He's been skipping classes, hasn't been to work in days and isn't responding to his friend's urgent text messages. For someone who loves his mundane routine, like Xander, this behavior is significantly out of character. But when you're inducted into a death game against your will, attending your business class suddenly becomes low priority, especially when your professor and former classmates have turned into nothing but creepy shadows walking around. Kissing his much loved routine goodbye, Xander follows a guy who had just frozen an old man in time, then chopped him in two. Will he get chopped too? Or will he manage to survive long enough to exit this new reality where throwing fireballs, summoning swords out of thin air and making ordinary objects explode are commonplace? --Looking for Beta Readers, any opinions / critiques are welcome!--

* NaNoWriMo 2020 * Synopsis to follow... This is my first Nano entry and I will be uploading as I go along. It will mostly be unedited until the end. Cover - created by the amazing @LittleVee

Eight hundred years after the Gods defeated the Betrayer, Tregale, their rightful heir takes his place as a benevolent ruler to protect the people. A constantly feuding world is starting to know stability but is still blind to the paramount mystery. The priest will do anything to find more about the truth of his Gods, while his old friend, the outlaw, would rather have nothing to do with it. The farmboy is a mastermind, born in the nation of Delmia, but loyal to their oppressors- the Empire. The advisor wishes only to be a humble servant to the security of the world and the one who he sees as a son- the Synodontis, the greatest ruler that the world has ever known, and son of the Gods who saved the planet all those years ago. All must be witness to the path of the Gods, and continue in their creation- and destruction. Cover credits go to @OmeletteDanish ! Check out their amazing art and books!

"If it lives, we can slay it. And then burn it, just to make sure it doesn't come back from the dead," she said. "...does that happen often?" he asked. "Slaying? Yeah, duh? It's what we're here to do in the first place, dummy." "I meant the coming back from the dead part." "Eh. More often than you'd like." "Great. Just great." Walking away from a life drenched in senseless bloodshed, Raksha embarks on the Warrior's Pilgrimage. In doing so, he strives to hone his mind, spirit, and martial skills, and he swears to abide by the Ancient Code's tenets of honor and compassion. He definitely did not expect to run into Sadea, a powerful sorceress who loves silk, jewels, and killing things for fun and profit. Neither did he expect to be stuck with her as they fight murderous mutants, vicious monsters, and demons. She calls their entanglement a beautiful partnership, but it's the last thing he needs. Or so he thinks.

Fanny, a young lesbian woman searches for her place in the world and it takes her somewhere she never thought she could ever belong. Despite being headstrong, rebellious, free-spirited, and a little arrogant - so everything that a soldier shouldn't be - she finds herself in the military, but the hardest part comes only after that. Before she could even realize, someone steals her heart, but unfortunately for her, that someone is her straight best friend who lives in a happy relationship. She has never truly been in love before, and this particular case would be challenging even for someone much more emotionally prepared than her. She has to grow up somehow to handle the unrequited love as an adult should, it's just not clear how she will do that. A/N.: This is my first English novel experiment, so there will be mistakes in it, please forgive me for them. Also feel free to point them out, as I'd be very grateful for any constructive criticism. Enjoy the story :)

"God says no." A police officer's suicide is interrupted by the appearance of a woman who tells her she had been recruited to join a covert group that stops terrible things before they happen. Jane Berden is brought into Madrigal, a group created by a man who is able to see the future in perfect clarity and who uses this power to stop some of the wrongs in the world. However, even with absolute knowledge of how events come to pass, things still are able go wrong with catastrophic results. Jane must battle her own problems, questioning the morality of acceptable violence, all the while dealing with criminals, mass shooters, terrorists, and, worst of all, her teammates.

[2021 WATTYS Winner] Giovanna joins a handsome nobleman to save a friend from an arranged marriage, but they discover a plot that may have victims of Venice's Black Death rising from their graves. * * * As a child, Giovanna Visconti learned the arts of bloodletting and elixir brewing from her father with an intent to simply support his work, not take it over. But when he falls ill from the pestilence that's been ravaging Venice for months, she reluctantly dons the beaked mask of the plague doctor. Vowing to protect her father however she can, Giovanna hides him away and sees her first patient--the handsome, but alarmingly feverish Matteo Barozzi. Although she successfully treats this son of a high-ranking official, in a careless moment Giovanna fails to properly conceal her identity. The only reason she isn't tossed into a dank jail cell is thanks to the young man's honor and feelings of indebtedness. The association between the charming aristocrat and the clever commoner should end there, but when Giovanna's dearest friend goes missing right after her betrothal to the Doge's son and amid strange reports of nighttime attacks, violent commotions, and inexplicable behaviors in the community, the only person Giovanna can turn to for help is Matteo. Together, they must carefully navigate Venice's increasingly deadly canals to uncover a sect peddling false cures and a smuggling plot involving the highest levels of government or risk the entire Republic falling victim to something even worse than the plague: the risen dead. Historical Fiction with Fantasy Elements THE BORGIAS X FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH * * * WATTYS 2021 winner for Historical Fiction and special HQ prize for "Catchiest Hook" AMBYS 2022 winner for Best Zombie story Content Warning for adult situations including assault and death. Cover made with Canva.

It's not easy being a thief. You just don't get the same level of respect as fighters or clerics or those goody two shoes paladins. Heck, even wizards are held in higher regard. Stupid wizards with their stupid magic. Nobody trusts a thief for some reason. But really, what's a little petty larceny among friends? Thieves are supposed to steal stuff. It's part of the job description, for crying out loud. And you're definitely going to want a thief on your side when it comes to disarming a trap or needing to sneak up on some monsters or something without attracting their attention. The point is, thieves can be just as big of heroes as anybody else. On the other hand, they can also be gigantic jerkfaces. Fabian is a legendary hero and adventurer... in his own mind. People should have heard of his brave and noble exploits far and wide, except of course for the fact that they haven't. He is a pretty skilled thief though, even if he does have delusions of grandeur. Those dreams of being a hero are about to be put to the test in a major way as Fabian embarks on his biggest and most epic quest yet: finding some rich broad's missing cat. Dungeons will be explored. Fantastical creatures will be encountered. Monsters will be battled if they seem like they're weak enough to actually be defeated. And Fabian will attempt to lie, cheat, and steal from virtually everyone he meets. After all, that's what a thief does.

**WATTY 2021 SHORLIST!** What's your superpower? Everyone has one right? That's why the world is falling apart. After a cure for a terrible pandemic goes awry, everyone in the world gains superpowers. Everyone, that is, except Thomas. He's the old kind of normal. A Nomad, and Nomads are dangerous. They're hunted and killed for sport on the world's biggest game show before they go insane - all while they're eight years old. But you don't need to be able to fly to be a HERO. ***Wattys 2021 Shortlist!*** #1 Superstrength #8 Pandemic #12 Self-Esteem

*CHALLENGE COMPLETE* The #WP2020 Summer Reading Challenge is going on now through September 22nd, 2020. Find some new stories, win some fun prizes!