First Time Entry in the Open Novella Contest 2025 What happens when the Goddess of Night and the Goddess of Dawn come together to save both vampires and humans from destruction? This is the story of the origin of the Blood Match. Long in the ancient past, vampires were given an opportunity to choose another path and they refused. So Hecate, the Queen of night, and her sister Theia, the Queen of Dawn, wove a powerful spell called Justice's Curse, Mercy's Blessing and nothing will ever be the same. Prompt 11 Vampires are bound by an ancient destiny: their soulmate is always human, and this bond is governed by three rules. The smell of their soulmate's blood is irresistible, its taste sweeter than anything else, and if the love is unrequited, it can be fatal. Fearing this inevitable bond, most vampires try to avoid it. But what happens when one of them discovers that their soulmate is a human who not only rejects them but loathes them? This story is set in the Blood Match universe and is a prequel to my current story, Blood Match: A Leonidas De La Cruz story Cover courtesy of Nicole Woodward @caffeineismymuse

[ONC Round 2 Ambassador Pick] The elf Pepiryn is about to achieve what he's been working towards for years-opening a portal to another dimension. If he does that, he will prove his abilities, would be allowed to study other dimensions directly, and hopefully find out more about what happened to his mother. However, during the presentation of his machine, Quinli, an old acquintance turned enemy crashes the party, ruining everything. Now stuck in the city of Prague, Pepiryn and Quinli must work together to find their way back home while old feelings bubble to the surface. (Based on ONC prompt 45: It's your big day - everything is falling into place - but why does your hot, irresistible enemy seem to think he's won?)

What happens when love collides with the supernatural? In a world where a demon roams the shadows, Nadine finds herself inexplicably drawn to Havoc, a self-loathing demon grappling with his dark purpose. As their paths intertwine, Nadine discovers that falling for a demon was the last thing on her wishlist, yet it may just be the catalyst that brings both of them to life. This is a tale of unexpected love, redemption, and the search for purpose in a modern landscape where the lines between good and evil blur. Through Nadine's unwavering compassion, Havoc begins confronting his inner demons, challenging the essence of being a monster. Their journey is filled with heart-pounding moments, rich emotional depth, and a unique exploration of love that transcends the boundaries of the human experience. Are you ready to dive into a story that defies conventions and invites you to question everything you thought you knew about love? I invite you to step into "Falling for Havoc" and join Nadine and Havoc on their unforgettable journey today! ONC 2025 Prompt #2: To be in love with a demon was the last thing on your wishlist.

*Complete* Copper's life is a carefully crafted illusion-onscreen, she shares a passionate romance with her co-star, a relationship her fans obsess over. Offscreen, her real love life is a mess. Fresh off a brutal breakup and desperate for guidance, she does something reckless-she holds a séance, not to summon spirits but the god of love himself. To her shock, Cupid answers. But the winged god isn't the chubby cherub of legend-he's sharp-witted, dangerously charming, and hell-bent on fixing her romantic misfortunes. As Cupid sets Copper on a whirlwind journey to find true love, the lines between myth and reality blur. Because somewhere between staged passion and genuine heartache, the god of love is breaking the one rule he never intended to-falling for her himself. With fate, fandoms, and forbidden feelings at play, Copper must decide if love is just another illusion... or if some hearts are worth the risk. (Based off Prompt 30 o ONC: In a love Triangle where Cupid himself becomes the third wheel, who will be left standing when Love faces its own matchmaker?) *Please, no. I use a world of soft 'corn' to portray situations not commonly found in that setting. I'm not trying to portray the soft corn or any other industry. I use phrases that aren't seen (I assume) in this industry or any other industry. In other words, it's just a work of fiction. ***Warning: Possible RH romance. I'm not sure yet, but there will at least appear to be a lot of love interests.***

[ONC 2025 SHORTLIST] The Endless Brew lazes in the 𝑩𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏. Its residents dedicate their afterlife to helping ghosts tie up loose ends. But when a cry for help echoes from the town of Wisteria, the tea house is thrown into uncharted territory. This time, their charge isn't a ghost-it's Nina, a living, breathing human with no apparent wishes to fulfill. Stumped and stranded, The Endless Brew's residents must unravel why she's crossed into their spectral world. As they take her under their wing, Nina finds herself drawn to Kai, a brooding, enigmatic ghost with a past as mysterious as his piercing gaze. Their electric connection might defy the boundaries of life and death, but it doesn't change the fact they're from different worlds, and their parting is inevitable. 🌸 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬: 𝑺𝒍𝒐𝒘-𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏, 𝒄𝒖𝒕𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒈𝒓𝒖𝒎𝒑 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆, 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈. 🌸 𝐎𝐍𝐂 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭: 15. 𝑨 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒆𝒂 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑 𝒔𝒖𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓: 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒆 𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎 𝒔𝒐 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕?

