Evil rises and there's only one who has the power to defeat it. However... Is this spoiled brat really the hero that would save them all? The prophecy foretells a human with magic who will save the world of Halcyone from evil. When the time comes to step up and rise to the title of savior, will Aston be able to put his selfish attitude aside for the good of all? Aston and the Princess of Aeceria must travel across the continent of Halcyone to defeat the King of Zetheria. In a world with magical Fae, talking swords, and an abundance of bad hair days, what obstacles will the hero and his friends have to hurdle just to fulfill the prophecy? And what happens after the prophecy is fulfilled? After all, not all heroes live to tell the tale. --- Featured: Fantasy: High Fantasy | September 2023 Fantasy: Epic Fantasy | December 2024

This collection features a brilliant new translation of the Japanese master's stories, from the source for the movie Rashōmon to his later, more autobiographical writings. Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (1892-1927) is one of Japan's foremost stylists - a modernist master whose short stories are marked by highly original imagery, cynicism, beauty and wild humour. 'Rashōmon' and 'In a Bamboo Grove' inspired Kurosawa's magnificent film and depict a past in which morality is turned upside down, while tales such as 'The Nose', 'O-Gin' and 'Loyalty' paint a rich and imaginative picture of a medieval Japan peopled by Shoguns and priests, vagrants and peasants. And in later works such as 'Death Register', 'The Life of a Stupid Man' and 'Spinning Gears', Akutagawa drew from his own life to devastating effect, revealing his intense melancholy and terror of madness in exquisitely moving impressionistic stories.

PREVIEW ONLY | EBOOK FREE UNTIL JANUARY 2026 | WATTYS WINNER 2022 | If killing a superhero were easy, everyone would do it. But for Julian Godfrey, defeating Storm Warning was far from the hardest part. What began as victory over the city's biggest hero quickly unravels into a mess, once he learns that the mysterious source of Storm Warning's power has found a new host. Charlotte Hathaway has no idea how to use her new abilities, but she won't stop trying until she destroys Julian's alter ego, Citadel. Julian should have taken her new powers from her when he had the chance, but he let her go in favor of a new plan: training her for a real fight. It's the only way to prove he didn't get lucky when he killed Storm Warning, and show the city--and the other villains--that he's a force to be reckoned with. Getting close to Charlotte comes with far more than Julian bargained for. She's the perfect hero. Determined, confident, and selfless above all else. She's even nice to him, of all people. But if Julian doesn't follow through with his plan despite his growing feelings for her, he has another force to reckon with: Blazar, the villain who raised him and taught him to use his powers. It seems that no matter what choice Julian makes, he's going to lose. And it's not just his life in danger. With its biggest hero gone, the fate of the city of New Atlas hangs in the balance. *ANTIHEROES GALORE Badass Author Feature*

Eulalia O Fontaine had been plagued with misfortune since the day she was born. Being the first ever Shadow Witch in her long family line of Light Practitioning Mages, her life has always had an abundance of unrest and everything nefarious. Considering her reputation for attracting trouble, it was no surprise when the class golden-boy accidentally involved her in his own troubles with the wicked. Somebody was releasing Hell demons into her school, and of course, she found herself plagued with the problem of stopping them. With the help of her natural enemy, Eulalia finds herself in a race against time. While trying to outsmart fate itself, in order to keep her world safe from dark powers, Eulalia is faced with the realization that her life will never be the same again.

[2022 WATTYS WINNER] | Tracey Higgenbottom, Mr. Porter's witty assistant, finds herself at a dead-end when constables dismiss a case of his possible kidnapping. With the unexpected help of a spunky adventurer, a chimney sweep boy and his sister, and a reluctant records keeper, she suddenly finds herself on the hunt for Mr. Porter herself. When she starts searching too deeply, however, matters complicate beyond her expectations. A steampunk adventure for all to enjoy! ***This is a late (but not final) draft!*** (Plagium || Plah-gee-um: The crime of kidnapping a child) ⭐Plagium has won a Watty in the "Mystery & Thriller" category AND The 2022 WWS Animation Prize! ⭐ NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER! Coming out July 7th wherever books are sold online. Link in author bio. :) (Relaunched February 2021) Alt. Title: A Curious Case of Plagium HIGHEST RANKINGS: #1 Middle grade, #1 Mystery adventure, #3 Family friendly, #3 steampunk, #1 cozy mystery, #5 cozy 9x READING LIST FEATURES: 🔹WATTPAD - Editors' Choice (October 2023) 🔹WATTPAD EXPLORER - Editors' Choice (October 2023) 🔹TEEN FICTION - Teen Featured (October 2023) 🔹MYSTERY - Featured Mystery/Thriller Stories (October 2023) 🔹WATTPAD PUNKFICTION - Punkfiction Favorites (October 2023) 🔹WATTPAD FRIENDS AND FAMILY - Certified Bonds | Wattpad Picks (October 2023) 🔹WATTPAD - Dangerous Worlds (October 2023) 🔹WATTPAD EXPLORER - Dangerous Worlds (October 2023) 🔹ADVENTURE - Featured Stories (October 2023) 🔹EDITOR'S PICK (July 2023) ***PLAGIUM is the first book in The Keepers Series.*** KEEPERS SERIES ORDER: 1-Plagium 2-Annulet

