Grownupreads Stories

The newest, the brightest, the loudest; compilation of extraordinary written pieces in which we shine a light on the most empowering voices of our world-wide community! Keep on reading and let their voices be heard! | Anthology of winning entries compiled by WattpadEmpowered with the help of our wonderful Wattpad community.

Schoolteacher Fiona is on a mission for grandpa - find a missing Zimbabwean artefact, the precious soapstone "Bird of the Gods". Conrad - dodgy archaeologist contracted to the stunning influencer Amanda aka #mandalove - has the same job. When Fiona and Conrad's paths cross, what was supposed to be a straightforward quest turns into a crazy race around the world. With antagonists popping up at every corner - from mountain tops to underground settings like Serbian caves, frozen Canadian crypts, and the silver mines of the old West, Fiona and Conrad have to work together to catch their bird. Mutual respect grows into something more intimate. But not everything is quite as it seems, and they had better watch their backs lest they too end up underground, this time permanently.

Sybill Trelawney learns to live with her Inner Eye, cooking sherry, and Minerva McGonagall, in that order. "You can't use your Gift, it uses you," Professor Dorsett tells Sybill, and over the years Sybill finds out how lonely a Seer's life can be. But when she turns to drink to help her manage it, she finds help from an unexpected source. ✔COMPLETE 🥇 WINNER Quicksilver Quill Award

EEEEiiieeee! Walter screamed in agony as his brain was sucked out through his ears, converted into digital format inside the modified headphones, and circuited into the computer. When he regained consciousness, he was floating in a vast black space lit only by pinpricks of light... the true story behind Wattpad. Sci-Fi / Humour

Cover = Creative Commons. Blurb = It only takes a second to lose everything... One second of rage and Adam became a widower. People say it's natural to see the deceased everywhere you look. They don't say anything about them screaming your name in the dead of night, or about them trying to kill you. Highest rating in Horror so far #36 Third place Horror Winner (The Puppet Awards 2017) Reader Feedback. "Nice first chapter. Perfect amount of detail, this could almost be a short story in and of itself." @KRRodriguez "Brilliant!" @AnnMarieMarsh "Damn.... this book just gets darker and darker. I love it.... more, more, more." @melterry921 "Wow.. just wow" @Darkgirl_forever

Do we ever realize, at the moment that it is happening, that what is unfolding is to become the defining and pivotal moment of our life? Or does this realization only come years later, when we reflect and, given the wisdom of time, understand how a single event changed two people's lives forever? And how a cooler of beer, a Ford Econoline van, and eight high school friends on a road trip to a Prince concert might have changed everything. "Purple Rain" by BG Davies was first published in The Sun-kissed Summer Romance Anthology.

Using powers can age you, kill you...or drive you mad. Ian Sharp knows none of this when his destructive powers wreck his house near Denver and nearly kill his sister...because no one knows powers exist. He's forced on the run the day before graduation as the ruthless Hunters of a vicious shadow government track him down. Soon, he finds himself in a hidden, underground city built by giants before the great flood. A city full of people with special abilities. But Ian is drawn to the only one without powers-Abby Pierce. Just when the two are growing closer, a Hunter spy frames Ian for murder, getting him exiled. Ian must risk his sanity and depend on an insane teleporting monk to help him find the city again before Abby falls victim to cold-blooded murder. ----- The science, archaeology, theology, and history in the Winter's Edge series are real, except in regard to the direct backstory of the two fictitious underground city. Little-known truths about the world are exposed in the book series with solid, irrefutable evidence from mainstream scientific researchers. Book one gives the readers one large dose of this, but the future novels in the series will truly leave the readers speechless. Told through the eyes of Ian Sharp and Abby Pierce, Winter's Edge is an action adventure urban fantasy for teens and adults alike. Whether it's mystery, twists, a love story, deep philosophical discussion, humor, or loads of tension you're seeking, Winter's Edge delivers it all in a serious yet sometimes hilarious package. ----- [#152 Highest rank in Adventure] [Winter's Edge Series Book 1: This book is fully written, but only one chapter a week will be posted on Fridays and a bonus chapter from time to time, as well.] I'm very responsive to comments, so let me know what you think! #Badassreads #InToAction #grownupreads #teenreads #rebelwars #EWA2018 #YourTrulyAwards

Buehler's just a regular mook, a bar owner making book on the side. Good life. Until Freddy knocks, sending Buehler's life sideways. * Excerpted from the novel "Livewire Voodoo."

It is the year 2142 - The Age of Quantified Automation, and every life is measured and controlled. Everything a person does is recorded. This data is used to place people where they are most needed. Adelaide and Adwin are turning 18 soon and will be placed as a cog in the wheel of the American Republic. Are they more than their data? Does free will still exist? Follow them as they discover what truth really is and what it means to be truly free. Underground is a very different world. They are off the grid. Are they a threat to those who control the Republic - First 400? Do they know the truth? Can they save the world from what they believe to be pure evil? Or are they wrong about who the enemy is? Follow Freya as she fights for what she believes to be true. Join this exploration. ~~Don't forget to hit the ⭐️ if you like a chapter~~ This book is an exploration of biopower, basic income, culture, in-group and out-group bias, conflict, corruption, technology and the human spirit.

