A cunning Pirate's long-lost treasure. A three hundred-year-old curse. A wicked taste of rum. ------ When dangerous paranormal activity threatens her life, teen psychic, Lizzy Summers, decides to quit her job with Boston's Chills N' Thrills Ghost Tour franchise. She starts a new life in the Bay Area with her boyfriend, Dylan Grant, working for an eccentric bar owner. After moving into her dream apartment in Boston's eclectic Fort Point neighborhood, Lizzie soon discovers a young man who lived in the waterfront premises has been murdered. The renovated loft is not only haunted; it holds a deadly secret. Not everything's as it seems as the mayor starts buying up surrounding real estate and bodies begin piling up. Lizzie and her friends must solve the murder and the mystery of Blackbeard's treasure, using an antique bell from her grandmother's attic, before they become the next victims. --- ONC2023 Prompt 30: You purchase a new home and during renovations discover a human skeleton buried within your walls. Prompt 75: You have a family heirloom, it's been passed way long before anyone can remember. You inherited this object and discover its secret. This secret will twist your life and change it forever. [Rated PG13 for language, intimacy.]

Three women. Three tangled lives orbiting Mars aboard the Phobos Transit Space Station. Val loses her station operation engineer job under false pretenses, Exo-biologist Cassy is blackballed for doing the right thing, and ex-marine Kate suffers a broken heart. Fortunately, Mavis, the owner of the Starlight Tavern and rescuer of lost souls, is there to help, recruiting the women into her Quilters Guild. But when hostile forces invade the station, the stakes become far greater, and the Guild finds themselves embroiled in a multi-world conspiracy. And they are not about to just stand by and let it happen. Redemption comes stitch by stitch. *** Open Novella Contest Round Two Ambassador Pick *** *** Open Novella Contest Winner - Third Place ***

[A HEART-RACING LGBTQ+ ROMANCE MYSTERY OF A CYBERPUNK CITY MAFIA LEADER AND A TIMID SCIENTIST WHO NEEDS HIS HELP TO FIND HIS MISSING SISTER.] Callisto's life has always been monotonous even if he's working as a researcher in a city full of neon lights and eccentric lifestyles, and he prefers it that way. That all changes however when he visits his sister in her apartment only to find her missing and all traces of her erased. When he finds a picture of a symbol on his sister's living room that he recognises, he has no choice but to go against his comfortable routine to seek Draven - the underground leader of Alatus City and someone he has vowed to leave behind in his past forever five years ago. [Image for cover is generated through Midjourney (and given permission) by @Azanthiel Thank you!]

A deadly fae assassin needs to uncover the truth about her existence while also carrying out the task she's hired for. Only, she never planned to fall in love with the biggest adversary in her mission-or rather fall in love at all. 💜💜💜 Larkspur is one of the deadliest assassins the fairy world has ever seen. Consumed by hatred, ignorant of here past and shunned by everyone, she will stop at nothing to take revenge. Until she starts falling for someone who might just be the thorn in her path to accomplish her goal. In a world forged with dark magic, fae secrets, hidden truths , friends, foes and ruthless wars, she might have to pay the price of love with her life.

When his vampire blood begins to poison him, dhampir Elio Starling falls into hallucinations. As the delusions get darker, and the line between reality and dreams blurs, he believes he is losing his mind. There is only one soul he can confide in, a mermaid and part-time lover named Lux who suffers from an intolerance to the cold. Unable to live in open waters and fearful of the outside world, she refuses to leave the villa she shares with Lio. When Elio meets Zillah in a bar he frequents, he is instantly captivated and will do anything to get close. But the young stranger plays a dangerous game of cat and mouse and pulls Lio into a world of wicked delights, opium dens, prostitutes, and violence. Prompts used: 43. You have waited a thousand years to find your true love, what's one more day? 51. The problem with red flags is that I'm attracted to them Welcome to my ONC entry! Following tradition, the title of my story has a name/nickname in it. This is my 6th year entering and my 8th story! I've been short-listed 3 times and have enjoyed every year, every story, every new friend made. I hope you'll enjoy My Dark Beloved. Comments and feedback are more than welcome. Now for the disclaimer: dark stuff involved ( drugs, alcohol, cursing, sex, violence, murder, blood, mental health issues, etc.). This story is rated Mature but stays within the guidelines. This tale has been influenced by Lost Souls, Velvet Goldmine, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and a whole bunch of other amazing, dark, and deep stories and movies I've read and seen over the years. My story is only available on Wattpad. If you see it elsewhere, know I haven't put it up or OKed it. Updates whenever. Happy reading!

SHORTLISTED. Paul Finn wakes to discover that not only is he feeling horribly sick but, more worryingly, the naked stranger in his bed isn't moving. If only he could remember what happened... My story for the ONC 2023, a thriller scifi adventure, with a touch of romance. (SciFi /Adventure / LGBT) A Winner in The Nano Watt 2025 Novella category

The House of Atreus bears a curse. One steeped in blood and nourished by decades of violence. Klytemnestra knew this when she married Agamemnon, but being a princess in Sparta doesn't leave you with much choice, though she longs for it. The Fates spin their threads impassively but all Klytemnestra wants, is to be free of the shackles that bound her. Iphigenia has always been the perfect daughter, the perfect princess, beloved by both her people and her father. With Greece on the brink of war, destiny chooses her to fulfil a higher purpose. But she might just have to sacrifice everything. Elektra is sick of being held down by those in power. Despite being a princess, she is living a life in poverty, one she didn't choose. But when her brother returns home after a long absence, she might just take matters into her own hands. *** Three women. Three secrets. Three tangled lives. *** This story is intended for an adult audience and features depictions of violence, murder and sexual encounters as well as mentions of rape, incest, cannibalism, and suicide. Cover design by AnnieRosebud * ONC 2023 Best Cover Award Winner * * Ambys 2024 Grand Favorite *

| 𝟳𝘅 𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘𝗗 ·|| HUNGER GAMES x CINDER || ONC 2023 Honorable Mention Amidst the escalating unrest between the windborne utopian city of Lighthaven and its seedy, oppressed underbelly Fumedge, the Grand Duke of Lighthaven, Lucius Sextus, comes up with an ingenious solution. To provide much-wanted respite from the brewing conflict, and achieve the apparent-if-temporary unity, he organizes Gaslight Trials - a highly entertaining panem-et-circenses combat event in the Pits. The combatants may use all steam and thaumaturgy powered augmentations at their disposal, and there is only one rule: defeat, or be defeated. The reward for the last one standing? A chance to start their life anew. A brass key to the city of Lighthaven with a luxurious mansion to call their own within, as well as an aeroship to command. When eighteen-year-old Veda Igglesden steps forward to take her timeworn adoptive father's place in the fight, she might as well be signing her death-sentence. With her eyes fully set on the prize, act-first-think-later Veda must harness the power of technology to try and win for her Papa Otto. Decades of breathing in the toxic air of Fumedge did a number on the old inventor's lungs, and being able to live in the air-filtered Lighthaven would sure come in handy right about now. A high-flying adventure full of gadgetry and intrigue; a pleasing blend of steampunk and postapocalyptic. See Veda unravel the mysterious ploy behind the game's organization, and uncover the truth about her secret origins. Can she cope both with the trials of physical and intellectual prowess, as well as with the trials of life itself: those of love, loss and regret? © 2023 EvelynHail Exclusively on Wattpad Based on prompt 49! Which is (I shan't leave ye hanging :P): "Master the rules of the game until you can play it better than they can." Michael Scott, "The Sorceress" Get ready for steampunkish tinkering,