Opennovellacontest Stories

Esme and Matt can't stand each other, even if they have to play nice for the cameras. As public speculation about their chemistry heats up, they're forced to confront what's real versus what's just for show. ***** Esme Mendoza is everything Matt Crain isn't--polished, optimistic, and proud of her golden girl image. He's brooding, arrogant, and impossible to work with. As co-stars in an indie romance film, they're forced to act like soulmates on screen while barely tolerating each other behind the scenes. When their banter and lingering stares spark fan speculation during the press tour, their PR teams jump on the opportunity, but Esme and Matt aren't too thrilled. Suddenly, they're everywhere--public appearances, exchanging snarky remarks in interviews, and fueling endless rumors. As their forced chemistry starts to feel a little too real, Esme and Matt are left questioning: are they just playing a role, or could this be end game? ***** WARM HANDS #1 Open Novella Contest -- prompts 45 & 127 [[OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 ROUND 2 AMBASSADORS' PICK]] © 2025 caterina george // all rights reserved

** When their beloved mistress is murdered, a white raven and a black fox embark on a journey for revenge. Will the brave familiars manage to recover the stolen heart in time - or would they lose themselves? ** "Sometimes love is what drives you to take your next breath. Other times, it's revenge." - ONC24EN Prompt #27 - When the guardian of a fairy grove is cruelly murdered for the source of her power, her two familiars and faithful protectors are left broken and lost. But soon, their despair changes, and from this moment on, they are driven by one desire alone: Revenge. They embark on a death-defying journey with the little strength they have left to reclaim the stolen heart. Will the black fox Cian and the white Raven Lir manage together to steal back the soul of their beloved mistress before their magic is used up and their lives are forfeit? Or will they turn back into what they once were and lose themselves forever? Time is running out, because the two nature spirits don't have much fairy magic left, as the cruel thief has his own sinister plans... *** English Version of our german ONC 2024 Entry. Story by BellOfSilence & DearNovalee Cover by Thinkerling

K-pop idol Minjae and eccentric home chef Hana meet at a cooking competition, sparking a simmering rivalry that turns into a recipe for romance - and potential disaster for Minjae's career. ___ As the golden voice of the K-pop group Starlight, Minjae has the world at his feet - adoring fans, sold-out concerts, and a life most people only dream of. Behind the glamour, he craves something more: a chance to be himself. To show off his passion for cooking. But the pressure to conform to his family's wishes and continue as an idol means pushing that aside. When the chance to show his passion literally smacks him in the face, Minjae, under an alias, finds himself in uncharted territory, swapping the familiar stage lights for the stovetops of a local culinary competition. When quirky, fiercely talented Hana turns a friendly rivalry into an unexpected connection, Minjae finds himself drawn to her passion and ability to be true to herself; qualities he has long lost. Worse, as the heat of the competition ramps up, Minjae's schedule becomes difficult to keep up with, and he must decide whether his love for cooking is enough to risk shattering his status as an idol. Can Minjae handle this newfound connection while juggling both the cooking competition and his duties as an idol, or will he fall under the pressure of it all? ____ Prompts: 31 and 36 ONLY AVAILABLE ON WATTPAD Cover by TaeTaeGinger

[Disclaimer: This book is a first draft and is currently on hold as it's in the process of transitioning to a full novel.] How many friends do you have? When a stray thought forces Will Marte to notice the oddities in his everyday life, what follows is a reflection on the friendly relationships he has and had and a contemplation on the question: what is a friend? Having had an unconventional upbringing, he still feels its effects as an adult. Now, everyone around him is aging normally in their conventional life, and he doesn't know how to be rather than to seem. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Published in February 2024 for Open Novella Contest 2024 Copyright © by CrownedMadness (Maddy Alson) 2024

[ ONC 2019 | Ambassador's Pick | Judge's Honorable Mention ] [ Formerly Featured on Wattpad's Official @mystery account's Elementary, My Dear reading list ] The New Year kicked off to a bloody start for the private detective duos - Jamie Loxley and Blaine Ebony, as they strode into a murder scene. Two heads are better than one when it comes to disentangling a case. But, when a simple interrogation turns into a convoluted string of head game, figuring out the puzzle pieces won't be plain sailing. And, it doesn't help that the subjects are an immigrant who has trouble speaking English, an alcoholic suffering memory issues and a pathological liar. The grand form of deception will always be camouflaged in front of our very eyes. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ This is my entry for Open Novella Contest 2k19 | Thrilling Fiction prompt #6 Three Suspects Copyright © CrownedMadness | Maddy Alson 2019

