Onc2023 Stories

WATTYS 2023 SHORTLIST | WATTYS 2023 FANS CHOICE AWARDS NOMINEE Initially looking for nothing more than a feelings-free summer fling before college, reckless Harris McCammon and anxious Seb Krause might have stumbled into more than they bargained for. --------------------------------- When a graduation party takes a risky turn, Harrison McCammon finds himself in the passenger seat of Sebastian Krause's truck. When the two virtual strangers agree to begin a friends with benefits kind of situation, neither expect anything more than maybe a fun situationship before they leave for college. But as their casual entanglement turns into something slightly more, the two of them are forced to push down their real thoughts on this non-relationship. Add in sketchy ex-boyfriends, concerned parents, and a small dash of existential dread, there's no such thing as no strings attached. TW: underaged substance abuse; mentions of/attempted SA; (fade to black/non-explicit) sex; homophobic figures/abandonment; hospitalisation ^that sounds like a lot, wow, i'm sorry, it's ... it's mainly fluff ---ONC Ambassadors Round 2 Pick, 2023---

** The horror slumbers buried under many meters of rubble and desert sand. Nameless cartouches, desecrated relics, and a sarcophagus containing an ancient riddle. ** "Ancient lands lost in time. Storms of sand, walls of lime Surround this mask of death that I wear Awakened by invading souls The curse of Pharaoh upon you Who dares to invade his holy ground The gods rise to destroy you." - Symphony X - When young student and photography enthusiast Arabella Redcliffe visits her uncle at an excavation site in Egypt anno 1922, ancient secrets are uncovered that should have remained hidden forever. The men and women of the archaeological excavation stumble upon a still-sealed burial chamber. But not only its condition and location raise questions. Who was buried here, why was his name erased from all records and reliefs, and why were many grave goods wantonly desecrated? Together, Arabella and the dashing archaeological assistant Miles Thornton try to get to the bottom of the mysteries. But then, inexplicable and terrible events begin to take their course. If they don't figure out what's going on in this cursed place fast enough, this tomb could become theirs, too. ***** My entry for the Open Novella Contest 2023 Cover by Me ***** 🥇TheGemstoneBooksAwards - Mystery 🥇 1st Place The Aster Awards - Paranormal 🥇 1st Place Rose Book Award - Mystery 🥇 1st Place Crown Awards - Mystery 🥇 1st Place Luminous Award - Best Title 🥇 1st Place Starlight Mini Awards - Best Prologue 🥇 Grad Prize Starlight Mini Awards 🥇 1st Categories Awards 2023 - Best Cover 🥇 1st Place Astania Awards - Mystery 🥈 2nd Place Starlight Mini Awards - Best Cover 🥈 2nd Place Megawatt Awards - Paranormal/Horror 🥈 2nd Categories Awards 2023 - Best Blurb 🥈 2nd Place Dazzle Awards - Thriller/Horror *****

**In the Jim Crow South, two star-crossed lovers will change the trajectory of their nation's history forever.** Harriet is clearing out her grandmother's attic when she uncovers the truth: a love story marked by scandal, desperation, and a nation torn between a troubled past and a hopeful future. Harriet learns that at the heart of a great American victory is her family. Marked by legacy, this whirlwind romance proves that love isn't always black and white - and that changing the world comes at a cost. - ** ONC 2023, PROMPT #7

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~ONC 2023 Shortlister~ An embezzlement, two murders and a series of suspicious deaths that follow- with a bloodthirsty murderer on the loose, Gabriel must race against time to defeat a powerful nemesis with no regard for law or life. Armed with an amateur for an assistant, next to no evidence and an old walkie talkie, Private Detective Gabriel Bedford sets out to uncover the deaths of Detective Katherine Wright and her lover from twenty years ago. How does the dormant walkie talkie seem to come to life at midnight? Who is the supposed ally who works in the shadows to help the detective when he is at his wits' end? Moreover, who is the unknown adversary who seems to know his every move and is always one step ahead? ~Can be found on the mystery, humor, adultfiction and MysteryThrillerIN profile reading lists~

Round One Ambassador Pick. Emily Hollyford fell in love with Oscar Trentham, Earl of Riverstoke, when she was just thirteen years old. All she wanted in life was to marry her prince charming in front of the most important people in her life-her parents. Oscar, on the other hand, only saw an annoying child who pestered him day and night while he was trying to enjoy his visits with his cousin Henry. Due to a series of devastating events, their paths don't cross again till many years later and Oscar can't help wondering what happened to the outgoing and vibrant Emily? Overshadowed by her cousin Cecily and treated horribly by her mother's brother and his wife, Emily is a shell of her former self. But with Oscar back in her life, can she overcome the hurts of her past and find herself again? And more importantly, can she still get her happily ever after? Prompt 33 They had their arrow aimed at their target's back, a perfect shot despite the crowded ballroom. Taking a deep, steading breath, they pulled the bowstring taught and prepared to let the arrow fly. But then their target turned and looked directly at them, finding them in the eaves as if they'd known they were there all along. The target winked.

