ONC Shortlister 2023! There are few rules in the Kingdom of Kadotaru, and punishment is not kind, even for the young prince who wishes he was anybody else. Tied to the crown, to his family, to his kingdom, there isn't much he can do. He isn't born to bear the crown, to rule over all the creatures of Kadotaru, but it still haunts him. He never thought to break a rule, there was too much fear deep in his heart. He never thought to break any rules, until she was able to see him. Humans. Humans don't have true sight. They aren't seers, or creatures of Kadotaru. So why can she see him? Why does she reach out to help him? And why did he have to break Kadotaru's most sacred rule? ------------------------------------------------------- This novella will include extreme violence. There will be warnings at the beginning of the chapters that include this show of brutality, but do not reach this novella if you do not wish to read horrific scenes. For the Open Novella Contest 2023 | Cover designed by me | Prompt 62 Word Count - 38,637 RANKINGS: #44 in High Fantasy - 27/04/2023 #90 in Fae - 10/02/2023 #79 in Dark Fantasy - 10/02/2023 #09 in opennovellacontest2023 - 10/02/2023 © elmaloney 2023 | all rights reserved

[Pride Awards 2023, hosted by official lgbtq , Romance Category Winner and 5th Place Grandwinner] The foster son of a former cupbearer marries the cursed king of Persia, becoming not only the first consort to survive after the wedding, but also a threat to many conspirators. **** Shahryar had lost his first wife to a man no equal to him just after the wedding. Following their execution, each wife he marries dies some way or the other- falling down the stairs, suicide or even poisoning. Shahryar and his ministers are lost as to why it's happening, and eventually the king is called cursed. People are dissatisfied with the king and a rebellion threatens to bloom secretly. Soon there is a dearth of suitable women to marry Shahryar. But the sun cannot be complete without the moon. So comes forward Shahrazad.

Five friends, one is a killer. On fall break, twenty year old Eliza Goodchild sets off with four of her college friends for a remote cabin in Aspen, Colorado. When a blizzard strikes without warning, their SUV skids off an embankment and disappears into a wooded ravine. In the whiteout, they get lost and find themselves in a frigid wilderness where every wrong move can spell certain death. In their struggle to survive, they learn one of them is a killer. Everyone has secrets and motives, but when the killer claims a second victim, they realize all of them are targets in an icy twisted plot to get away with the perfect murder, or should we say, murders. Open Novella Contest 2023 ~~The Writing Prompt I selected~~ 5. Flip the coin and make a life choice with it. Two choices, one coin, and no turning back. Do you dare?

|ONC 2023 SHORTLISTER||2X FEATURED| "You can create and control light. You can change the sun if put enough force into it. No one can do that. Not even me." "Then what can you do?" "I'm your exact opposite. Your antipole, your darker counterpart." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ She wakes up to a dead body and a duffel bag full of cash next to her in a bare, dark room. The worst thing is that she has no memory of how she came here or who or what she is. Unable to remember anything she trusts the first person she meets. Why can she do things she knows humans shouldn't be able to? Was she a killer? Most importantly who are the Devils? Based on prompt 32 and loosely on prompt 62. ~~~~~~ Rose Gold Awards 2025: Thriller/Suspense 3rd place

Liha wants to avenge his family. If he has to become one of the king's men to do this, he will. But in the capital Penira, the golden city, he learns fast a man has to prove his worth. Sword in hand, if needs be. Dánirah hates the city, and people of her tribe are not welcome there. But she must deliver a message to one of her mother's contacts. When she is attacked, a young stranger tries to help her. They both end up wounded and in the care of a harlot. Months later, they meet again on the battlefield. Dánirah has the information to turn the tide of war. But can Liha convince the future king to trust the young tribal woman he hardly knows himself?

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

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!

Five ordinary people. One risqué art exhibit. Many, many secrets. * * * This novella contains the stories of five individuals interweaved around a fictitious art exhibit called 'Kink: Attitudes Toward Sex, Then and Now' inspired by two ONC 2023 prompts: can we go back to the start when we were all strangers in the dark (#6) and three women, three secrets, three tangled lives (#15). * * * ONC 2023 Shortlister. This story is marked Mature for adult themes, language, and light erotica. It has been written under a pseudonym, but it is my original work.

When Kamille returns to her hometown six years after her sister's tragic death, she is greeted by a torrent of unpleasant facts: 1) Her childhood home is being sold. 2) The job she had lined up falls through. 3) She must take care of her injured mother. 4) The town is planning to demolish her sister's favorite park. On a whim, she purchases the property to save it from demolition--the only stipulation is that she must revitalize the park in three month's time, or it will be repossessed by the city. But things don't go as planned when Wesley Biltmore, Kamille's highschool ex-boyfriend, shows up--to help, or to hinder? Faced with a project bigger than she can fathom, and a heart full of rage, Kamille tries to keep her sister's memory alive the only way she can, and learns that the earth doesn't stop turning and the sun doesn't wink out, even when it feels like our entire world ends. Written for ONC 2022 - Promt #18 Due to the deadline, typos may appear. Be aware!