️𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 Will include: Paranormal Activity, Ritual Activity, Superstitions, Early American Colonial Life, Native American Lore/Subjects, Descriptions of child birth and death. Maybe some difficult situations.