Aeons once ruled the world. Now, their empire lies in ruin, and the survivors hide on the fringes of society. Nahlia is a librarian's apprentice who's obsessed with Aeon lore, scavenging for hints of their legendary power. But others are searching too, including the Templars who seek to hunt down the Aeon survivors. When the Templars attack her family, Nahlia is forced to infiltrate a secret academy and rise beyond everything she's ever known. https://davidmusk.com/books/aeonica-the-lost-redeemer

After escaping a stalled elevator into a zombie apocalypse, Emily must learn how to trust people again or risk losing everything in this terrifying world. ***** For Emily, every day of the last two years have been a blur. She keeps her head down, takes her college courses online, and only goes out to work at her mandatory internship. But all that changes on the day the office elevator breaks down, leaving her trapped when the screams begin. And when the doors finally open, revealing a dystopian world ruined by bloody teeth and disease, Emily is launched into a terrifying run for her life, caught between the strangers she's not sure she can trust and the man-eating monsters that hunger for her flesh. Now she must learn not only how to survive in this new and dangerous world, but also how to overcome her own inner demons before they cost her something more precious than her life. [[Wattys' Shortlist]] [[Promoted by AMC]] Content and/or Trigger Warning: The story contains some gore, violence, strong language, and dark themes. [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]

*Watty's Shortlist!* Asher didn't know what he expected when he woke up in the desert, but it certainly wasn't to be shot at. It's 2056 and Asher-along with a group of twenty-one boys who can't remember a thing-is left reeling after barely surviving the battle that marked the beginning of his only memories. Dropped in the West Bank with nothing aside from the clothes on their backs and chains at their necks, the group scours the land, desperate to solve the mystery of their arrival. As Asher discovers the truth, he realizes that the fate of humanity may as well rest in his hands. Cover credit: @TheLittleMissShadow