De verlegen en chronisch onzekere Renée Jansse is blij dat ze eindelijk bijna weer thuis is na haar uitzichtloze werkdag. Ze weet dat ze meer in haar mars heeft dan teamleider bij het callcenter zijn, alleen heeft ze haar kans nog niet gegrepen. Ze wil actie in haar leven, maar dan zal ze op moeten staan om daar wat aan te doen. Die actie in de lift is echter iets teveel van het goede en wat haar daarna overkomt had ze in haar wildste dromen niet kunnen bedenken. Was ze maar niet ontdekt. Had ze haar gezapige leventje maar kunnen blijven leven. De vriendschappen die gaandeweg ontstaan kunnen haar helaas niet helpen als het puntje bij paaltje komt. Begonnen: 1-2-2021 Voltooid: 24-4-2021 https://www.wattpad.com/story/255355479-open-novella-contest-nederlands - prompt 5 (kandidaat Shortlist). Je zit in een typische ongemakkelijke lift met een groep mensen. Plotseling zegt een man: "Jullie vragen je vast af waarom ik jullie hier heb verzameld," voordat hij op de noodstopknop drukt. (Hoofdstuk 2) Credits: de raadsels komen uit 'Black stories' Totaal 20.328 woorden

Har du någonsin känt det som att okända spirituella krafter svävar runt din kropp? Förföljer dig och vägrar att lämna din varelse ifred? Psykiska krafter som finns där och inte går att ta på, men sträcker du ut handen tillräckligt så stöter den i en sorts hinna. Osynlig. Du visste inte att den fanns. Det här är en novellsamling där du förmodligen kommer att finna det mesta inom det skrivna ordet i gränslandet mellan mörkret och ljuset. Vad de flesta kapitlen har gemensamt är vad det är som kan ske när hinnan och den mystiska kraften tar överhanden. Se det lite som mina nattliga funderingar och en del noveller.

Bren's new life with the Innkeeper's team of rebels is dangerous and demanding, but with Captain Arramy's help they are doing real damage to the Coventry. Then disaster strikes, and Bren and Arramy wind up running for their lives across the Coalition provinces, trying to find a way back to the resistance. Instead, Bren is taken by the Caerhundars. Once again crossing the sea by boat, this time Bren is in shackles, chained to fifty other people in a cargo bin, bound for the Coventry's sprawling fortification hidden deep in the colonial mountains. At first Bren is only trying to survive the brutal working conditions of the Agricultural Sector. Then her language skills present an opportunity to work as a translator in the Paradazh Headquarters. It means close and constant contact with the very people who are still hunting for her - but how better to spy on them? Surrounded by enemies, Bren races against the Coventry's plans to overthrow the Coalition, relaying information to her enigmatic contact in the Illyrian underground. With all-out war looming, Bren must come face to face with the truth: winning may cost her the man she has come to love. NOTE: this is the sequel to Shadow Dance, and the last book in the Shadow series. Reading Shadow Road first, followed by Shadow Dance, is strongly suggested, although it might not be absolutely necessary to understand this story.

The winds of change blow across Egypt as the death of a past ruler marks the beginning of a new reign. Nefret, a young scribe, struggles to prove herself in a society dominated by men and aristocrats. When an opportunity arises to work for the chief physician at the royal palace, Nefret leaves home in order to test her abilities and create a legacy of her own. Follow her journey from commoner to royalty as she deals with political adversity, corruption, and palace intrigue to mark her place in history as one of the most famous queens of Egypt.

Alexander Langley wasn't looking for trouble but Charlotte Porter found him anyway. Only, this new partnership has them in over their heads and way before their time. 2020 WATTYS WINNER in MYSTERY The life of a poor merchant's daughter in Victorian Era London is quite boring. Charlotte Porter, it seems, is the exception. Desperate for a source of income once her father's gambling debts have drained their funds and placed them in the sights of some of London's most notorious criminals, Charlotte is in search of salvation. It comes in the form of handsome detective Alexander Langley, a curious gentleman with a strange connection to Scotland Yard and an even stranger connection to the American West. Charlotte soon finds herself swept into his world of investigation and intrigue. When a case of art theft turns into murder and she and Alexander are thrown into the seedy underbelly of the London elite, Charlotte realizes that the work isn't the only thing she's become attached to. But now, her father's powerful creditors are ready to close the books on them, and Charlotte must find a way to keep them out of the red because this time it won't be written in ink. Book 1 of the Langley & Porter Series *Featured on: The Wattpad Stars For Fans of Bridgerton List Wattpad's Strong Female Leads List @HistoricalFiction 's The Gothic List EDITOR'S PICK April 2021 Content warning: This story contains violence. **This is only the first five chapters. The rest of the book is available on Amazon for purchase and via KU.**

Cara's family was taken from her as a teenager, and she spent the years after learning everything she could about the dark creatures responsible, trying desperately to save others from the same fate. But now those evil forces are gathering, and the few that are left fighting against them are being torn apart. In a world with demons, werewolves, vampires and a powerful cult of elite fanatics lurking in the shadows, is there any hope of salvation? *Still doing edits* *Mature Content* Graphic violence throughout; I will label chapters with more specific trigger warnings as I go

