#OnceUponNow Cindy was a girl who worked hard and got little recognition. When faced with an amazing opportunity in the modeling industry, she is shut down because she simply didn't fit the stereotypical criteria. However as all good tales do, Cindy's story has a twist and it wasn't because of a Fairy Godmother or a glass slipper. It was because of the purity of her heart and the little ray of hope that was provided from a boy named Jaxon.

*One of 10 winners in the @target OnceUponNow contest* After five years in a coma, Rose has given up on ever living her life again. It's pure torture hearing her husband's voice as he struggles to save her. All Rose wants is for Crane to be able to go on with his life and be happy. When a change in her condition drives Crane to extreme measures, Rose must decide what the value of a life is-- Hers & Crane's. Not all fairytales can end with a kiss.

A collection of romantic stories. From summer sweetness to winter heat, with a sprinkle of humor, magic, and everything in-between.

Mallory has dreamed of, drooled over, and loved Trevor from the trenches of the Friendzone for over a year. When he asks her to help him deliver a Promposal to the new girl Jessica, she dreams of the magic of fairy tale's, but only belief in herself can help her find her wings. Can she soar from the Friendzone to a Promposal of her own? This is my entry for the Once Upon Now contest. ❤️❤️Votes count only June 14- June 21!!!❤️❤️

Thank you for checking out my #OnceUponNow entry! All votes and comments are greatly appreciated! Amira and the Red Bottom Shoes The war changed everything. My life unwound like a ball of yarn tumbling down a flight of stairs. The streets that were once filled with laughter and children playing were soon replaced with the sounds of war. Gunfire, bombs, and the wails of mothers who had lost their children too soon became my new normal. In October, my school crumbled to the ground. My brother had been lost in the rubble. Mother and Father died on their way to collect his body. In an instant, I became an orphan. The call came three days later. My father's sister offered to take me in. She lived in America. Even in a time of great sorrow, I can still remember the first time I said the magical words out loud, "I'm moving to America." The butterflies in my stomach started fluttering at that very moment and didn't stop until I stepped out of the airport and into my aunt's outstretched arms. But, like most fairy tales, mine new life was not what I had expected nor would it be easy. Would I live happily ever after or would my new life in American turn into a living hell? My name is Amira and this is my story.

-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

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.

New and a bit alarming... who would have ever thought that this could be? Beatrice Hanes is cunning, beautiful and destined for greatness. But after her father loses his job, greatness would have to wait. In order to save up for her dream college Beatrice reluctantly accepts an offer from her foe Andrew "The Beast" West. The request seemed simple, Andrew's mother would pay for her college tuition if she helped Andrew pass school. The problem was that Andrew was malicious and uncaring- why should Bea want to help someone like him? Will the Beauty break the Beast's mean streak or will this happily ever after, have to wait forever?

Cindy is an intern at the notorious Kingdom Magazine. Arthur is a scarred boy who hasn't been outside of his "home" in two years. At the night of the annual Kingdom ball where all the raging celebrities attend, Cindy loses the Glass Heels; the couture shoes of the century that everyone is dying to see. One thing leads to another and suddenly, their nights are tangled and somewhere along the way, they form an unexpected bond with an unexpected ending. Entry to the "Once Upon a Now" contest! A mix of a modern Cinderella/Beauty and the Beast/princess-saves-the-prince story! It's complicated and quirky. Enjoy! AND PLEASE VOTE.

Entry for #OnceUponNow. All votes & comments on the first chapter are greatly appreciated :). A Cinderella story meets Robin Hood. When seventeen-year-old Gracie Jones gets her heart broken by a false prince charming, she declares war on senior prom. With her eye on taking down the popular kings and queens of Sherwood high, she expects to venture down the week long road to battle to turn prom upside down on her own. But when an unexpected admirer joins her along her journey, Gracie manages to find love on the road to revolution. Featured on The Huffington Post Teen.