**FEATURED STORY JULY 2018* **WATTPAD HQ READ OF THE WEEK AUGUST 2018* **WATTYS 2018 WINNER** Casey Brogan is on a mission to self-destruct. Whether it's booze, drugs or men, she's spiralling out of control and stepping over the line, to destroy the demons of her past and herself in the process. Ethan Drake isn't looking to be anyone's saviour. He has enough demons of his own and a legacy he'd do anything to avoid. Following a near-fatal overdose, Casey discovers a world beyond the one she knows, one where dark creatures wage an age-old war and where nobody is who they appear to be. Now hunted by those who want their world to remain a secret, she must decide whether she can put her trust in Ethan, or whether he is just as much a threat as those that want her dead. After a lifetime of trying to destroy herself, Casey is about to do just about anything to keep herself alive.

After bursting onto the fantasy scene with his acclaimed debut novel, Elantris, and following up with his blockbuster Mistborn trilogy, Brandon Sanderson proves again that he is today’s leading master of what Tolkien called “secondary creation,” the invention of whole worlds, complete with magics and myths all their own. Warbreaker is the story of two sisters, who happen to be princesses, the God King one of them has to marry, the lesser god who doesn’t like his job, and the immortal who’s still trying to undo the mistakes he made hundreds of years ago. Their world is one in which those who die in glory return as gods to live confined to a pantheon in Hallandren’s capital city and where a power known as BioChromatic magic is based on an essence known as breath that can only be collected one unit at a time from individual people. By using breath and drawing upon the color in everyday objects, all manner of miracles and mischief can be accomplished. It will take considerable quantities of each to resolve all the challenges facing Vivenna and Siri, princesses of Idris; Susebron the God King; Lightsong, reluctant god of bravery, and mysterious Vasher, the Warbreaker.

"What the hell?" I took a step closer to the mirror, staring at my reflection in disbelief. The person looking back was still me, but at the same time it wasn't. I had the same thick, dark, curly hair. The same hazel eyes. The same olive skin with a light dusting of freckles (ugh) scattered across the bridge of my nose. But my curls were now streaked with highlights. And not the subtle, golden-brown ones that sometimes appeared during the summer. No, these were an aggressive, dazzling blond that went from the roots of my hair all the way to the tips. It looked like I had spent a full day getting my hair done in some upscale salon. Never mind that I had never set foot in such a place since the day I was born. My eyes appeared somehow wider and more luminous. The colour brighter, my eyelashes darker up against them. And, when I looked closely, my pupils seemed to be slitted almost like a cat. I looked down at my body. My skinny arms-which had always refused to gain any definition no matter how hard I exercised-were lined with flat, wiry muscles. My bony shoulders were now curved and smooth. My scrawny legs were toned like a dancer. I reached down and lifted my shirt, revealing two subtle lines running vertically down my perfectly flat stomach, hinting at the rock-hard abs underneath. My whole body was rippling with strength. Like liquid steel.

It's been twenty years since the Ascension and Vin's final battle. The world of mistborn and skaa have moved on. Society has chosen a king to lead them, Spook, or the Lord Mistborn as they are now calling him. The remaining people of Scadrial have gathered in the most abundant part of there new world, The Basin. Over the years they have built up a city, they called it Elendel. But lately, tensions have been rising, not everything is the paradise it seems to be. Apondrea is the daughter of the Lord Mistborn, spoiled lady by day and brash mistborn vigilante at night; she seeks to bring the justice her father never gives. When her double life leads to trouble, will she break or rise to the challenge?

Sam is the most promising swordsman among this year’s crop of Paladin trainees...and knows it. Brash, cocky, and unbeatable with a sword (well, almost), Sam is the kingdom of Thule’s best hope against the violence wrought by demons. The only problem is that Sam is really Lady Samantha, daughter of the seventeenth Duke of Haywood, and if her father has his way, she’ll be marrying a Paladin, not becoming one. But Sam has never held much interest in playing damsel-in-distress, and so she rescues herself from a lifetime of boredom and matrimonial drudgery. Pity that Tristan Lyons, the Paladin assigned to train her, is none other than the hero of her childhood. He hasn’t recognized her as Lady Samantha--yet-- but if he does, he’ll take away her sword and send her packing. Sam is not the only trainee hiding secrets: Braeden is a half-demon with a dark past that might be unforgivable. Sam, Braeden and Tristan set out for the western coast, charged with rooting out an infestation of demons that has made the West unlivable. As they travel, they uncover a deep-seated corruption of power that threatens to derail everything they stand for. Rebellion stirs, led by a rival faction of warriors who tempt Sam to join them with an irresistible offer. A war between men is coming, and Sam must pick a side. Will saving the kingdom cost her life -- or just her heart? Reminiscent of Mulan, but with a medieval fantasy twist, Paladin is a tale of adventure, action, and romance.

