Esme and Matt can't stand each other, even if they have to play nice for the cameras. As public speculation about their chemistry heats up, they're forced to confront what's real versus what's just for show. ***** Esme Mendoza is everything Matt Crain isn't--polished, optimistic, and proud of her golden girl image. He's brooding, arrogant, and impossible to work with. As co-stars in an indie romance film, they're forced to act like soulmates on screen while barely tolerating each other behind the scenes. When their banter and lingering stares spark fan speculation during the press tour, their PR teams jump on the opportunity, but Esme and Matt aren't too thrilled. Suddenly, they're everywhere--public appearances, exchanging snarky remarks in interviews, and fueling endless rumors. As their forced chemistry starts to feel a little too real, Esme and Matt are left questioning: are they just playing a role, or could this be end game? ***** WARM HANDS #1 Open Novella Contest -- prompts 45 & 127 [[OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 ROUND 2 AMBASSADORS' PICK]] © 2025 caterina george // all rights reserved

Elise Savoy thought dropping Yale University would be the hardest part of her teen years-until her mind became the real battleground. After her mother's tragic death, 19-year-old Elise is drowning in grief and unraveling at the seams. Haunted by vivid psychotic episodes, she returns to her family's decaying home in another country, hoping the quiet will mend what's broken. But the house holds more than dusty memories and fading photographs. There's something lurking in the corners of her mind and maybe in the woods beyond the porch. As fragments of forgotten memories resurface, Elise begins to question what's real. The more she digs, the more reality slips through her fingers. Is she losing herself to grief and madness? Or is there something hidden in her past that's been waiting to be found? Sometimes, the only way to find the truth is to let it find you. .·:*¨ ¨*:·.⚘☘〄☘⚘.·:*¨ ¨*:·. Participant of the || Open Novella Contest 2025. Main prompt: 105.- Your childhood imaginary friend, who disappeared years ago, suddenly returns only this time, they're real. Secondary prompts: 102 and 126. 2025 Umi Moriko Original

**When a gruesome prison death reunites an officer with her ex-best friend, feelings resurface as they investigate the deep-rooted secrets of an ancient penitentiary.** After eight years abroad, Lana Lippian has returned to the frozen asteroid of her birth as a Lieutenant in the Intergalactic Disciplinary Organization. It's now her job to police both Fenestra Prison and the surrounding penal colony of Subtus City. But when an ill-fated arrest leads to the death of an innocent teenager, Lana's estranged best friend (and childhood crush), Korona Tallow, begs the officer to imprison her in order to investigate what she believes to be murder. However, dangerous secrets lie behind the metal walls of Fenestra and Lana has her work cut out keeping Kor safe. Especially since the fiery nuisance has never been one to fly below the radar. Soon, sparks catch in the flammable atmosphere as the wary allies discover that both the mystery and their feelings go far deeper than either could have imagined. ||18+ Trigger Warning for Spicy Adult Situations, Language, Violence and Death|| Featured on: @FreeTheLGBT @OpenNovellaContest @ScienceFiction @Wattpad

Dr. Elara Voss and Dr. Niall Renton are close colleagues, working together to get humanity to live on the moon. But all goes wrong If Niall makes a big mistake. Now Earth and its population are doomed. Can they fix it? Or is this truly the end of the world?

Entry-level magic professors aren't supposed to be responsible for fixing the generations-long problems that come from a library haunted by fae. But when the administration sweeps the dangerous situation under the rug, Constance Wylf sets out to expose the truth. Armed with logic, a cart of books, and her personal-companion fairy, Constance is ready to storm the long-abandoned shelves. What she isn't prepared for is a tavern-keeper who's madly insistent on tagging along, especially since he seems convinced she's unravelling along the edges. Which is impossible. Unravelling, as everyone knows, is for people with emotions. And Constance Wylf is absolutely determined to keep any emotions she might have tied up tight. ~ * ~ Longlister in ONC 2025 Prompts 65 and 102 Main: What is science, if not magic governed by laws instead of emotions? Secondary: In a world where books are feared for their power to possess readers, one Scribe enters a haunted library full of cursed stories. The question is: will they leave the same person?

When Ethan Eaton comes home for the Christmas holiday to find his parents have been killed by vampires, his life takes a drastic turn. Leaving behind his old life, he opens a café in a village located in the Scottish Highlands, which rumours say is frequently visited by supernatural beings. His plan is simple: learn more about magical beings and find out why his parents died. There is no room for distractions, and there is especially no room for his growing feelings towards the fiery and whimsical village girl Airlia, who happens to also be chasing magic. ----- ONC 2025 Round 2 Winner & Shortlister! ----- The Novellas of the Highlands: - Oak's Tea Room - The Oblivious Fool - The Second Draft - A Wish Come True - To be named

Nivana never wanted to be anyone special. But when she defies Death, she unknowingly awakens an ancient power - one that ties her fate to the very being she just challenged. Thane, the personification of death, is drawn to her. But the more their bond grows, the more Nivana realizes the rules of life and death are not so easily broken. And the price of defying those rules could be more than she is willing to pay. Nivana must decide: can she continue to dance with Death, or will she find a way to escape his grasp?

🏆 SHORTLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 A misfit actress must give a performance of a lifetime before her true identity gets uncovered and her hidden empire crumbles down. ⋯⋯⋯ Alyson Gardner, the misfit daughter of the Ocalira chief, is a master of disguise. It is not easy controlling the largest pleasure district in Hylsa Lyllan behind a curtain, so when a student from university goes missing in her turf, she must do everything she can to clear her ties to it even if it means shedding her masks bit by bit. But with an impatient perpetrator out for her ruin, she must turn to friends and foes alike to star in the greatest performance of her life, one that will shake her empire's foundations down to the last brick. From the author of the award-winning novella, 𝘋𝘪𝘦 𝘢 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘈𝘳𝘭𝘰 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯, comes a story of privilege, wealth, and the divide between the elite and the common. Ideals are a salvation for many, but in the quest for freedom and power, sometimes, they are the first to go. AN INSTALLMENT OF THE LYLLAN UNIVERSITY OF MAGIC AND MISFITS SERIES ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• © 2025 (First Edition) [25,000 - 30,000 words] [All graphics are made by @sardonictabby] ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• 🏆 LONGLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 2 AMBASSADOR PICK - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 2 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 1 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025

**ONC 2025 LONG LIST** Eros (Cupid) gets rejected by Psyche for a newly-revived Narcissus. Convinced he is a failure who does not live up to his job description, Eros quits in anger and embarrassment, breaking his bow and his vows and retiring to Florida. -- After Hell's major overhaul, Kelsia-a repentant succubus and a hopeless romantic-finally gets a chance to earn her angelic wings back. That chance? Find Cupid a match and bring him back to work. -- Will they bring love and fireworks back to humanity, or will they doom all life to fizzle out like a sad, loveless, deflated balloon? This story contains strong language but no planned explicit scenes. Please do not skip the introductory chapter for trigger warnings.