Evil spirits. A cursed prince. Death itself in disarray. Iris just wants to go home, but fate has other plans for this young priestess and her odd companions. /// The land of Erinlin is dying, its ancient traditions choked out by the Kaerent church and its true priestesses, the Candlemaidens, increasingly regarded with fear and suspicion. All Iris wants is to tend her candles, win her shade battles, and chat with the spirits of her realm. But when she is torn away from her home by the Kaerent king, she learns that her country needs her to be far more than a typical Candlemaiden-- she must be as the legendary priestesses of old and walk through Death itself. *** Cover help from the awesome @ArdenBrooks. Special thanks to @rainersalt, @giveitameaning, and @piperjones033 !

Ari Callahan has no idea how to talk to boys -- or how to talk to anyone for that matter. Enter Zac, the cute new guy in town who won't stop texting her. But is his interest real, or does he have a hidden agenda? ***** Found as a young child washed up on the beach, 17-year-old Ari Callahan has never uttered a word out loud to anyone -- not even her adoptive family. Psychologists have diagnosed her with a condition called selective mutism, but Ari can't help identifying with her namesake character, Ariel, the little mermaid in the fairytale whose voice was stolen by a sea witch. Mermaid-obsession aside, Ari's silence makes socializing tough. She's never had a boyfriend or been asked out on a date. Not until Zac, the confident new arrival in town, asks for her number. But Zac has his own reasons for texting with Ari. He's part of a movement to sabotage the artificial music app called SirenSong, threatening to render human singing obsolete. Zac's collaborators have scoured the globe in search of a singing voice perfect enough to break the SirenSong spell, and their search has led them straight to Ari's beachside town. Will her relationship with Zac help Ari find her voice and unlock the secrets of her origins? Or will he use her and leave her high and dry? Title: Ari and Zac (formerly The Mermaid Hypothesis) Content Warning: This story contains references to selective mutism, suicidal thoughts, and early childhood trauma.

A comic apocalyptic sci-fi romp. The zombie apocalypse has come and gone, the world has ended, humanity has crumbled... Nobody told the aliens. Alien brains have some interesting side effects on the ravenous undead. Just ask zombie Li, who wakes up after a quick bite. The world is a wasteland, she's a walking corpse, and her 'snack' melted into a noxious puddle of goo. It's not her day. Determined to figure out what the hell happened to her world, Li hits the road, seeking others like herself. The end of the world brings strange company, and stranger enemies. Struggling to wrap her head around being a zombie and already Li's existence is in danger thanks to impending alien invasion. It's going to take more than a handful of quirky zombies to stop them. She's going to need some serious fire power, like the remnants of the human race. If she can find them. #7 in Science Fiction on 12/3/15 ***Second Place for Science Fiction in Best Fiction Competition*** ***Contains a sprinkling of strong language and zombie violence. No aliens or zombies were harmed in the making of this novel. Recommended for ages 15 and up.***

The conclusion of The Runner series. ================================== Half a year has passed since the fall of Babel. In that time, tales of the Runner have drifted from truth into legend. There are stories of a thief who toppled an empire, whispers about a hero who sacrificed everything to free us from the iron grip of a madwoman. They say that the Runner is broken. They say that she is fearless. They say that no enemy stands a chance against her unstoppable army of warriors. They say that she fights because her veins run red with rebellion, but I know better. She fights because she has nothing left to lose.

The world as we know it ended 209 years ago. From a desert wasteland springs a single kingdom, ruled by a tyrannical King and trapped in an endless war against the shadowy desert warriors. As a desperate bid to save what remains of humanity, society has been split into two distinct classes, nicknamed the Court and the Commons. For an oppressed population on the brink of revolution, a common thief could be the last hope. Up until now, Kay has survived by her wits alone. Reckless and impulsive, wanted by the King's guard, Kay has become known as the Runner. Using the city's rooftops as her personal domain, she manages to keep one step ahead of the King with one hand buried in the purses of the courtiers. Driven by the plight of the commoners and the unjust death of her family, Kay seizes the chance to graduate from small-time thievery to full-scale rebellion. Her opportunity comes in the form of Will, a wealthy ex-soldier with a dark past. Plucked from the streets and thrown into the shimmering palace court, Kay must use her every strength to blend into a world where she doesn't belong, closer to the enemy than she ever thought she would be.