Delaney Escott lives in a world where popularity reigns supreme. If you want to be noticed, social status is everything. The government is run by the Superiors: a very exclusive group of individuals who are virtually flawless. They are smarter than us and stronger than us, and to join their ranks is the highest honor. The Superiors pay an annual visit to the top schools in the nation and evaluate the students, choosing one boy and one girl - the most Popular in the school - to go the Capitol and train for Superiority. Delaney thinks that she's the only one indifferent to (and perhaps even suspicious of) the Superiors, until Caleb Payne, the most popular boy in school, approaches her with a request. He has a task for her, one that he believes she is uniquely capable of completing. And as she helps him, Delaney discovers that the government is hiding many secrets - and that the truth of the Superiors is far from what people believe it to be. [Watty Awards 2012 Winner, Science-Fiction: On the Rise]

*COMPLETE* There are whispers across the kingdoms that the Paragon, that strangely gifted person who can wield all four Skills, has been found. They're wrong, of course. No one has caught the Paragon. Allayria should know: she's it. But Allayria doesn't want to be the Paragon, and in her pursuit of freedom she finds herself enmeshed in a web of lies, caught in a group who might be even more dangerous than she could have imagined. Still, she's not the only one who has problems: bigger tides of change and danger are shifting across the world she has been assigned to protect. The Jarles, a kingdom in the east, has begun moving across its borders, and there are strange murmurings about what they have done, and where all the children they abducted have gone. Faced with responsibilities she never wanted, and a life she thought she could never have, Allayria must decide how she will help--and if she will be the Paragon at all. _____________________ WIP Cover art and written work by Azi. Highest ranking: #66 in Fantasy 2/3/2018 Hi everyone! Thanks a ton for taking the time to read Paragon. I'm so excited to share it with you, and to hear your feedback, theories, and insight. It's just me, myself, and I on this one (no beta) so if you catch any errors or inconsistencies, give me a shout--it will be much appreciated. The plan is to release a new chapter each weekend until we reach the end. - Azi Note: violence, sexual themes, and some coarse language will appear in Paragon.

*COMPLETE* "People don't believe in us anymore. They don't believe that in the end we will do what is right. We can't let them down. We can't let Ben win." Decisions made on top of the lonely, wind-swept cliff of Lethinor reverberate around the five kingdoms as war begins in earnest. This is a sequel to Paragon, it's my very, very, very strong recommendation you read it first, otherwise you will be totally lost. I am not joking. If your interest is piqued, here's a quick blurb for Paragon: _____________________ There are whispers across the kingdoms that the Paragon, that strangely gifted person who can wield all four Skills, has been found. They're wrong, of course. No one has caught the Paragon. Allayria should know: she's it. But Allayria doesn't want to be the Paragon, and in her pursuit of freedom she finds herself enmeshed in a web of lies, caught in a group who might be even more dangerous than she could have imagined. _____________________ You can read Paragon here: https://www.wattpad.com/story/95374969-paragon Highest ranking: #86 in Fantasy 2/10/2018 WIP Cover art and written work by Azi. Please note: violence, sexual themes, and coarse language will appear in Partisan.

When Earth is conquered by the sinister Greys and the alien who killed Evie's husband returns seeking her help, she must find a way to enact her revenge and fight the growing feelings for the creature who is an exact replica of the man she loved. *** Two years ago, Evie Morgan's husband disappeared. Under suspicion of his murder, no one believed Evie's story about the mysterious creature with the black eyes that killed Tom and assumed his identity. Now, trying to survive in the ruins of post-invasion London, Evie's world is once more thrown into turmoil, when she meets the alien that destroyed her life. On the run from his own kind, he offers her insider knowledge on how to defeat the Greys, in return for her protection. At risk from her fellow survivors discovering 'Tom's' true identity, taking the alien back to her camp is going to be no easy task for Evie. With the alien's genetic make-up assuming more of Tom's identity every day, Evie struggles between her hatred for her husband's killer and a growing attraction for him that confuses her. The time is coming for Evie to decide. Pull the trigger or put her trust in the creature that tore her whole world apart? *** Content warning: This story contains mature sexual content, and themes of violence and reference to an attempted sexual assault.

The colour of your magic decides everything. From whether you're a simple mage or a coveted dragon rider. Even your job and rank. Born to two parents without any form of magic, Sora Williams isn't holding out much hope when her sixteenth birthday comes around. She doubts she'll even obtain the lowest form of magic, but fate isn't always cruel. She isn't colourless. The Fates have given her magic... but at what price? (Book One in the Dragon Rider Series.)