Free to read! 19-year-old Jane, newly-single, moves to London to work for her friend, Kitty. But Kitty is hiding something about the café - and about Jane and Kitty's past. ***** If you looked at her Instagram, you'd think Jane had the perfect life. But a family tragedy and a big break up shatters that illusion, prompting Jane to drop out of university and move to London. She gets a room above a bookstore and a job as a barista, thanks to her childhood friend Kitty. Struggling with feelings of loneliness among the happy staff, Jane feels further ostracized when Kitty refuses to discuss Matt, who used to live in the bedroom Jane took over and who left under mysterious circumstances. As Jane struggles to find herself, and get the attention of the cute bartender, Harper, she discovers that the Brew Books café is brewing with dark secrets. [[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]]

Desperate to keep her magic hidden, Katerina goes to great lengths to avoid dragons and mages. When she gets cornered by evil mages, her only chance at escape involves freeing a trapped dragon. * * * Katerina's biggest fear is that unscrupulous mages or dragons would discover her magic and use her as a living magical battery. When she stumbles into a group of evil mages trying to magically enslave a dragon, she releases the dragon to act as a distraction, hoping he would attack the mages while she escaped. But magic has rules, and when you free a dragon mage, it creates magedebt that they must repay, lest their magic fade. Forced to travel together, Katerina struggles to hide her magic as she accompanies Rakota and his friends while they hunt down the Shadow Mages. Rakota is one of many dragons who detest humans due to how many have tried to slay him, steal his treasure, or control him with magic. He has no desire for a rider, but when his childhood sweetheart shows up, she won't consider courtship unless he has one. As if evil mages with ancient spells aren't enough, word comes from the coast that the nagas are planning to invade and wipe out the humans. Goals and secrets clash as Katerina strives to keep her magic hidden, yet that very magic might be the key to stopping the war, and becoming Rakota's rider would give him the family he's always dreamed of. But all magic has a price, and to become a rider, she'd have to forfeit her freedom. Copyright November 2022. All Rights Reserved. Readers may not copy or steal this story. Fanfictions are allowed to use my *world* and *magic rules* as long as credit is given.

Diagnosed with a terminal illness, Peter Katz hires a hitman to take him out. But when a cure is discovered, Peter's got to outrun the assassin to stay alive! ***** When douchebag lawyer Peter Katz gets diagnosed with terminal cancer, he wants to die painlessly. Still, death seems to elude his every attempt, so he hires an assassin to kill him at a random time and place within the month. Unfortunately for Peter, right after he orders the hit, a treatment is discovered that would add decades to his life. Now Peter Katz has to start running, until the month-long deadline ends. Desperate to survive, he has to deal with tall-dwarves, unionized suicide workers, art terrorism and all the insanity that being alive has to offer. Will he make it to the end of the month? Or will Peter Katz live a life's worth of craziness in however many days he has left? For what is Comedy, but Tragedy + Time? [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]

❝ Things are only as beautiful as you make them, Charlie. Including murder. ❞ It's the opening night of Burton Abbey's production of Romeo and Juliet and all is going smoothly - that is until the climactic death scene. Romeo takes a big gulp of the poison to be with his lover, except it really is poison and Elijah, who plays Romeo, is now dead. Charlie Monet, in charge of props, is the first suspect but soon the suspicion around her turns to worry as it seems she's the next target. Khaleel Rahim, an aspiring writer, is dying for a mystery to solve at his new school. When he sees Charlie sneaking around at night he thinks he's finally found something worth writing about. After discovering Charlie's ability to see visions of the past, Khaleel decides that they're the perfect pair to solve the mystery. With threatening notes, a quiet library and poison disguised as props; somebody in the school is blurring the lines between theatre and reality and the fast friends are about to discover that there's more to boarding school than just silly rumours. [2022 Watty's Shortlist]

❝Good morning. This is Target, how can I help you?❞ ❝Why do I have the sudden urge to kill my family?❞ ❝...Woah...well...shit. Ma'am, I think you dialed the wrong number.❞ ❝No. I dialed correctly. Are you any help?❞ ❝...No sé qué decir a esta chica loca.❞ In which a girl named Farah calls Target and meets a boy named Chance. Best Rank : #1 in Short Story (8/27/16)