Leaving behind everything she's ever known, Emilee enters a world of high glamour and even higher stakes. The new freedom that comes with being a part of the Famoux is intoxicating, but behind the perfect image lies an ugly truth - being popular is a matter of life or death. ***** Out of the wreckage of environmental collapse, the country of Delicatum emerged. Its most popular celebrities are the Famoux, uniquely beautiful stars of a reality TV show called the Fishbowl. In a world still recovering from catastrophe, they provide a 24/7 distraction. Sixteen-year-old Emilee Laurence is obsessed with the Famoux - they provide a refuge from her troubled home life and the bullies at school. When she receives an unimaginable offer to become a member herself, she takes it. But soon she realizes that fame can be deadly... Content and trigger warning: This story depicts mental health issues and contains scenes of violence. [[word count: 350,000-400,000 words]]

Book 2 of The Famoux Trilogy! Updated every Friday for #FamouxFriday.

In a world where the once peaceful coexistence of all supernaturals was destroyed. The strongest and the most powerful of all were ripped into two sides. The Werewolves who chose to follow God will and be the protectors of the humans. While the Witches choose to ignore God will by wanting to rule over the humans. Belonging to earth they all had free will, unlike the angels. When one angel falls in love with one of the few remaining good witches he falls from grace and a child is born. As the first hybrid of her kind in history, she was the most powerful being on earth. She possessed powers that have never been seen before. Able to manipulate the mate bond she becomes an equalizer for all mates but as a war breaks out between the witches and the werewolves, how will she save the world? Not to mention, while gaining the attention of a dark being almost as powerful as God himself and dealing with her own mate rejecting her? Highest Ranking #2

"When I tell you that he hates me, you'll probably assume it's because he's a jerk...but you'd be wrong. He's not a jerk. I am." --- Several years ago tragedy struck Emma's home, leaving her broken... like a cup with cracks spiraling and slithering around the edges. Slowly, bitterness crept in like tar, hardening between each fracture to resemble a deceitful wholeness. She became a monster, and targeted her venom on the sweetest person she could find: Trinity Nixon. Too bad the boy Emma longed for was Trinity's brother. Now, as Emma fights to win the heart of the boy who despises her, she's forced to hide her demons. She paints her fragile cup in pinks, yellows, and oranges - all the colors of the sun. She paints on a smile, and an unusual sense of humor, so that the world will view her as bright and cheerful, when in reality she's breaking. But she's completely unprepared for the acidic truth that melts away the tar, demolishing her shell, and awakening the Emma White buried deep inside. --- Book 1 in The Dismantled Pride series *Story was previously titled "Faking It"

WATTYS 2016 WINNER Untouchable. Stone. Jewel - these are some of the names used for people who are born with a gemstone at the centre of their forehead. This unfortunate phenomenon cannot be detected before birth, it cannot be prevented, if a family has a Jewelled child, there is only one outcome: Before they're sixteen, they will have to leave human society forever and serve "the Zephyr". Among the Jewels there are those who have it worse. Those who sport clear diamonds on their foreheads, the Undefined. The downtrodden, the unlucky - the doomed. Cello Riles and Syianne Locke are both Undefined. On their sixteenth birthday, they each leave their homes and travel across the country to the Zephyr, attempting to go into service. Though aside from the place, or thing, that will take them from human society forever - what IS the Zephyr? There are only questions promised, only shadowy riddles guaranteed. Yet faced with no other choice they must venture forth and plunge into the unknown - the Zephyr. [A big thanks to @stpolishook for being a wonderful friend and helping me figure out how to write a better synopsis] COVER BY Abyss-of-Crazy