There are strange creatures in the water - and TEMPEST RAERIR is tasked with keeping them there. The gods have long since abandoned the Queendom of Khaedel, letting monsters of the deep plague the land with sickness and death. She defends the shores and kills anything that dares to step onto the sand. When one of the queens of Khaedel - Tempest's mentor - falls ill, her duty switches to saving who she cares about most. And she just might be the key to saving everyone. The deeper you go into the Arnstar Ocean, the more powerful the creatures become, and THE WARDEN'S duty is to keep them all in line. For centuries, the magic keeping the most depraved monsters at bay has been waning. Now that cracks have cut through the surface, the Warden faces no choice but to obtain the help of the beings that despise them the most. Tempest and the Warden must band together and venture as far down into the Arnstar Ocean as they can to seal the fissures. Only, getting there might not be as easy as they thought. Can they survive the battles with the leviathans that lurk in the darkness? Or will they prove the gods right that the land is hopeless? ONGOING 2026 © -DeeIsDead-

Hockey captain Rhiannon Sinclaide faces the risk of losing everything when her secret hookups with her rival, Jackie Reese, turn into something more dangerous. And deadly. ******* Rhia Sinclaide's passion in life is hockey. It's the only thing that keeps her somewhat sane when she's harboring two secrets: her toxic relationship with Coach Dawson and her on and off year-long fling with her rival, Jackie Reese. They had both agreed to a strictly sexual arrangement to manage their hate for each other on the ice. But things become complicated when Jackie starts digging into Rhia's true relationship with her Coach. And the world around her continues to grow darker every day, dimming the lights as she struggles to escape the clutches of the one person she should be able to trust. With the Hockey Finals on the horizon, will Rhia choose to open her heart for her sworn enemy and risk losing everything, including herself? Or will she succumb to the life she always knew, one where she has begun to crave death as her only option of escape?

ONC 2026 HONORABLE MENTION A pro hockey player and Hollywood princess form an unexpected bond amidst the scrutiny of the public, growing into a wildfire they both can't tame. ***** Larissa Hepburn, who goes by her stage name "Nova", is a triple threat in Hollywood. A talented singer, dancer, and actress, there seems to be nothing she can't do. In the eyes of the world, she's the model of a perfect human being. However, underneath the glamor, the smiles, laughter, and wall of illusions lies a darker truth - a woman on the brink of losing the tether she holds to this world. And on top of everything, she lost her best friend years ago to fame, a friendship she wants to mend as the final goal in her life. Then she meets Rhys Melton, a pro hockey player addicted to the world of hockey and himself broken in more ways than one. Brutal on the ice, he doesn't have time for romance or sexual relationships, especially after losing someone from his past. And posing as the charming playboy to the public eye is the only way to shield his pain from the world. But one single glance and a hilarious encounter changes both their lives in the most unexpected ways. What begins as an escape from the paparazzi turns into an unlikely friendship that forms in one single night. And as they spend more time together, the more they discover the disastrous truth that lies underneath their armors, one that bonds them into a scandalous romance. Even the brightest souls can hide the darkest thoughts. But what happens when two broken people, one more than the other, cross paths? Will they save each other from the darkness consuming them? OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2026

Harley had a bright future ahead of her, but that dream died a long time ago. ***** Harley vowed she would never return to the city that broke her heart, but old wounds never stop hurting if you keep poking at them. When the phone rings, the city stops, and she's summoned back, she discovers some doors are better left closed. Those you open might never be locked again. ***** WARM HANDS #0.5 Open Novella Contest 2023 -- prompts 42, 45, & 69 [[OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2023 ROUND 2 WINNER]] © 2023 caterina george // all rights reserved