She just wanted a job, not the end of the world. Flash fiction

The cyborg was huge, built like a juggernaut, and carrying a weapon the size of a rocket launcher. All to hunt down a skinny hooker, weighing a hundred pounds on a good day. It was pretty funny really, when you thought about it. She almost smiled before the terror kicked back in. Portal. A collection of Sci-Fi short stories, written for ForbiddenPlanet's smackdown SFSD 7. Includes Portal, Metropolitan, One Night at the Pub, and Star Fallen. My final entry Star Clash won the smackdown and now appears as a free download on Amazon etc

** WATTYS 2018 WINNER ** Big Tech meets Die Hard in this techno-thriller Kirkus Reviews calls "a clever, spirited tale with a brainy, nimble heroine at the helm." From IndieReader's 5-star (highest rating) review: "Bond weaves an entertaining tale filled with deceit, robots, Russians, and tech entrepreneurs that all combine to give the reader a reason to flip pages furiously to find out what might happen next." Deb Bollinger has no time for corporate training. Her company's top engineer at just twenty-seven, Deb has blocked off her day for the one project she truly cares about: the launch of Carebnb, an app that finds spare beds for the homeless. When she's told all employees must drop everything for some busywork exercise called Blackquest 40, it's an easy no. Trouble is, her bosses aren't really asking. Blackquest 40 is the mother of all corporate trainings. A near-impossible project to be completed in forty straight hours. No phones. No internet. Sleeping on cots. Nobody in, nobody out. Deb finds the whole setup creepy and authoritarian. When a Carebnb issue necessitates her leaving the office, she heads for the door. What's the worst that could happen? Armed commandos, HVAC-duct chases, a catastrophic master plan that gets darker by the hour - Blackquest 40 is a fresh take on the Die Hard formula, layering smart-drones and a modern heroine onto the classic action tale. Cover design and illustration by Ethan Scott.

I joke with the people who read my prose that writing my erotic literary fiction is like baking lasagna. The plot and characterization and style are the meat, pasta, and cheese; the naughty bits are, of course, all sauce; and then I go and ruin everything by sneaking philosophical discourse, literary discussion, and other nonsense in there like broccoli bits. Well, this book is nothing but broccoli. If you're here, you must want broccoli. Bon appétit.

An #OpenNovellaContest (#ONC) Ambassador Pick! Eleanor and Lydia, book 1 Armed with knitting needles and a fantastic playlist, Eleanor and Lydia set off to solve The Mystery of Novak Manor. Eleanor Albright is a spritely ninety-year-old ex-detective with more than a few skeletons in her closet and a grim determination to keep them there by hiding from the world. Her great-granddaughter Lydia is twenty-two- years old and sorely misunderstood by the world. After all, just because a girl dresses in all black and listens to My Chemical Romance doesn't mean she lacks vision or hope. Well... maybe hope. When Lord Novak calls Eleanor from his castle in a tiny, beautiful Eastern European nation with a desperate plea for help, she agrees, with mixed emotions, to come out of retirement and she talks Lydia into serving as her assistant. Now the two women must find the truth about the fearsome ghost that's haunting Novak Manor before the "ghost" finds the legendary secret treasure with the power to bring the monarchy to its knees.

Fiction is where we give free rein to the dark side of the mind, to explore where it will go and what it will do when the constraints of civilization are removed.

When a replacement crew fails to arrive and he loses communication with mission control, an astronaut on the International Space Station finds himself alone, completely alone. This is a SHORT story, split into five parts. (Originally started with the title "Left Behind" but decided to change it - sorry!)

A collection of Romantic short stories. They may be science fiction, adventure, fantasy - but they will always be about romance. See the Introduction for descriptions. New stories will be added occasionally. books2read.com/u/bQg0YZ

Set in the rough terrains of Africa, this is a story of the two flyers of Indian Air Force, who had been far from their country in war ridden Congo as a part of their mission, to demolish the miscreants and spread a ray of hope among distressed. They were Wing Commander Sanskar Shergill and Flight lieutenant Swara Harold Raichand, two alpha personalities. They were headstrong, stubborn and ambitious. They both had their own ego, insecurities and inner battles to fight with. This is a story of vicious rebellion groups, poachers, human traffickers, corrupted lawmen and politicians. This is a story of deep rain forests and barren deserts.This is a story of a plane crash and two estranged people who discover themselves on the course of an adventurous ride. This is a story of falling in love; a tale of two fallen phoenixes. ☆Highest rank: #78 on 31.01.18 (adventure) =============================== Disclaimer: This story is purely for entertainment purpose. Not every information mentioned here is accurate to the point. The plot, character and scenarios are result of writer's imagination and not meant to offend anyone. Different news articles and websites have been taken as reference as the writer is not from aviation or military background . Therefore any correction will be welcomed with gratitude. ===============================

WINNER OF WATTPAD ROMANCE'S LOVE ME TINDER CONTEST. ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE "HEARTS ON SLEEVES" ROMANCE ANTHOLOGY You saw him a couple of weeks ago, playing saxophone in that downtown jazz club, and have been thinking about him ever since. There was something about that sound that connected you to him, on a deeper, more intimate level. You had to go back, to watch him play again. Just to see...