Once Upon Now Grand Prize Winner published by Gallery Books. Sixteen-year-old Mira Sighansen never questions her place in the majestic wilderness of the Yukon Territory until she witnesses her brothers' oil rig explode. Refusing to believe the young men are dead, the teen's suspicions are strengthened when their bodies aren't found and she's later visited by six wild egrets. But these are no ordinary birds, and Mira is faced with a remarkable task not even the loss of her voice or the anger of her best friend (over a boy, of course!) can hamper. Convinced she can break a magical enchantment to bring her brothers back, Mira will risk jail and even psychiatric commitment to stop the rig from being rebuilt. Failure to overcome the doubts of her mayor mother, the opposition of her drilling foreman step-father, and the wrath of an industry thirsty for the valuable natural resource could mean not only the end of her family as she knows it, but also the loss of a vital part of her peoples' culture. This 9,000 word original short story is a modern-day retelling of the Brothers Grimm's fairy tale number forty-nine 'The Six Swans' with a First Nations twist. It was part of the #OnceUponNow contest sponsored by @Target for a chance to be included in a published anthology. As of July 5, 2016, it has made it into the Top 25 and as of August 16, 2016, it has been announced as one of the Top 10 Grand Prize winners.

Jenna Yousuf has everything all girls envy. A mansion, fancy cars, diamonds and jewels, closets filled with clothes, shoes and purses. A hot husband. But she isn't happy. Who could be when you were forced to marry a man you don't love just to save your family? She doesn't want to give him a chance, nor does she want to try to begin a life with him. But what does she do when he turns out to be the sweetest man she has ever met? Can she keep him at bay, or will she cave, and accept it when she starts to have feelings for her husband? Hudayfah Sulayman has to protect his wife from the evil people who are out to get her brother. While he only married her for that reason, he didnt anticipate one thing; that he would fall in love with her. So much so that he would do anything to make her happy, except for what she really wants; to be let out of their marriage. He knows Jenna doesn't love him now, but should he hold out hope that one day she will?

COMPLETE #1 in Fantasy #1 in Adventure #1 in Historical Fiction ---------- Sometimes, believing helps us to see truth. Other times, we need a little evidence to believe. But there is truth behind everything; every false manoeuvre, ever little lie...a small piece of truth is hidden. Just like truth is wound into legends too. Growing up best friend to the future King, Arabelle never really thought her life could go wrong. Whenever she wanted something, or needed something, she would get it. Then she lost her father at a young age and Arabelle was forced into a world of dresses, balls, and lies. Being a tomboy, Arabelle would have rather been out on her horse doing archery practice with her brothers. When Arabelle gets curious and sneaks into a forbidden area of the castle, she discovers a deadly secret: her bloodline is sacred, dating back to a legend surrounded by the one thing she knows not to be true. Unsure what to do, she gets caught up in a series of events that lead to her being hidden and whisked away from the only familiar place she knew. After making some unlikely allies, Arabelle sets off on a journey to find the legend of the last dragon egg. Fate has something big in store for her; will she be able to withstand the pressure of it all?There is one thing Arabelle needs to learn to survive this new place... Some things are more than a legend. ---------- © Isabella Espe 2013 - 2019 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. This work is unedited. Your patience and leniency towards any grammatical or spelling errors is requested while you read this story. This story was written in 2013, and the author knows there are a lot of errors in this work. Thank you for understanding. ---------- Credit to @Abyss-of-Crazy for the cover!

-Top 25 Finalist- Our parents always warned us about talking to strangers on the internet but did they ever warn us about frogs? Highest ranking: #440 in Short Story (c) Copyright 2016 by Littleninjamari

Sixteen year old Kait Lenox has a reputation as the weird girl in her high school, mostly because of her ex-best friend turned mean popular girl, Ariel, but maybe it has a little to do with the fact that Kait has a hobby crashing funerals. At one of these, Kait is outted by the most popular guy in school, Ethan Ripley. Yet, instead of humiliating her for all the world to see, he asks for her help, and Kait finds herself entangled in a murder mystery. Not only is the thrill of the mystery exciting, but more importantly Ethan knows her name! A little sleuthing is well worth that!

❝Brown hair that is nurtured in its tresses, the chocolate brown eyes that keeps me searching for answers, every smile you send my way stresses every question of mine that is left unanswered.❞ Love, Adam Thomas Beaulieu -+- Sometimes facing your fears might mean falling in love... with silence. A boy with striking blue eyes and long, dark brown hair doesn't always have to talk, he could be the quiet kid that spends his days taking care of himself and his sister who has cancer. He could be the beast, the nightmare of your fears. Adam [a-dem] noun. A boy who never spoke... After the tragic death of my first love, I had always found my nose in a book. However, facing my fear of falling in love again was something I never imagined having to do. Fairytales kept me grounded and I had to learn to face the beast alone. After realizing that an invisible connection of no words and only thoughts was how I would confront my beast, things seemed to look up for the best. Defining a silent person is no easy task and trying to understand their life is harder. With silent moments I shared with Adam, the memories we have defined us. From stories, a rose, discovering his story, a dinner and dance, changed the entity of who my silent beast was. ~~~ This story is NOT a fanfiction; characters in this story have their own personalities, stories, and live separate lives than the characters of Belle & Adam from Beauty and the Beast. From OnceUponNow to the Wattys, it's been everywhere! Please consider supporting this story; after all, the live-action film, The Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson is going to be out in March 2017! Vote, comment, share, and enjoy this story! :) #theaccepters #wattpadbooksarerealbookstoo #thepeopleofsociety #wattys2016 #justwriteit Cover: @StrangerSight

As Clementine Bell has learned, running a successful NYC patisserie is tougher than it looks. Even with training in classical French baking from the best school in the world, getting people to walk through the doors to the Clementhyme Bakery proves much more difficult than drawing millions of viewers to her sensational baking vlogs. With the overdue rent piling up, Clementine's mother has the idea to enter her into a televised baking competition with a staggering $250,000 cash prize. Clementine isn't thrilled with the idea of competing on national television, that is until the producers let slip that her infuriatingly talented pastry school classmate and rival has been invited to participate. Sequestered on set in a partially renovated chateau in southern France, all of Clementine's knowledge of pastry is put to the test, but can this pastry purist outlast her competition to save her bakery in an arena where the culinary arts have become a spectator sport?

The perspective of the Three Musketeers when they first met Naomi. Thank you @TheOkayGirl for editing and enjoying the book, grammar and all

There is a belief that with each origami star folded, a falling star is saved. After folding 365 stars while mourning the loss of her mother, Vilvian makes a wish that will change her life forever. Enter Nox Bright - the handsome and mysterious guy who has been haunting Vilvian's dreams. She can barely believe it when he walks into her homeroom near the end of the school year. Has she gone crazy or is it possible that wishes really do come true? [Unedited version. Edition version available for sale on the Tapas app.]

"Give me ten days, and I can give you ten reasons not to die." Evan paused. "And if I can't change your mind by then, you can go jump off that cliff."