When a grandmother is declared the Chosen One, she abandons her rocking chair to challenge the Dark Lord who plots to destroy the world. -- Formerly a single mother, now a devoted grandma, Granny Thayer has never left her hometown before, let alone slayed a demon. But she'd better learn fast; she's just been selected as the Chosen One, the only hero who can defeat the nefarious Dark Lord of Devnia and avert a zombie apocalypse. Accompanied by a devastatingly handsome prince, a failed bard, and a werewolf with a dangerous secret, Granny Thayer embarks on a quest full of intrigue and love triangles to save her grandson. This is a collaboration for ONC 2022/2023, written by SophieKestrel and Spelunkadunk. Prompt: "It's always what/who you least expected that blows your mind away."

[ 3x FEATURED ] How long can she be a secret admirer of your class representative? A teenager who had once been bullied finally decided to change her final year of high school and date her crush. Aurora Hexion is a calm, mediocre girl who happens to be an omega of a middle-class family. Being average in everything including grades, appearance, and status made her an average girl in a high-class academy. With little hope of ever fitting in and high hopes of capturing the attention of the class' hottest representative. Noel Von Parschel is a confident, soft-spoken prime alpha who values class and comes from a wealthy family. Raised as a popular model, pianist, and excellent student often attracted the praises of various people. Having faked a personality his entire life and hidden an illness from the general public, what happens when he falls for the average girl in class and fails to keep up the act anymore? "If this is imperfection, then I'm attracted to it." FEATURED ON AMBASSADORS AF PROFILE IN JUNE. FEATURED ON THE OFFICIAL WATTPAD BULLY PREVENTION FEATURED ON STORIES UNDISCOVERED WATTPAD -JULY ( started February, 2023 ) ONC 2023 Highest ranking no. 1/ 1.44k stories - #existential 24/05/2023 no.1 / 1k+ stories - #figures 08/05/2023

Jade Snow by day, Sapphire Bullseye by night. Sandshore. A place of beauty and disaster. She is one of the top assassins in the underworld. Sent out to kill and steal. Nothing is too challenging for this woman but what happens when she is sent on a mission to Frostbourne to assassinate the Prince. Secrets will be revealed. Fights will break out and those they loved will die in the crossfire. Cover by @-DeeIsDead--

Elizabeth-Annebelle lived her life on the family farm. She gathered the animals for breakfast, helped clean and feed them, and reported any deaths or weird behaviors. One day, when she goes to report a death, she finds out that she's become a ghost. When trying to find out what to do, she finds two doors. Opening one, she releases many w into the living world. Now her and the Grim Reaper have to work together to return the souls.

Gabriella is a just an ordinary tourist in Cameroon but something mysterious happens when she notices something in a camera image. Is she going crazy or has magic taken hold? Will her holiday gain new meaning after she unravels the mystery? And what will happen when she has to return home? Join her on this adventure to find out that magic could be closer than you think. This is a magical fantasy set in Cameroon and England. All photos within the story are taken by me, the cover uses a stock photo from canva. This is my own work which was inspired by my recent visit to my in-laws in Cameroon. I was deeply affected by the unbalanced society, with many people living in poor conditions while nearby others live in relative luxury. There are many issues in Cameroon which need to be solved and I hope that reading this story will inspire people to do more to help the environment and people less fortunate. This story has been written for the Open Novella Contest. ONC2023. following prompt 26. 'As a tourist in a foreign country you were just snapping pictures. Later that night you go through your camera roll and was shocked to your core when you saw what you caught on camera.' Copyright ©️ 2023 By Sarah Nana.

Three women, who have never met. Three secrets, never meant to be known. Three lives, tangled together in horrific ways, as fate plays with the strings. * * * * * Rani Altario has a secret. A threat to her life and her country leaves her with little choice but to flee, hiding herself behind a new identity for protection. But make no mistake; Rani isn't running. She's waiting, struggling to keep her flame lit. And it is all too simple for even a small fire to turn into an inferno. Maliha Sarrow has a secret. By day, she's the breathtaking young maiden, whose hand is wanted by what feels like every man in her hometown (never mind that she doesn't want any of them). The ultimate prize to be won. But by night, she's someone - something - different, darker. Something Maliha never wanted to be. But for the people she loves, there's no limit to what she'd become. Rija Nazari has a secret. Injured and betrayed, she leaves behind everything she's ever known for a nation that won't welcome her. It's a risk - scratch that, it's a suicide mission - but Rija is alone, afraid, and out of options. But will leaving truly save her? * * * * * Originally written for the Open Novella Contest 2023! Prompt #15 (MAIN): Three women. Three secrets. Three tangled lives. Prompt #49 (SECONDARY): "Master the rules of the game until you can play it better than they can." Michael Scott, "The Sorceress."