[ONC 2020 Round Two Qualifier] It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single person in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a spouse. Especially when that person is a twenty-three year old girl in charge of a multi-million dollar company and has absolutely no idea what she is doing. 《♡》 Ashlynn Whittaker does not want to be an employer. She doesn't even want to be an employee. But after the sudden death of her parents, that's exactly what she is. She tells herself that if she can down three tequila shots without dying, she can run a company. Except, there's a catch. To get her inheritance, she has to get married, and her great aunt has been tasked with finding the lucky guy. And it just so happens to be that her aunt's choice is Wesley Marker, a boy Ashlynn vividly remembers punching in second grade. A boy she hated, hates, and will hate for all eternity. With an arranged marriage like this, what could possibly go wrong?

In this book, you can find the ONC winners from the previous years.

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."

Stories say that the Witch rained curses down on Devil's Corner, that she made the woods grow strange and wild, made shadows leap and dance and snatch up stray children for supper. In a small town on the edge of a dangerous forest, stories are never in short supply, and they are held dearer than truth. Thea lost her hand to the things that live in the wood, and she can't shake loose the voice that lured her there. But her Pa fed her tales of magic and heroes, and promises that even the darkest things have hearts. When her brother is attacked by the Witch's gruesome creations, Thea breaks into her cottage, determined to save him from a fate she knows all to well. In Devil's Corner, stories are true, and Thea knows the greatest one of all: the only way to break a curse, is to kill the witch. --- COMPLETE - 20,000 words Written for Wattpad's 2024 Open Novella Contest. ONC 2024 SHORTLISTER 2025 AMBY AWARDS ROUND 3 QUALIFIER

ONC 2023 Shortlister His features had haunted her for years; a boy with silver eyes peering out from beneath a mask of bone. His body cloaked in darkness, a wicked grin upon his lips that spoke of treachery-- a smile that had broken countless hearts. And in that instant, in the midst of this game of life and death, Lucy wondered if hers would be next... .................... Lucy was warned never to trust those within the Carnival of The Lost-- a circus of strange creatures who spend their nights in performance, vanishing during the day. Yet she is drawn in by its music, her dreams filled with the face of a mysterious boy who's eyes shine pale as the moon, the air of a dark power shrouding him. But when by her own hand a deadly mistake is made, she must play the carnival master's wicked game to set everything right. Written for the Open Novella Contest 2023, this novella is a companion book to my short story 'At Autumn's Edge.' Prompt used; 49. "Master the rules of the game until you can play it better than they can." Cover image AI generated using Canva. Cover composition made by the author.

It's been two weeks since Alex's best friend, Niki, died in a tragic accident. But death hasn't stopped Niki from haunting Alex's every waking moment, demanding she complete her unfinished bucket list. Alex has spent years being the confident cheerleader, the perfect girlfriend, the girl who has it all. But Niki's list is about to turn her life upside down. At first, it seems simple enough, just a few final wishes to honor Niki's memory. But then there's the last item. As Alex crosses items off the list, cracks begin to form in the perfect life she's built. Soon, she's skipping school, spiraling in class, and questioning everything. By the time the list is complete, Alex will have to face the truth. Is she just a side character in someone else's story, or is it time to rewrite her own? WORD COUNT: 25,928

[ONC 2025 Shortlister] An apprentice silversmith, haunted by his reflection. A wealthy family, falling to ruin. A patron spirit, searching for a pact. Five games will decide their fate. After acquiring great wealth from a boom in silver trade, the Blackwood family moves into a mansion that was mysteriously abandoned by its previous owners. The property has everything a family of established silversmiths could need: prime trade location, a smithing workshop, and a large mirror that was left behind. To Kyren Blackwood, the promises of a new life and the riches that come with it are more than enough to overshadow the eerie tale. But the mirror watches. Reflections are not what they seem. Driven to the brink of insanity, Kyren must uncover the mirror's secrets before his family loses everything. In a desperate attempt to free himself, he agrees to play five games with the spectre in the mirror. If he can win three, the curse will end. Lose, and he surrenders his soul to the silver spirit. ~An ONC novella, inspired by prompts 13 and 55. ~Set in the same world as Buried in the Sea but can be read completely independently (with no spoilers to one or the other).

Hermione Granger escapes from the Gryffindor common room, and the surprise birthday party Fred and George spring on her out of the blue to help lighten the mood of having Umbridge as the D.A.D.A professor and finds sollace in the library. And she thought she knew every book in the library that wasn't in the Forbidden Section, only to find, much to her curiosity, a book she'd not read yet. Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter. This is written for ONC 2023 using prompt seventy-two, "On the twilight of their sixteenth birthday, a shy bookworm escapes their surprise party to find refuge in their favorite library. While walking through the shelves in search of a good read, they stumble onto a peculiar book that changes their life."

