[ WATTYS '18 LONG-LISTED ] ❝ I have slit throats far more beautiful than yours.❞ In which a thousand brides have fallen, and she is the last, so she spins a tale as old as time to live the dawn. | an arabian nights x beauty and the beast crossover | (cover by ES Johnson) trailer (video by @AKfiction): https://youtu.be/2OSjakJrUeo

A woman suspects that her government-imposed birth control implant is controlling her. As reports of uncharacteristically violent female behaviour begin to surge, it becomes evident that the mandatory implant is wreaking havoc on women's impulse control. Is the rage she feels bubbling within a natural reaction to an unjust society or is there something more sinister at play? --- Readers say: "A roller coaster of a story!" "I just loved this story. A fascinating insight into the gender question nested within a fascinating sci-fi premise!" "...a strong and powerfully written work by a skilled and mature writer. I highly recommend it!" -Elveloy, Wattpad Ambassador Featured: Amby Awards Winner Dystopian July 2022 Wattpad AdultFiction Book of the Month April 2022 Speculative Fiction Awards 2022 - WINNER Wattpad AdultFiction Lit List December 2021 Wattpad Stars Feature List September 2021 Contemporary Fiction Awards 2021 SHORTLIST ONC2021 LONGLIST Note: this novella describes a contemporary feminist dystopia and includes non-graphic scenes of sexual predation and violence. [[22,000 words]]

Nick and Amy have a great life - they live together, play together, and have just planned their European trip for the summer. On the first leg of their trip, they set off to Bucharest, Romania. On one of their guided tours, they break off from the pack and soon discover that everyone has mysteriously vanished without explanation and without a trace - not just the people in their tour, but everyone in the world. Confused and deeply saddened by this strange turn of events, the young couple try to make the most of the situation. The internet still works, but isn't getting updated, the town's fuel supply will likely last them a lifetime, and there's enough food so they will never go hungry. They have no choice but to adapt to this new life they have been thrust into, but all the while there is something unsettling about the unexplained disappearance of every person on the planet. They wanted adventure, and they found it. But this is just the beginning... *** Adventure, dystopian, mystery, technology, scifi, Romania, travel

All small towns have their quirks. The town of Nowhere, for example, has an overabundance of ghosts. Wyatt Best has lost his money, his father, and his last sweater vest. He is only sad about losing one of those things. When he's sent to live with his estranged uncle in Nowhere, Wyatt is immediately fascinated by its magic. He then meets the Penny family. The three Penny sisters, who were each born on the same day exactly a year apart, have the ability to commune with the ghosts in Nowhere and act as a bridge between the land of the living and that of the dead. Just as Wyatt begins to adjust to his new life in this strange town, a forest appears. And the ghosts it has trapped inside have secrets to tell.

When his ailing grandfather commands him to search for a long-lost female cousin, Evelyn Dresdenham, the notorious Marquis of Denver, is very disinclined to oblige. One night, when he unwittingly saves a young lady disguising herself as a man from trouble, Lord Denver strikes upon a cunning notion and soon realizes he cannot let this enchanting waif slip so easily... Running away from the oppressive orphanage that has sheltered her since the death of her grandfather, Georgie Kentsville is set on coming to London by hook or by crook. Little does she expect to find herself in a rare hobble, and even less to be held back by a handsome but bored nobleman, who suddenly offers her a very outrageous proposal : to pose as his long-lost cousin!

A new system of marriage for the prince has been made in the kingdom Taraxac: The Dandelion System. When Karlina Dearcage makes a deal with the manipulative Princess Oda to be her pawn in The Dandelion System, she has a bad feeling about it. There are ominous rumors of the mysterious prince whom the public never sees, the other contestants are just as driven as her for different reasons, and the Queen herself has some tricks up her sleeve. Nevertheless, she meets the strangely childish Prince Otto and the other personality, Oscar, who shares his body, and realizes she wants to help both of them out of her own will. As Karlina learns of the dark secrets of the Royal family and the other girls' feelings about it, she finds herself questioning the innocence of The Dandelion System. *** #1 in royal (2/11/21) #1 in royalty (4/21/20) #1 in retelling (6/13/19) #1 in medieval (1/22/20) #1 in revolution (4/16/20) #1 in dark fantasy (1/1/21) #2 in rebel (10/20/19) #2 in contest (8/22/19) #2 in competition (6/19/20) #2 in fantasy romance (10/8/21)

