From a very young age, Samantha Poulsen knew she was different from other girls-the unrequited crush on her best friend, Andrea, was just the tip of the iceberg. But when the earth's temperature plummets, and you and your family are just looking to survive, things like finding a girlfriend or being in love become trivial fantasies. Scientists first spotted the asteroid in the year 2004. They named it 99942 Apophis after the deification of darkness. When the asteroid struck the planet, it set off a chain of events that few expected-the first Ice Age in nearly 12,500 years. Now, two years after Apophis's impact, survival is all that matters. But when Sam's family rescues a man and his daughter-a beautiful girl named Nora who reignites those banished, trivial emotions-Sam might be convinced that there's still a place for beauty in this new world.

| WATTPAD EDITOR'S CHOICE | Major Aula Reed is a Canadian fighter pilot, veteran astronaut, and closeted bisexual. She's stationed on the second International Lunar Base or ILUB-2 with seven other crewmates. To be separated from Earth means facing radiation, meteorites, and equipment failure while under constant public scrutiny. For Aula, it also means struggling with memories of ILUB-1: the worst disaster in space exploration since the shuttle era. While she tries not to let her first mission overshadow her second, the Moon is an unforgiving place. It only takes one mistake, no matter how small, for history to repeat itself. This is a story of the near future informed by the lives of today's astronauts, whose triumphs and tragedies are immortalized in the public eye.

Princess Jin Algara has left her life and true love behind. Aimless, she seeks a purpose for her broken soul and finds it upon the edge of her sword. Ban Karst prepares his legion and the Arcane Knights for war, and he is no longer certain of which side he will be commanded to fight for. Joshuan Krayson works against the secretive plots of the old masters. From the depths of the Spired City to the scarlet steppes of Teularon, he will pay whatever ransom is demanded of him to stop the coming of Paradise. Reyn of Rosewater must keep an infant empire together as she looks to the west, where her most hated enemy approaches with an army like none other in the world. Enfri the Yora First Summit, Dragon Empress of Shan Alee, faces a choice. To hold true to her convictions or claim her ancient birthright as the one true sovereign of the Continent. The doom has arrived, the Spired City burns, and at the pinnacle of a broken tower, the empress and the assassin face each other with weapons drawn to decide the fate of the world.

A listless girl who isn't quite human. A sorcerer looking for answers from a brilliant engineer. An herbalist from a time of oppression. This anthology of short tales will follow heroes and villains, scions of ancient houses and lowborn goodfolk, mortals, shifters, fey, and dragons. Whether contemporary with the adventures of a sky woman from Sandharbor or set in the distant past, Tales of the Five Kingdoms offers new lands, new cultures, lore, and the secret workings of the Continent. (Stories containing spoilers for The Empress Saga will be marked.) A/N: Full disclosure, a lot of these stories are ones I'm writing primarily as practice in different forms, subgenres, and character types. For instance, Gillwyn is in some ways a warm-up for when Jin at last becomes a viewpoint, and Obuu came from a desire to positively portray an autistic character. Tot5K is a learning experience for me, so please bear with me through the things that don't work. That said, I'll do my utmost to keep everything compliant with my own canon and not treat these as disposable. When doing something, do it sincerely, and I intend to.