Historias de Opennovellacontest2023

Regulus had had enough of the loud screaming matches between his mother and older brother as they left him with a headache while also preventing him from hiding. In what felt like sheer madness, he left the house unnoticed and found a Muggle library, a sanctuary from noises that would bother him as he tried to study. Of course, in his delight to find a quiet place to study, he forgot one important thing. Muggles. Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter. This is written for ONC 2023, prompt seventy-six, "You're poring over spellbook in the local library when a human discovers you."

[DUO spin-off, prequel to Codename: DEMON]  In the city of Portia, the government has a small branch called the Special Connections Division. On the outside, they serve as a way for for the government to keep an eye out for non-government funded organizations. On the inside, however, their job is different: they operate as a black ops, weeding out criminal organizations and gathering enemy information from the shadows During the night, Lucinda Saffirus works for the SCD as an assassin who uses her blood as a weapon. But during the day, she's a private detective working to solve the major crimes, especially murders, in the city. Juggling new jobs isn't new to her, but raising her eight year old son as a single mother changes a lot of things. Life isn't already easy, but a new threat makes things more difficult--one of the top members of the city's most powerful criminal organization has figured out her identity, and she's given one rule: play their game. And she has no choice but to accept. Otherwise, her family, friends, both jobs, and especially herself will be at risk.

After being single for what her friends thought was a really long time, Ava is having the worst date of her life when an unexpected and sexy stranger comes to her rescue. Now that she got rid of her date will she still be able to make the best out of the night?

The new and attractive landlord has left everyone else wanting to make a good impression. But me? I've known something was off from the moment he shook my hand. There's just something wrong about him. Something . . . dark. But I brushed it off. And now it might be too late. Guess I should have listened to my instincts after all. __________________________________ This story contains profanity and violence. • ONC 2023 •

"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. |ONC 2023 SHORTLISTER||2X FEATURED| Rose Gold Awards 2025: Thriller/Suspense 3rd place

[Bauhinia Legacy Series, Book 4.0] 🏅HONORABLE MENTION IN ONC 2023🏅 Written for the 2023 Open Novella Contest: It's easy to get away with crime in a packed, unruly and newly built city--Cantonesia: The Jewel of the Orient. That's what Amelia Yeung's family has been doing for decades. She's part of Cantonesia's most notorious and elusive mafia family, the Bauhinias. On Amelia's next mission, which involves the Governor of Cantonesia and his family, she makes a dangerous mistake that takes away her freedom. Thus, she is forced to make a deal with two formidable forces. But scandals and secrets await her wherever she goes, and Amelia unearths one that could damage the Governor's reputation. She begins to question the moral integrity of those around her as the situation unfolds. To make matters worse, government agents are on Amelia's trail. She knows if she's captured, it could be the end of the Bauhinias. Now Amelia has to evade the law and help them at the same time. Will Amelia be able to solve her Cantonesia caper? Or will the government get to her first? ****** ONC Prompts used: #15, 33, 75 ****** Accolades: 🥇1st: Best Writing in the Phoenix Mini Awards 🥇1st: Best Epilogue in the Starlight Mini Awards 🥇1st: Action/Adventure in the Serenity Book Awards 🥈2nd: Action/Adventure Genre in The Katana Awards 🥈2nd: Action/Adventure Genre in The Fluorescence Awards 🥈2nd: Best Antagonist in The Philosopher Awards 🥈2nd: Best Antagonist in The Ambrosia Awards 🥈2nd: Best Prologue in the Starlight Mini Awards 🥈2nd: Best Bright Cover in the Best Book Cover Awards 🥉3rd: Hidden Gems Category in The Phoenix Awards 🥉3rd: Action/Science Fiction in The Philosopher Awards 🏅Honorable Mention: Best Protagonist in The Ambrosia Awards 🏅4th in the Wonder Awards: Best Worldbuilding 🏅ONC Round 1 & 2 Qualifier 🏅ONC Longlister & Shortlister 🏅FEATURED on the ONC Ambassador's Pick Reading List 🏅FEATURED on APIFantasy ****** Cover by

From the moment she was born, Qwella had the gift of super hearing. Or a curse as she called it. She had to wear earmuffs at all times. She was terrified of crowds and the overwhelming number of voices she was forced to hear. But one voice stood out to her. It was of a boy singing. He sang sadly, as if crying for help. She couldn't pinpoint where exactly she heard this voice from, until she visited the Pit of Panah. It was the day of Coronation for King Merno, the late King Varallisuus' only son. It was also the day Qwella's life would change forever. ************************************ This story is written for ONC 2023. Prompt #38 used.

