Thrown-away things are almost never missed, and once they are discarded, so does the ownership. Crime and violence have always been second nature to him, but everything changed the day he peered in a dumpster. Yes, a dumpster of all places. It was a cold night, the day Mitya found her. The snow had stopped that very afternoon, yet the cold was still as unforgiving. He thought that going out for a smoke would have been a nice break from his reality; instead, it only catapulted him further down the messy yet fragile system he lived in. As the saying goes, one man's trash is another man's treasure, and Daylily was indeed a treasure. Once lost and now found, Mitya was going to keep her safe. Giving her a fighting chance swiftly becomes his goal, but what would happen if the owner came looking for his trash? Would Mitya give her so easily away, or would he fight for what he found?

🏆ONC 2025 HONORABLE MENTION 🏆 A lone lighthouse keeper watches over the coast, tending to her light as the sea rages beyond. The storms are nothing new-neither is the solitude. She is content with the quiet rhythm of her life, the crash of waves against the cliffs, the scent of salt and parchment filling her days. But when a shipwreck leaves a battered stranger at her doorstep, the tide of her world begins to shift. The man is rough-edged, a relic of salt and shadow, with secrets hidden beneath his scars. He speaks of a past that the waves should have swallowed, of maps inked in the margins of forbidden books, of love letters lost to time. Trapped together by a storm that refuses to pass, they share stories by lantern light-one seeking refuge, the other searching for something long forgotten. Yet not all ghosts are content to stay buried, and not all storms end when the sky clears. Whispers of war linger in the distance, and the truth he carries may threaten the safe harbor she has built for herself. As the past and present begin to intertwine, she must decide-will she cling to the safety of her lighthouse, or will she risk everything to follow the reflection of something new? -- Cover by @Heuristic_Hashmath

Anyanka Morozova was not chosen, yet her fate is sealed when her infirm sister is. Set on a path of certain death, she is surprised to find that the evil witch of the woods is not all that she was taught to fear. Through trials riddled with magic and bonds formed with a cast of unusual characters, there is no stopping the effect the journey has on her. What she expected to be her demise, instead leads to self-discovery and redemption, in this dark fairytale-retelling. Wordcount 20k NanoWatt 2025 - Novella {Winner} ⚔️ Open Novella Contest 2025 {Shortlist}📜 #1 - You stumble upon a mysterious door made entirely of briars and thorns. As you step through, you're granted extraordinary powers. ⚠️CW: Though there is no explicit content, there is mention of blood, mild gore, death, and peril. 🎵 Recommended playlist 🎶 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7nJhpIHnyyDQK52m4V5VSy?si=e7e6c7b50f2e4ae4

The picturesque Project Runway is filled with dazzling jewels, excitement, and ultimately, the sum of money that could pull Thistle Rosewood out of her family's poverty. So when Thistle Rosewood gets chosen to compete in the iconic television show, she goes. She has yet to realize that under the seemingly perfect atmosphere of the building, the entire show hides dark secrets underneath its surface. Then one night, a wrong button pressed on an elevator leaves Thistle with the fate of country and her life in her hands. As the lines blur between freedom and death, time is running out. Burdened with haunting nightmares and lives of others, she must figure out a way to save herself and everyone she loves soon - before time runs out.

It was supposed to be a week at the beach. A quick vacation in her favorite place, Alma Del Mar. A simple, fun getaway-just Abby and her boyfriend, Matt. But, that all changed when she caught him with another girl. A trashy, local waitress named Bobbie Jo. Garrett-the smoldering captain of the Pincha Culero, offers to take her in, but she decides to depart on a two day cruise to an uninhabited island. When she fails to return, the impression she left on Garrett leads him on a desperate search to find her. A horrible rumor he's recently heard about the island leaves him no time to waste. He needs to find her before something worse does.

#Shortys2025 | Complete A Witch and a Fae walk into a bar, disgruntled about the deals recently gone awry with a human that has more in common with them than they ever thought possible, who now shows up to bother the bartender.

