The Open Novella Contest is back for 2026! Join fellow storytellers and plant the seed of a tale that will blossom into a 20,000+ word novella within 12 weeks! Your epic quest begins February 1st, 2026, so mark your calendars with this date!

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Lirien has found refuge on land, working as a professional mermaid at a cutting-edge aquarium. Her heart, however, is caught between two worlds. She finds solace in her job-and in the company of Dexter, a marine biologist whose passion for the ocean draws her in deeper than she's ever been before. But there's more to Lirien than meets the eye, and the longer she's on land, the more the pressure from her mermaid heritage pulls at her. Torn between love and duty, she struggles to hide the truth of her origins. The closer she grows to Dexter, the harder it becomes to conceal the truth-and the physical toll it takes on her body when she's away from the ocean only makes matters worse. A research opportunity arises for Dexter that holds the promise of discovery-and danger. The island, veiled in storms and rumors, is near the secret mermaid territory Lirien fled from. As Dexter's research project grows more enticing, Lirien finds herself torn between the man she's falling for and the ocean that calls her back. But the island may be more than they bargained for-its waters have a magnetic pull that Lirien cannot resist. And with the past threatening to catch up with her, her secret life may no longer stay hidden. What will she do when the very world she's been running from comes crashing into her future with Dexter? Her heart and her heritage will collide-will she choose love, or will she return to the dangerous depths she fled?