Where there is misfortune, there is magic. It is a phrase Annabelle Baker has heard enough times to have it drilled into her mind. Everyone in town follows it, after all, you don't want to get on the bad side of the Wardens, Mere's staunch protectors. They already have more than enough on their plate... Life in Mere used to be easy. That is, before a mysterious plague rolled into town, infecting everyone except a lone pharmacist, her business associate and a group of charming strangers belonging to Varian Merradem's circus. The good Merian civilian that Ann is, she grows immediately suspicious of the latter, their arrival matching that of the plague slightly too close to be true. In an effort to chase the circus out of town for good, Baker accidentally finds herself amongst their ranks, hoping desperately to escape and solve the conspiracy of the mysterious disease once and for all. A story based on a Dungeons and Dragons game. If you enjoy a bit of simple fantasy, dramatic characters or a good circus wreathed in mists and mystery, this might be one for you. Prompt 54. As townspeople are overcome with a deadly sickness, it's up to you, the only one not afflicted to find the cause and cure. ~(✩✧✩)~✶~(✩✧✩)~ Chapter 1 • 1319 W (Total 1319 W) Chapter 2 • 970 W (Total 2289 W) Chapter 3 • 1038 W (Total 3327 W) Chapter 4 • 1264 W (Total 4591 W) Chapter 5 • 1304 W (Total 5895 W) Chapter 6 • 1279 W (Total 7174 W) Chapter 7 • 826 W (Total 8000 W)

Who let the ghosts out? Ian thinks he's getting the hang of his supernatural powers but a surprise encounter with Melody, a professional psychic medium, forces him to put his skills to the test in a friendly psychic duel. It's all fun and games until they accidentally break the fabric of reality and the Grim Reaper gets involved. Ghosts aren't the only ones with unfinished business. Ian's approach to moving on is to not think about the past, but what he really needs is someone to guide him through the darkness, someone who understands his gift. Too bad he pissed her off. * ONC 2023 Prompts #40 and #20 * **** ONC SHORTLIST ****

As a spare heir and hero of the last war, Wystan would like nothing more than to enjoy retirement while teaching recruits and drinking up his inheritance. After stepping on the wrong toes, he is reinstated early and finds himself on a quest to slay a dragon in the Southern Lands of the Empire. Unwanted and feared, the merry band of the Empire's mercenaries joins him on the journey, for they have been ordered to die with him in not so many words. While the rumors consist of a tale of a feral, man-eating dragon, a captured princess, and a dreary, impenetrable fortress of a tower where both dwell, Wystan learns that stories are just that: stories. The tower is not impenetrable nor dreary. On the contrary, it's quite homey with warm rugs, shiny chandeliers, and the fire roaring in every heart. The dragon ignores humans like a person would an ant. And the princess... Is in fact a prince. The runaway prince of the Zmaya Kingdom enjoys making Wystan's days harder. Smooth-tongued and shrewd, Alexei offers their party a place to stay after hearing about their grim fate. Uncovered coincidences and secrets imply a connection between him and the dragon. If Wystan returns home empty-handed, the Emperor would hang him. But it's not just his life at stake, the mercenaries become comrades in arms. Wystan is forced to entertain Alexei's whims while unraveling the truth behind the man's meddling, the dragon's presence, and the Empire's betrayal.

[ONC 2023 Shortlister] ['23 RGAs Overall Winner] When the storm comes, who will you choose to ride it out with? In the sleepy coastal village of Porthdruro, the most excitement literature student Sally Tremaine experiences is the coming and going of the tide. So, when she runs into carefree photographer Flick Scott on a routine errand, the waves the girl makes in her life are beyond anything she's seen before. Flick is confident, passionate, and just plain fun - in short, she's everything Sally had never expected to find in her small world. Things aren't all fun and games, though. The rest of the village wants nothing to do with the boisterous traveller, and Sally senses there's something lurking beneath Flick's impulsive character, something she doesn't want Sally to see. And when another stranger follows hot on Flick's heels, Sally faces a choice between staying true to the place she calls home and protecting the girl that could take her beyond the horizon. As the storm draws ever closer, the questions rumbling in Sally's mind grow louder. What brought someone so full of life to a place like Porthdruro? Why is she so possessive of a simple camera? And will the toll of trusting Flick Scott be more than Sally can take? *** Written for #ONC2023. 50. "An attractive, mysterious stranger moves to your small town. While everyone is desperate to make an impression, only you notice something a bit odd about them." 51. "The problem with red flags is that I'm attracted to them." Stunning cover by the equally stunning @MiniMoxx. Adorable chapter-end graphic by the equally adorable @Metalcanine.

Arturo Banderas is a cadejo on the run. Framed for crimes he didn't commit, he has to escape his home for the human world, but in order to hide, he'll need to learn their culture, not just their physical form. Doctora Lidia Gutierrez wants to be the first person to understand the culture of the mysterious cadejos. No one has ever found them in the daylight, and those who survived their encounters at night weren't sober enough to explain anything. At least, none who were willing to talk to Lidia. When Arturo discovers Lidia's research he proposes a trade. If she'll teach him how to blend in, he'll tell her everything he knows about the cadejos. And it works just fine until a monster in the forest pushes them closer together. Working together is the only choice they have, but every moment spent together makes it harder to imagine a time when they'll be forced apart. And they will be, unless there's a way to stop the past from catching up with them. ~ * ~ * ~ This is one of the novellas I'm writing for ONC 2023. You can find the rest on my profile! For this story, I've selected prompt #52. "There is someone you dream about every night, but you never imagine meeting them in real life."