Der erste Fall für Holler & Sieben. Nach einjähriger Zwangspause nehmen die Kriminalbeamten Arndt Holler und Melinda Sieben ihren Dienst in einer neuen Stadt wieder auf. Bereits nach kurzer Zeit müssen sie sich eingestehen, dass für sie nichts mehr so ist wie zuvor. Melinda hört Stimmen und Arndts Körper gehorcht nicht immer seinem Willen. Es gibt jedoch gibt Situationen im Leben eines Polizisten, in denen solche Fähigkeiten dringend benötigt werden: Ein Brandstifter versetzt die Harzer Kleinstadt Osterode in Angst und Schrecken. Arndt und Melinda müssen über ihre Schatten springen und erneut gegen Vorgaben von oben verstoßen, um dem Täter das Handwerk zu legen. *Abgeschlossen*

Ten years after leaving their Catholic boarding school, three former classmates meet up at the headmistress's retirement, and find the past still has resonances in the present. This started as my attempt at the Open Novella Contest 2021 (20,000-40,000 words. This is at the upper end of this range.) It didn't get anywhere much, but it was an interesting experiment (and fun to plan and write). ** Music, particularly for organ, plays quite a rôle in this story. Instead of providing accompanying media, I'll list the pieces that feature here, for anyone who wants to chase them up. Apart from Beatrice's (which doesn't exist, obvs) they're all available on YouTube. -JS Bach: Passacaglia & Fugue in C minor (BWV 582) -JG Rheinberger: Sonata no.11 in D minor (Op.148), Cantilène - Adagio * Beatrice's recital: -JS Bach: Prelude & Fugue in G (BWV 541) -Dietrich Buxtehude: Two chorale preludes - 'Ach Herr, mich arme Sünder' (BuxWV 178) / 'Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott' (BuxWV 199) -Joseph Rheinberger: Five Trios (Op.189 1-5) -Niels Gade: Tre Tonestykke (Op.22) -Maurice Duruflé: Suite pour orgue (Op.5): prélude -Beatrice Sullivan: Fantasia on 'Ave Maris Stella' -JS Bach: Chorale prelude on 'Mensch, bewein dein Sünde gross' (BWV 622) -Louis Vierne: Hymne au Soleil (Op.53) * For an idea of the sort of Passion setting Bea mentions in ch.8, try 'St Matthew Passion' by Orlando di Lasso. * (Written February-March-April 2021 )

*** OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2021 - HONORABLE MENTION *** The year is 1907, and Amalthea Huntley, Countess of Claremont, is bored. Recently widowed at a young age, she finds very little to entertain her in Edwardian London, until an unusual turn of events at a society party plants the seed of an idea. Lady detective? Why not? It would only be a hobby after all. Lending her considerable powers of observation to some of her closer acquaintances to help resolve their more sensitive issues. After all, what could be so difficult? An instance of minor household theft here, a brief indiscretion there. And it would serve to pass the time. Yes, she resolved. With some careful thought, she was sure she could pull it off, and it would certainly liven things up. Little did Amalthea know that she had bitten off far more than she could chew, when she suddenly finds herself embroiled in a dangerous murder investigation, her only ally being an attractive but rather disagreeable private investigator with a secretive past and a strong dislike for opinionated women. Still, if she wasn't careful, she could find that the biggest threat to her latest diversion was not the case at all, but rather an unexpected something, or someone, a little closer to home. This story is dedicated to Dickie, who acted as my consultant in all things historical. Highest Rankings: #1 historicalmystery (March 2021) #1 crimeromance (March 2021)

Prompt 1: Limbo. 1000-1500 words telling of someone trapped in the Minotaur's labyrinth. Prompt 2: Lust. up to 500 words of the life of someone who now resides in the second circle of Hell. Prompt 3: Gluttony. 1000-1500 words telling of a woman failing in school who finds a key and opens a door to the third circle, whose king wishes to conquer Earth. Prompt 4: Greed. 1000-1500 words about a group of friends--tempted by stories of wealth--entering King Midas' castle. Only one is allowed to leave, forever burdened by the punishment for their greed. Prompt 5: Wrath. 1000-1500 words about two travellers crossing the River Styx--one of which is carried away by a dziwożona. Prompt 6: Heresy. 1000-1500 words about someone who tries to convince others of their controversial opinion. Prompt 7: Violence. Under 1500 words retelling a story in your own words, in which the primary conflict is violent. Prompt 8: Fraud. 1000-1500 words about someone in a dream, standing at the precipice above the sixth bolgia, where the bridge spanning the eighth circle crumbled during the Great Earthquake after Christ's death. A maskinganna holding a digitalis approaches here, offering to help the character cross for a price. (Rated Mature) Prompt 9: Treachery. 1000-1500 words about someone who pulls a resident of the ninth circle out from the ice, and the reason they would do such a thing.