*Highest Rank #1 in Historical Fiction* Shy and awkward Elizabeth Montgomery doesn't think she'll ever find love. As her family's former plantation struggles in Reconstruction era Virginia, she's afraid she'll find herself either betrothed to the wrong man through an arranged marriage, or a spinster living with her widowed father. However, Elizabeth's sister Amelia is vibrant and charming, and sure to secure a valuable match. When two wealthy, eligible bachelors come to her family's plantation home for a visit, Elizabeth finds that she has to depend on her faith more than ever. Edward Stanton is a cocky bank owner's son, and his father, Charles, is pressuring him to take a wealthy wife to create a banking empire. As Edward resists his father's demands, the stakes become higher and higher, pointing to evidence that Charles has underlying motives for forcing a particular match on Edward. Will an unexpected love emerge from so much greed and manipulation? *Completed May 2015*

* 4 Sample Chapters * When an eccentric old neighbour dies and names Violet March in his will, she is even more surprised than his estranged and spoiled family. To make matters stranger, she learns that all must attend a pretend murder-mystery weekend for any to claim a share of the inheritance. Being a good sport under constant scrutiny and suspicion becomes trickier when she finds herself torn between the romantic attentions of both the deceased's "favourite" grand-nephew and the charming black sheep of the family. Loyalty forces her to favour the former, but when it is the latter who inherits the bulk of the estate, a grave case of mistaken identities is revealed leaving Violet to determine whether pride and an unwillingness to be labelled a gold-digger may stand in the way of the love of a lifetime. *Cover from "Lake Louise, An Alpine Wonderland" by Norman Fraser, which is to the best of my research and knowledge in the Public Domain. *No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the author.

When all hope is lost. When there's no-one else left to call... Dudley the Labrador is a cadaver dog specifically trained to sniff out human remains. His handler, Jennifer, suffers from an unusual phobia which has left her socially isolated. When together they uncover the corpse of a missing child, Jennifer begins to feel a deep, personal connection to the case. Dissatisfied by the direction of the official police investigation, she resolves to unravel the mystery herself. In doing so, she must first unravel herself... Readers' comments (final chapter): 'great book', 'superb' 'wonderful, incredible, fantastic!' 'wow, just wow', 'wonderfully satisfying', 'I love this book' Status: completed Genre: mystery/suspense Target readership: adults Narrative style: psychological depth, frequent twists, semi-literary Length: 75,000 words (approximately 300 standard novel pages) Author: Michael D Smith, Wattys award winner (The Painted Altar, 2020, literary fiction) Extract: It was then that the barking came, somewhere a hundred or so metres off to my right. Not his usual playful response, but instead a focused, constant noise - a quick-fire volley of woofs like rounds from a machine gun. His 'found something' bark. My heart quickened along with my step, the flashlight boring through the darkness. The moist barks of the trees deflected against my outstretched hand; pernicious branches whipped at my thighs, my chest, my face. "Stay there boy! You just stay right there." The barking was incessant, grew louder with each step. At last the thick maze of tree trunks relented and there he was, framed in the soft-edged beam of the torchlight in the centre of a small clearing. His tail swooshing manically, snout directed at the ground. Stooping myself down beside him, I slanted the flashlight to the earth, squinted in close examination. Nothing - just dirt, twigs and damp leaves. A shallow grave. The lifeless body of Meghan Shaw had been tossed into a shallow grave.

It's 1939, and the world is at the precipice of war. But life for one young man in rural America couldn't be better. Jonathon Blackwell is the eldest son of the most powerful family in town and heir to Blackwell Iron and Mining. Unlike many who struggled to survive the final years of the Great Depression, he has everything he could ever want - except the one thing he desires most. Sheltered by class, privilege, and living inside a locked iron fence meant to protect him, no one could ever imagine anything terrible could happen to him, but dark times are coming. Fate is about to play it's cruel hand, and when it's all over, the world, the country, and young Jonathon will be changed forever. The much anticipated prequel to the 2014 Watty award winning and Wattpad featured story, The Boy in the Woods! This is Jonathon's story, and it just may break your heart... Best Ranking: Historical Fiction #4 Note: Even though this story takes place before events in The Boy in the Woods, it's intended to be read AFTER because it wraps up the last of the mysteries of that story. A gentle warning - many spoilers and much confusion lie ahead if you decide to start with this one. :)