In a ghost town where cornfields outnumber people, Lieutenant Gianna Park arrests the new guy, Nicolae Badea, for biting her on her first date. When bodies begin to surface-young men found mummified, bitten, and strangled-Gianna suspects the man she once handcuffed. Yet, the evidence refuses to align. The wounds are wrong. The hunger is deliberate. Eighteen years ago, a boy was killed and forgotten. Now the dead are coming back the same way. As Gianna uncovers a hidden world of vampires who police their own kind, she learns that monsters are not defined by blood but by what they choose to feed on. Nicolae Badea claims it was not desire on his part, but restraint. He survives by restraint, faith, and silence. The killer survives by power. Only one of them hunts humans. The Coffin of Nicolae is a gothic crime novel about addiction, romance, and the violence we excuse when it wears a human face-asking what justice means when the law has no language for the truth. And what waits inside Nicolae's coffin. *** Content Warning: This novel includes strong, explicit language and depictions of violence, sexual scenes that some readers may find offensive.

In the gilded boardrooms of Nairobi, the "Angel" is a devil in silk. Maxine Hector has spent a decade perfecting the globalization of her image. As the CEO of a multi-million dollar firm, she is the "Angel" of the Westlands-untouchable, resolute, and flawlessly swanky. But beneath the ornate lace and red silk of her public persona lies a labyrinthine secret. One reckless night, the facade begins to crumble. A clandestine encounter .When discovered the first bit of shrapnel is launched. Now, Maxine is caught in a visceral game of cat-and-mouse. Her auslander husband is digging for the truth, her partner-in-crime is eyeing the nearest exit, and the pristine life she built is becoming a dilapidated wreck. In a city where influence is currency and betrayal is an art form, Maxine must decide how many people she is willing to level to stay on top. One Night. One Earring. One Empire about to burn. Official Entry for the Open Novella Contest 2026 (Prompt #12). As of 17/4/26 #1 in corporatethriller #3 in kenya #3 in nairobi #3 in africanfiction #5 in powerplay #5 in secretlife #6 in crimedrama #9 in doublelife #13 in wattpadcontest #14 in heist

🏆 ROUND 2 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2026 🏆 To revive the fallen God of Spring, the God of Winter must journey to the sky's end with the God of Death, only to realize that bringing back Spring may cost him his own soul. ⋯⋯⋯ ❝ɴᴏᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɢᴏᴅꜱ ᴄᴀɴ ꜱᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪᴄᴋᴇᴅ.❞ Muli, the God of Winter, is a threat. His touch brings death, and Xua, the God of Spring, learned this too late. With the Star of Spring gone, the mortal realm is trapped in an endless winter. To bring Xua back to life, Muli must reach the Edge of the Stars, and he cannot do it alone. With the help of Ansa, the elusive God of Death, Muli's journey through the seven kingdoms forces him to face his past, present, and future. As they approach the Edge of the Stars, the cost of their mission becomes clearer. To save a life, Muli must choose what he is willing to give up: his soul or the god he loves. The gates are open. The stars are watching. And Muli is about to discover the ultimate truth. ❝ɴᴏᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɢᴏᴅꜱ ᴄᴀɴ ꜱᴀᴠᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ.❞ ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• © 2026 (First Edition) [All graphics are made by @sardonictabby] 🏆 ROUND 1 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2026

When the big, bad dragon meets his match, he's forced to do something no dragon has ever done before--find help. And with enigmatic knight Sir Crispin de Harriff-Scarnley hot on his scaled heels, it's science--in the unlikely form of humble and slightly sozzled apothecary student Alyx--he turns to as his saviour. Naturally, Alyx is appalled--knights are good and dragons are bad, right? Everyone knows that. But as he fights to save first his skin and then the dragon's hide, he'll discover that when it comes to concepts such as good vs bad, magic vs science, and nature vs 'progress', the choices aren't always as obvious as he might think. And he'll do it while dodging spells, grappling with gryphons, negotiating hangovers and, perhaps scariest of all, confronting his classmate crush. Meanwhile, in the background, a sinister figure looms...