He's damaged. He's lost. And worse of all, his memories have come to life. If he wants to find peace, he'll need to redefine what it really means to move on. -- For the first time in years, Atlas feels like he's separated himself from the misfortune in his life. He's healed, he's rented a decent apartment, he's settled into a solid-enough-for-him job working as a grunt for some scientists. Now he's (reluctantly) traveling to the spring snows of Alaska, where they plan to test the first run of their earthquake-harnessing technology. But something goes wrong. They don't harness the energy of an earthquake. No. Instead, the ground rips apart. A massive crevice forms, leading deep into the Earth. The chasm lulls him forward like a Siren, telling him tales of his mother, of her laughter, of her scent of strong sandalwood, and of his life before her death. Waking up in what he can only describe as Hell, he's confronted with every misfortune in his life. Forced to befriend mirages made from his most painful childhood memories or pay severe consequences, he travels the twisted realm in search of answers. Amazing cover by @lavendareyes Completed October 31st, 2021 Edits In Progress (Coming 2025) Awards: 2022 Watty Awards Shortlister 2024 Featured on @Humor on the "Ambassador's Monthly Picks" and "Absurdist & Surreal" reading lists

Donovan Castle Chronicles: Volume 1 Welcome to Donovan Castle! Mason and Selene opened their home as a safe haven for supernatural creatures to take refuge. Here they are free to be themselves without being ostracized by society. Come visit and you'll follow the fantastical happenings and lives of magical beings in and around the castle. Who knows who you'll meet! You may run into shifters, unicorns, vampires, and even mermaids! How will all these individuals' lives unfold? Who will arrive at the castle and how? What dangers will they encounter and what tragedies will befall them? I encourage you to come meet these wonderful people and experience a world of magic, adventure, and mystery! Hope you enjoy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Donovan Castle Chronicles is a supernatural mystery book that sets place in a fictitious town and city in Virginia. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Awards: 1st place in Lotus Awards for Mystery/Thriller (Oct. 2022) 1st place in Lotus Awards for Horror (Nov. 1, 2022) 2nd place in Lotus Awards for Humor/Comedy (Nov. 1, 2022) 3rd place in Lotus Awards for Historical Fiction (Nov. 1, 2022) 3rd place in The Clematis Awards for Fantasy (June 30, 2022) 3rd place in Lotus Awards for Sci-Fi (Nov. 1, 2022) 1st place in Auctor Awards for Best Cover (2022) Honorable Mention in The Banana Awards for Horror (Oct. 2022) 7th place in Lotus Awards for Adventure (Oct. 2022) Honorable Mention in Clouded Ink Awards for Action/Adventure (Dec 16, 2022) 3rd place in The Sapphire Awards for Paranormal (March 2023) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *Started this story in 2010* This is my time posting on Wattpad. I'm open to suggestions on ideas and editing. This book is created by me, Ashley Griffith. I own this story, no one has the rights to copy and use the ideas without MY permission. I do not condone people stealing other people's work! This story is for WATTPAD publishing ONLY!!! Cover by @winteringpages-

Step into a world lost to time with "Prehistoric Wild: Life in the Mesozoic," a captivating collection of short stories that transport you to the ancient past. Each tale unfolds in a different fossil formation around the globe. Gain a glimpse into unseen times in natural history from the healing world of the Triassic, the ecological bloom of the Jurassic, and the waning days of the Cretaceous. Explore worlds much different from our own such as the sea of middle North America, the wetlands of southern Mongolia, and the forests of the Antarctic. Meticulously researched and vividly imagined, these stories strive to capture the authenticity and wonder of life during the Mesozoic era. Written in a style inspired by nature documentaries, each story offers a realistic and immersive glimpse into the behaviors, struggles, and triumphs of a diverse array of creatures that once roamed our planet. Whether it's the famous dinosaurs, the sky-faring pterosaurs, the long-forgotten marine reptiles, or the earliest ancestors of mammals, this collection brings the ancient world to life with compelling accuracy. Drawing inspiration from modern-day natural phenomena as well as the latest theories and discoveries in paleontology, these tales blur the line between fact and fiction, reviving the distant echoes of prehistoric life. Join us on this journey through time, where the wonders of long ago await your discovery. Experience life on Earth as it once was for over 180 million years. Welcome to the Prehistoric Wild.