The house watches her, its halls stretching like the remnants of a dream she once knew but cannot name. He stands in the space between shadow and light, his eyes holding the weight of a thousand unspoken goodbyes. She steps closer, drawn by something deeper than memory, something fragile yet inevitable. Love is already there, quiet and waiting, but with every touch, every whispered breath, the curse tightens around them. Somewhere in the folds of time, in verses left behind by hands long gone, the truth waits-but to find it is to accept that love, once held, must also slip away. ······················································ 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 2025 | Cover Credits: @𝒂𝒍𝒇𝒂𝒆𝒔𝒉𝒂 Primary Prompt #2: 𝑻𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 Secondary Prompt #55: 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆. Secondary Prompt #66: 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒚-𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒔, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈? ······················································

Some roads aren't meant to be traveled alone... because they can kill. | On her way home after a long day of work, the most talented basket weaver in Sitio Sanstorya clashes with her childhood bullies. Luckily for Mila, an eligible bachelor from the same village comes to her rescue. Unfortunately, Lucca also happens to be the neighborhood's most notorious flirt and sweet-talking cadger. Before she could shoo him away, the road she travels almost every day of her life transforms into a dark and terrifying place. Now Mila has no choice but to rely on her equally frightened yet surprisingly protective companion. She will have to resist Lucca's rapt stares and constant flattery until they find their way home. And until they escape the monsters hunting them down.

A society to save or a civilization to destroy... Arya Saravel has always been in search of the truth, whether that be for the years of history she works to uncover with a group of avid archaeologists, or for the past that is always slipping so quickly between her fingers. The deserts call to her, promising fame and fortune beyond imagination, but what treasure she finds within the dunes of Heryan reveals a much more sinister plot to their excavations than she had previously thought. With her teams' lives on the line and time running out to save her family's legacy, how far is Arya willing to go to make her mark on history? ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* // Short-Listed in the Open Novella Contest '25 //

In the aftermath of a long and bloody war, the daughter of a king, no longer a princess, Mussumi, has to bend the knee to the man who has defeated her father. With only a small escort to lead her back to her homeland, Mussumi soon realises that the warlord does not intend for her to reach home alive. Only the intervention of a skilled warrior, who identifies herself only as 'Duty', allows Mussumi to escape, but a desperate chase ensues and only 'Duty' can get her to the ship that will carry her to safety. With the enemy sniping at their heels at every turn, Mussumi and Duty have to face dangerous paths and deadly creatures to reach the port. But can Duty be trusted, or is she only another assassin waiting to strike? An ONC novella, based on Prompt 31: "Next time, ask yourself if your integrity can withstand the truth."

***ONC 2025 SHORTLISTER, LONGLISTER & ROUND 2 AMBASSADOR PICK*** Most days, Elvina Biblos endures a dull existence as a barista. But whenever she can, she escapes to the Library, home to books that are gateways to magical realms, and the Society of Page Travelers, the guardians of these gateways. Elvina toiled for years as a Scribe for the Society, recording the exploits of Page Travelers. Now it's her turn. Tasked with retrieving a stolen book, Elvina relishes the opportunity to become a Page Traveler herself. But when Ian, a self-assured class 3 Page Traveler, invites himself along on her first solo mission, Elvina begins to wonder if her dreams are further away than ever. Ian insists that the Society isn't as perfect as Elvina would like to believe, and that some would go to unimaginable lengths to take them down. As Elvina and Ian pursue the thief, they quickly discovers that traversing the pages of a book can be a dangerous business-and the Society might know less about the situation than they think. Can Elvina complete her mission and discover what's really going on? Or will this be her last chapter with the Society? And can she trust Ian? -- Entry for ONC 2025; based on prompt #4.