Valentine never had a lick of magic to his name, but that didn't stop him from becoming high society's darling in the enchanted land of Stellamaris. Until one cunning witch takes it all away... Valentine wakes up five years in the past as a backwater bookseller in Greater Moss-on-the-Wold, stuck in the drab place where he started. Robbed of his status, his looks, and his charmed life, Valentine is determined to find the legendary witch Lilivere and be freed from this horrible curse. Except Lilivere is out of town... and the only witch who can help him now is her taciturn daughter, Luciana. Who doesn't have a single drop of magic. Stoic, brooding Luc couldn't care less about high society, the art of spellcraft, or a sullen has-been cursed to return to his humble past. Outcast and misfit, she lives alone in the woods, preferring solitude to the villagers' scorn. But as they work together to break Valentine's curse and set things right, Luc and Valentine realize there's a greater scheme at play. And that magic, like so many things in life, is never as simple as it seems. Written for the ONC 2026. 39: After being cursed, you go from being the most popular socialite to becoming a nobody. 11: The daughter of the most powerful witch is nothing like her mother. 73. You wake up in a body that isn't yours, living a life almost identical to your own, and soon discover you're bound by an ancient curse forcing you to relive your past until you finally get one thing right. (Slightly modified.)

A world where croaky voices, loud sneezing, and loose change falling out of pockets are considered laughable is not a man's world. But here we are. In this world, men undergo voice breaking once a month for several days due to a cyclical decline in testosterone levels. The associated prejudices have meant that men rarely pursue public professions, with less than 20% of politicians, business leaders, or television presenters being male. Beau wants to change that. His confidence grows when he is hired as a staff member on a presidential campaign that has the historic goal of bringing the first man into the highest office. A small step for Beau, a giant leap for mankind. Little does he know that his presence will ruin everything. PROMPT: Self-love often starts small, like planting a single seed. With time, patience and a bit of light, it will blossom.

When Brie lands a spot on Cheese Whiz, a cheese-themed cooking competition, the last thing she expects is to run into Colby Jackson, the man who left her heart with more holes than Swiss cheese. ~~~ It was supposed to be simple. Enter the contest, win the prize money, open her own restaurant. Easy peasy, extra cheesy. So of course Colby freaking Jackson and his smug, entirely too sexy face just had to come back into Brie's life like an extra stinky wheel of limburger cheese. Surrounded by fierce competitors and legendary amounts of dairy, Brie and Colby exchange barbs sharper than any cheddar. Yet, as the competition heats up, Brie quickly discovers the mozzarella isn't the only thing melting. Against her better judgment, Colby is once again worming his way into her heart. Will Brie find a whey to make things work between them, or will he leave her feeling bleu? 🧀 Rivals to lovers 🧀 Second chance romance 🧀 All puns are fully intended Using prompts 29 and 89 for ONC 2026! Cover by @-DeeIsDead-

What if you woke up with no memory but just a name? What if that name belonged to a dead man who left you a voicemail from beyond the grave? What if a scar on your palm opened doors to a magic library where memories are currency and you have to trade pieces of yourself just to learn who you used to be? What if everyone wants something from you, some to save you, some to erase you, some because they loved you in a life you can't remember? And what if the only person with all the answers is dead? Waiting for you to find him. This is Kang Yeorim's story. And it starts with a dead man's voice in her ear, "I loved you more than the sky loved the dawn." --- [A huge thank you to the artist for this stunning Taehyung painting used as my cover art. No copyright infringement intended, this is a non-profit fan work made with love. All credits to the actual artist.]

All that once glittered was gold, until it turned to bitter ash and ruin. Juliette Laurant has always dreamed of a simple life, painting to her heart's content while being unbothered by men and women alike. She gains her wish, to paint in a way that is envied by all who see it, but at the cost of her life's work, and the sudden arrival of a stranger whose only desire is to be seen once more. Now, trapped by the hands of fate, she must find a way to put an end to the stranger's cycle of despair or discover what awaits her at the end of life's final portrait ~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mr Shade just ruined the future. At Saul les Smith, the metrics are blank, the staff is unhinged, and a dream city under the sea is still due by morning. As authority turns feral and professionalism becomes a weapon, survival means breaking the future everyone else is working overtime to build. ONC 2026. Prompt 97: When the world slips into endless darkness, something begins to move in the shadows and you must find a way to survive in a night that never ends.