Grown up in the simple town of Forn, as the daughter to an innkeeper and ex-soldier, the youthful Marion Barwick aspires to become a soldier herself. Beaten down time and time again by life, she is eventually broken and takes on the role of innkeeper her father always hoped her to have. Here, she reunites with an old friend after losing her partner, who invited her to his wedding. The night before the wedding he confesses love to Marion, as well as his family-in-law's likely plans to murder him during the wedding ceremony in a coup of revenge on his family. Determined to save her love and live happily ever after, she elopes with him. Before they can make it off of the palace premise, he turns back to save his family. Now alone and grieving, Marion is left to pick up the pieces of her life to remind her she is worth of love, no matter what. An homage to simple fantasy, short bittersweet romance stories and stories without teenage protagonists. This story is a short recollection of the life and mind of Marion Barwick, a simple woman in search of a meaning to her life after losing her partner. This romance novel is focused on self-discovery, family and found love. Based on a Dungeons & Dragons game. Prompt 55. Since you've been going out for quite some time, your love arranges for you to meet their parents. When you get to their house and you enter the front door, you hear them say "I'm sorry" as the door closes behind you. ~(✩✧✩)~✶~(✩✧✩)~ Chapter I. • 1627 W (Total 1627 W) Chapter II. • 1974 W (Total 3601 W) Chapter III. • 2530 W (Total 6131 W) Chapter IV. • 1869 W (Total 8000 W)

Determined and quick thinking, Amelia Conti is okay on her own. She's also an expert in outdoor sports. So when her boss offers her the winter hike of a lifetime, she says yes even before she knows who she'll be guiding. Or how much it will pay. If she'd taken the time to research the man who bought the last-minute premium tour, a demanding CEO named Damien Serrano, she might have reconsidered her answer. Well, maybe not. It is an absurd amount of money. He's grumpy to her sunshine, Christmas-lover to her Christmas dread, and the kind of man used to getting what he wants. Arrogance might work in a boardroom, but on the side of a mountain in the middle of winter, it's a hazard. If Damien can't learn to relinquish some control, they might not make it to the end of the hike alive. But everything comes to a head when an unexpected weather event pushes them even closer together. Water meets fire and something has to give. The question is, who will bend first? ~ * ~ * ~ This is one of the novellas I'm writing for ONC 2023. You can find the rest on my profile! This story is based primarily on prompt 13. "You were at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and now you are running for your life!"

Two lovers. One is immortal, the other isn't. Aurelia is 1000 years old. A wish that saved her life as a baby turns out to be a never ending curse, as she watches her loved ones leave her, over and over again. Her solution? Give up long term relationships and never be hurt again - nice smiles and cute winks mean nothing but trouble. That proves to be difficult, however, when she meets one special soul and begins to question her 200 year old decision. ONC 2023 entry based on prompt #25: "If he smiled at you, he'll break your heart. If she winked at you, she'll rip you apart."

Wemimo, a newly elected Saintess is called into Sfordsfield Gothic for her first assignment to eradicate afflictions, but no one welcomes her at her arrival. Long fallen from grace Shepherd John cannot wish for death, dealing with the after-effects of jumping into an active volcano. In a world, where the scales have fallen from everyone's eyes so that they can see the invisible, a greater evil threatens to surface if the veil of spirit and flesh is broken. Writing prompt #80

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.

Born the son of a lowly hunter and abandoned as a child, Zhenxing never expected to be brought to Heaven and become the most treasured attendant of the mighty Tiger Immortal, one of the twelve Zodiac Guardians appointed by the Jade Emperor. But the world is tumultuous and not even the Heavenly Realm resides in peace for long. On the eve of the Lunar New Year, a dreadful discovery is made. The Tiger Immortal is found dead and a grieving Zhenxing flees Heaven, blamed and pursued by the remaining eleven Zodiacs. Abandoned and bewildered, Zhenxing seeks refuge in the one place those of the Heavenly Realm are loathe to tread: the Demon Realm. While in hiding, he discovers shocking evidence that the one who killed the Tiger Immortal was not his most beloved servant, but one of his fellow Guardians! With the help of a sinister and charming demon prince named Lixin, Zhenxing digs further into the mystery hoping to clear his name and avenge his beloved Tiger Immortal. Beautiful cover made by my lovely friend @AriaofStorms

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."