Elethea must protect something with her life-her identity. Being part human and part faery is something forbidden. Elethea is one and she must keep her identity concealed to avoid being punished. The king of Aethoria arranges a ball for his son, Darrian, birthday. Darrian is forced to wed one of the many invited women to continue the royal bloodline and to takeover ruling responsibilities. Elethea is amongst those women. She quickly falls for the prince, however, she discovers an evil plot. She is put in a predicament, both decisions will have horrible consequences. Expose the evil plot which will reveal her identity which will cause her and the faeries to be punished, or keep quiet which will lead to others deaths. **this book is a ONC2025 entry - prompt 130: protect this with your life - a retelling of the Biblical book of Esther

🏆 SHORTLIST - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 A misfit witch must find her missing twin before everyone finds out about her heritage and her family's deception. ⋯⋯⋯ Agatha Fairbard is a mystery. Having lived in a mirror dimension all her life, she was an enigma no one can solve other than who always accompanies her―herself. So when her twin goes missing without a word, Agatha must step into the wide unknown with only a borrowed name and face. That is, until a dark force surfaces and demands her power. In a world of betrayal, greed, and conquest, she has to discover her truth before others with vested interest do it for her. 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) [20,000 - 25,000 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

Bound to a magical bangle and a demon, sea drifter Ninnette has only three days to break the curse--or die trying. ---------- Ninnette is a sea drifter with the power to command water, dredging shipwrecks and salvaging lost treasure. But when she braves a wreck no one else dares to dive, she finds no gold, no jewels--only a strange clockwork bangle. The moment she wears it, the artifact latches onto her wrist, binding her to an ancient curse, and to Kazi, the demon who leaves destruction wherever he goes. Kazi is infuriating and dangerous. He refuses to help her break the curse. Worse, a secret organization is hunting them, believing the bangle to be a map to something far greater than treasure. But the true danger isn't the organization. It isn't Kazi. It's the curse. The moment Ninnette puts on the bangle, a countdown begins. If she doesn't break the curse in three days, she will die like every wearer before her. ---------- ONC 2025 Honorable Mention ---------- Romantasy High Fantasy Fantasy Adventure SciFi Steampunk Fantasci Young Adult

Victoria is an aspiring playwright. So when the "Write Your Own Shakespeare" contest is announced, she finally sees her chance to make it big. That is until her rival announces that he too, will be participating. Liam has a secret. He's a vampire, and up until recently, that's never been a problem. But now it is, because he's found his soulmate. The problem? It's Victoria, and she hates him. So, to try and win her over, he decides to join the play writing contest. Except, he has no idea how to write a play. As Victoria fights for the top spot, and Liam fights for her love - and his life - they start to spend more time together, and something, a lot different than hate, starts to blossom between them. ~~ Cover by: -MilaSteele

A forgotten goddess, a love torn by fate, and a war that shattered the heavens-Elaria must choose between power, love, and the future of existence itself. 🔥🔥🔥 Eleanor thought she was human-until her soul bond shattered, awakening powers no mortal should possess. As memories of her past life return, she discovers she was once Elaria, the Weaver of Fate, a goddess erased by the celestial order. But her return was no accident-her inner powers may have called her back. Now, Cupid, the god of love, claims she is meant to restore balance, while Veyron, the demon of obsession, whispers that she was betrayed and must bring vengeance. Yet as her power awakens, so does a force within her that even the gods failed to anticipate. Will she preserve love, break fate's chains, or uncover a hidden truth that could rewrite the laws of gods and mortals forever? Time is running out, and the choice is hers-if destiny doesn't claim her first.

⭐️ ROUND 2 ONC 2025 AMBASSADORS PICK 🏆 ROUND 2 ONC 2025 WINNER Once, she was Hesperia, the Goddess of Fate and Destiny-a deity erased from myths, her name buried by insecure Olympians who feared her power. Stripped of divinity, she faded into oblivion... until now. Reincarnated as a mortal woman named Theia, she awakens to a world that has long forgotten her. But echoes of her past whisper in her dreams, and fragments of her lost power stir within her soul. Theia refuses to be erased again. Defying prophecy, she vows to reclaim her place among the gods-not as their pawn, but as their equal. With each challenge, she defies fate, gathering allies and unearthing ancient secrets the gods never wanted revealed. As she rises, Olympus trembles. For the power they tried to bury has returned-this time, unchained.

Paige didn't come to Loughborough University to fall apart. But within twenty-four hours, her long-term boyfriend cheats, dumps her, and leaves her stranded in the place she followed him to. The last person she expects to step in is Callum Bruce-rugby golden boy, second year, and her brother's best friend. The same best friend who was warned, years ago, to stay the hell away from Alfie's little sister. Only Callum never really listened. Not when it came to Paige. So when she asks him to be her fake boyfriend-just long enough to keep her ex from circling back-Callum agrees. He'll protect her. He'll play the part. He'll pretend. But the pretending doesn't feel so fake anymore. And the more lines they cross, the harder it gets to remember why she was ever off-limits in the first place. Because Paige isn't just Alfie's little sister. She's the one girl Callum's never been able to stop wanting. - ONC Prompts: 31. Next time, ask yourself if your integrity can withstand the truth. 134. You did more for me in six days than he ever did in seven (four) years.

[Completed in 2025] Love is not a blessing, but a curse. In the shadowed halls of the Night Court, where vampires rule with quiet cruelty and ancient tradition, they are bound to an unbreakable destiny. Vampires are bound to their human soulmates, and rejection can kill them. Cassian never wanted to believe in fate, but when he discovers his mate, a human with fire in his veins and rebellion in his heart, he has no choice but to face it. Yet his soulmate does not see their bond as destiny. He sees it as a shackle and is determined to bring down the Night Court, even if it means killing the vampire bound to him. Trapped by an attraction he never desired and a love that could kill him, Cassian has to make a choice. Win the human's love, or die trying. But as whispers of a rebellion begin to rise, love isn't the only obstacle Cassian will have to conquer. ---- Cover by nikavillalba on fiverr

[Honorable Mention, Round two winner] Sora Yōmei was the first female heir to the Veozian throne-until her step-brother's birth turned her world upside down. With her claim to the throne in jeopardy, her brother seeks to slay the mythical mountain serpent Vraniscar, hoping to claim its power and unite the kingdoms of mountains and sea. Exiled and nearly stripped of her birth right, she must confront betrayal, face ancient powers, and prove herself worthy of the serpent's protection and stop her half-brother-or watch her kingdom fall into chaos. Cover by @-MilaSteele