Content to live in his superstar twin's shadow, Evan Reed never expected to join the volleyball team-or fall for his brother's best friend. But one accidental collision sets off a whirlwind of spikes, secrets, and unexpected feelings that just might pull him into the spotlight for good. *** Evan has spent his entire life living in the shadow of his twin brother and volleyball prodigy, Ethan Reed. And to be honest? He likes it there. No expectations, no pressure, just quiet. That is, until one day he trips and falls into a boy, and subsequently triggers a highly dramatic series of events that starts with him reluctantly joining the volleyball team, and ends with him dating his brother's best friend. (And unfortunately, after all of it, he's still on the volleyball team.) *** NOW COMPLETED

Elias Miller is a chronic insomniac who prefers to stay invisible, while Vinnie Madden is a notorious party animal, with more energy than the sun hopped up on caffeine. At a party, Elias and Vinnie strike up an unlikely friendship, after which, one thing leads to another, and lets just say, mistakes were made. Or was it a mistake? Elias sure thinks so. Then, as the situation rapidly devolves, Elias and Vinnie get paired together for an english project, and Elias's entire life becomes a whole series of highly stressful events with Vinnie staunchly wedged right at the center of absolutely fucking everything. After all, Vinnie Madden is a god damned sun, and his presence is so all consuming that eventually, all Elias can do is sit back, bask in the glow and try not to get fucking sunburnt. [NOW COMPLETE]

SHORTLISTER + ROUND 1 WINNER ONC25 || Running from a war-torn world, Aulka and her pack find refuge in a Dream where there is no suffering, no pain, and no death. It's a well-needed reprieve...until Aulka is attacked by the very creatures that killed her family. She is rescued by the mysterious, Dream-dubbed "hero", Kaone, who tells her that the Maikai is dying and the Dream along with it. And she, the Dream-dubbed "healer", is the only one who can heal him. But there are things in the Dream that will do anything to stop her, and Aulka quickly finds herself caught in a Coren's Challenge, her own grief, and a desperate race to where the star weeps before she's eaten, Kaone's killed, or Maikai dies. There's one thing for certain: she must finish what she started. -||-||-||- ONLY ON WATTPAD. If you're reading this anywhere else, your device is liable to malware! NO AI TRAINING || ONC 2025 ROUND ONE WINNER 11/3/2025 || ONC LONLISTER 21/5/2025 || ONC SHORTLISTER 1/6/2025

[7x featured] "Well, maybe there is one advantage of being in love with the villain in the story. I won't hesitate to kill for you. I won't think twice about burning the world if it means keeping you safe. Because you're worth it, sunshine." 𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪───※ ·✯· ※───𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 When a cold-hearted assassin falls for her sweet target, she must make a choice: murder her or betray her organization to protect them both. Ava became a K.A.R.M.A. assassin at only sixteen years old. Fueled by anger, hate, and the hunger for revenge, Ava has forgotten what compassion or sympathy even means. Until she meets a sassy beam of sunshine whom she spares instead of killing her as ordered. When Ava feels that heart melting spark, she considers betraying her organization to experience that warm feeling once again. Jennie So-Yeon has been sheltered from any speck of violence her whole life, thanks to her parents and her tough best friend. Jennie believes murder is wrong, no matter the reason. But when she meets a cold assassin who protects her from the same people who are after the super-hot assassin, she finds her isolated life of sunshine and rainbows shattering into a million pieces as she falls for a killer. The truth behind K.A.R.M.A. 's purpose slowly unravels as Eve, the leader of the organization, puts out a hit on both Ava and Jennie. Ava must decide if she's going to throw away all her beliefs and years of her life out the window for that dreaded emotion: love. Will Ava and Jennie be able to hold onto their love despite the pressures and death threats around them? Or will one end up betraying the other as both their worlds fall apart? 𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪───※ ·✯· ※───𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 Onc 2024 longlister Featured by: @Action (Action Romance, 18 Romance Stories We Are Obsessed With) @Romance (Romantic Suspense) @Ambassadors (Dangerous Love) @adventure (18 Romance Stories We Are Obsessed With) Cover by yours truly