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!

#1 romance fantasy #1Dragonlove, #2 Paranormal Romance highest rankings. Awards: Short list of Writers Recognition Awards Dark humor, justice, and love in the streets of New Orleans. Alex trawls the streets and alleys of New Orleans for pushers, pimps, and johns to beat senseless and leave naked in alleys. It's her revenge against the rapist stalking her. Morgan told her that he rescued her from the government agency that experimented on her and that she belongs to him. He had proven painfully to her that her new powers don't work against him. She escaped and her rage now falls on the others of his kind. Her goal is simple: take down the bad guys with her fun neuro-electric powers and snarky humor until one of them finally kills her. When she interrupts a mugging, she realizes that she's rescued a humanoid dragon from his hunters. But are his hunters the same one chasing her? The ones racing against Morgan to find her? Can this dragon and his brothers save her from her course of self-destruction? Or will they be dragged down her spiral of revenge and dark humor ? Note to reader : This book is not set in modern day New Orleans. This is a mixture of the New Orleans of my childhood, the New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina, and part fantasy. After Katrina, I needed some fantasy about New Orleans as well. Insert here the usual legal warnings about copyright and that this work belongs to me, and I will prosecute for any unauthorized reproduction, theft, etc. I have a law firm on retainer: truth. Also any resemblance to actual people or characters is unintended. Thanks to @cocosghost for my new cover!

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 *