I woke up tasting sweaty too sweet fruit. Discover a new love of living with Sekane, god of broken hopes and revenge. Through the charms of a kindergartener nicknamed little terror, the long believed dead goddess learns to cherish being alive after eons of failure. ONC: prompt 73 I don't know how to grab the sticker but.... WE MADE IT PAST ROUND 1 Original Story Publishing Date: February 1st

Aria is on top of her game. Putting away criminals, closing cases, she is smart, tenacious, and ambitious. As a detective with the NYPD, she is putting in the hours and working diligently towards a promotion. Only instead of a new title, she finds herself transported into the future where death is not the end, but merely a transition into virtual reality. Now in the year 3000, Aria is immersed in a new type of case where the victim of a grisly murder can still provide some clues to help catch the perpetrator through his consciousness. Worse yet, as Aria delves deeper into the investigation, she finds herself falling in love with a mysterious man named Ayden. Nothing is as it seems in this new world where reality can be augmented and the truth may be hiding in plain sight. As Aria and Ayden grow closer, the looming shadow of the murderer threatens everything they have come to care for. Aria must use her skills of deduction to unravel the truth and bring justice to the victim while saving the man she loves. -------------------------------------- ONC2023 Prompt 82. In a future where humans have the ability to upload their consciousness into virtual reality at the time of their death, a detective must solve a murder case in both the virtual and physical world as the victim's consciousness may still exist in the virtual world and hold the key to solving the crime.

Zoé is a young immortal. She is only 186 years old. Currently, she works in an incredible library of the occult, located in Budapest and curated by a very old immortal called Ikshan. Unfortunately, one day she stumbles upon a terrifying monster in a hallway of this very library. That was definitely not in the job description. This story is a spin-off of my series For Centuries but it can be read as a standalone. Genre: Paranormal/ Comedy Award: First Place Prime Awards 2023 (Category: paranormal)

"Who's your favorite zomenby?" Rellek clapped happily. Dao looked up from his files and gave them a death stare. "Not even a week ago you bit off my ear." "Not the point. My point is, you don't even know any other zombie who's an enby. I've got to be your favorite." "This is about my ear!" "You grew it back!" Rel made a face at the memory of trying to chew Dao's ear. They loved that cartilaginous part of humans but now they knew that vampire ears were a no-go. "It tasted like sawdust in my mouth." "Well, I liked that one. It's taking me some time to get used to the new ear," Dao huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "And how do you know what sawdust tastes like?" "Desperate times, Daomir, desperate times." *** Daomir is patient. He is as patient as a vampire can be. He has waited a thousand years to find his true love. What's one more day? It's a blink of an eye when you're a vampire. But when an oblivious zombie, who wants to eat him, turns out to be his soulmate in the middle of an apocalypse, Dao finds himself signing up for another century of patience for Rel to catch up with his feelings. *** Here's a funny spin on the vampires, zombies, and apocalypse trope, set in India.

• OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2023 • SHORTLISTER • AMBASSADORS' PICK • FEATURED STORY • Artemis Hexley used to be the famed Curse-Breaker of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now, she isn't even a Curse-Breaker anymore. The events that shaped her formative years may be behind her, but with the Triwizard Tournament approaching, her past might be about to catch up with her... This new stand-alone story features Artemis Hexley, the protagonist of the Hexley Saga, as well as a cast of characters from the Wizarding World. The Wilderness Years was written and shortlisted for the Open Novella Contest 2023. It has been a featured story for: • Wattpad Urban Fantasy • Wattpad Potterverse

Prompt #9: There's an urban legend that's been circulating for years about a taxi cab that doesn't take you where you want to go, but where you need to go. One night, you stepped into this cab. An entry for the Open Novella Contest 2023.

Closed. This is a book club specifically created for ONC entries. We aim to help you make your entry the best it can be through peer review and feedback. We move fast to keep up with the ONC: two chapters a week! So, being a member can help keep you on a steady track to getting the novella written.

**ON HIATUS** Sophia Miller is failing her Advanced Political Theory class taught by the devilishly handsome Professor DeVille. She is determined to become a lawyer and advocate for non-profits, but she's not willing to do so at the expense of her soul. Of course, if anyone could persuade her, it would be the charismatic professor. Dr. Archer DeVille is just a demon trying to get by in a modern world. He doesn't need much, just a soul or two every year to keep him going. He's had a good run preying on stressed out college students with big dreams, but when he takes a chance at snagging the virtuous Sophia Miller's soul, he discovers his powers don't work on her. Facing a demonic life crisis, he decides to get to know Sophia personally to see what makes her so special. 'Professor DeVille' was inspired by ONC 2023 prompt #17: "When your teacher calls you to their office, you realize they're not quite human. Class is about to get interesting."