"They become like us, but beautiful. Dangerously beautiful. Oh yes. And they can make the sky do their bidding. They cast spells with their music that can take away your willpower. And their hair . . . is the color of blood." *** There's a legend in the Amazon that tells of attractive and dangerous shapeshifters known as Encantados. When Sofia Aguilar meets one in the flesh, her life is turned completely upside down. Can she reunite a legendary shapeshifter with his past without losing touch with her own reality? *** "We call them . . . Encantado." The word was familiar, yet it tickled Sofi's inner ear in a way that only foreign sounds could. It felt like a name from another world. Somewhere far and lost. Somewhere that should have never been or perhaps might never be. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Stunning cover done by the exceptionally talented @LigiaNunes Copyright © 2015 by Coco Nichole

fifth place short story -- pokémon watty awards 2015 *** When Ronnie, a seventeen-year-old girl with a history of mental disorders that she's worked hard to bury for years, watches her partner Pokémon die, all of those problems return to the surface, and she is admitted into St. Lauren's Hospital until she can recover. As a form of therapy, she is told to write what she feels. Her road to healing is documented once a day until she leaves, and says goodbye to the friends that got her through it. *** (Neither Pokémon, nor the pictures in the cover, belong to me. Only the plot and characters.)

With her mother's diary in hand, Hailey now has more chance of finding her than ever. Her search will lead her on a journey to one of the more obscure places of the kingdom of Aeolus where she will discover creatures she thought were only legends. Meanwhile, she can't forget that the enemy army from the Outlands is closing in on her kingdom, threatening the Winged Nation. Thankfully, her friends are here to help (or make fun of her, depending on the situation). ~Sequel to Secret Wings~ (If you haven't read it, I suggest you do so before reading this one)