[COMPLETE] ONC2024 Longlister❤️ Using Prompt number 14 "My love, believe me, waiting for you has always been a form of freedom." Alexandra Vasiliu" A guy and a girl have been best friends since childhood, but their destiny parted them. The little girl had to move away with her parents. Years later, they meet again, but the bond of friendship still remains the same. But the young lad has realised that his affection has developed into love, but, he's scared to express his feelings. However, he also feels that the girl has changed a lot. She cares more about money and herself than before. His love remains unwavering and he proposes to her, but she rejects him. He decides to wait for her, letting her take her sweet time. In the meantime, he's always there, supporting her, and scolding her for her bad deeds. He's continually showing her the path of truth, but she's not looking back. He also learns about her past, which has changed her personality. He wants to change things for her, only if she is ready. Slowly, with time, things happen and she realises that she's been trapped in her own net. She realises her mistakes and her best friend forgives her, as they walk through the aisle, starting a new life.

The werewolves of Marrowbone Village are all dying...slowly. Excruciatingly. And unfortunately for the rest of the pack, the only wolf immune to the terrible plague-their last hope to find a cure-lies with the runt, Amelie. With time running out, Amelie desperately scours the surrounding forests, clinging to a fading fairytale in search of the one thing she knows can save her pack...a unicorn's horn. But one night Amelie finds Nia, the unicorn who might be her salvation... And her pack's ruin. *** 12. While hiking through a forest, you stumble upon a unicorn's horn. 85. A sickness descends upon your pack, and you're the only one immune. As the Alpha succumbs to the illness, it's up to you to find a cure before it's too late. A werewolf/unicorn shifter gxg romance.

He smiled, and my heart started thumping wildly again. "Curiosity killed the cat, you know." He said, his voice soft as velvet. "But the cat also has nine lives... so why not use them?" I smiled back. His blue eyes gazed intensely into mine. My hands started to sweat, and I was suddenly aware of how close he was standing to me. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A New Year's Eve masquerade at a haunted mansion- what could go wrong? Brenna has always loved everything dark and spooky, especially the strange and morbid. But when she's dragged to a party at the local "haunted hotspot", she is thrust into a world she never imagined but always hoped for. A centuries-old curse, secrets, and a love triangle with a ghost? Will this average girl have what it takes to break the curse and solve the mystery of her own heart? (An Open Novella Contest Longlister - 2020) #3 in newyearseve (5/3/2020) #22 in hauntedhouse (5/3/2020)

Elly would give anything to have her life resemble a Hallmark movie. She longs for her happily-ever-after: a proposal by her boyfriend, a big raise at the perfect job, and a fat inheritance from her great-aunt. Instead, she finds herself alone, broke, and sorting through a storage unit filled with worthless junk. But life can change in an instant. When Elly opens a decade-old envelope addressed to her, she discovers it contains an astonishing monetary gift. Elly's prospects soar. Then she learns she can't cash the long-expired check. What's more, she's never heard of her benefactor: a woman who claims the money is honoring a long-ago favor by Elly's grandmother. Hoping to alleviate her financial straits and find a connection to her long-deceased family, Elly embarks on a search for the mystery woman. Trouble is, she doesn't know if chasing this particular rainbow will result in a pot of gold--or yet another crushing disappointment. This was my entry for the Open Novella Contest. I made it through the first two rounds, but didn't finish to qualify for the final round. It's also the prequel to "The Marvels of Prairie Creek." :D

This story is written for ONC 2024 and is based on prompts 84 (main) and 9 (secondary) Butter, formerly a human prince who went as His Highness Prince Dalton Buttercutter, is a kitten who has served the Woodgrip witches for the past twenty-four generations. His present mistress, (the ninth Woodgrip) Pepper, is a stress-ridden assistant to the magistrate of the Sulvill district working in the Ministry of Management of Magical Beings, aka MMMB. Their break comes in the form of his mistress's cousin's wedding, where the witch and her familiar arrive at the venue hoping for a relaxing vacation. Things don't go as planned when Salvador Hart, a playboy celebrity hounded by his fans and paparazzi, arrives there to complicate (or aid) matters. Meanwhile, Pepper is in the dark about Butter's hidden motives: to find a match for his mistress and break a centuries-old curse that plagues the Woodgrip family and him. Will Butter be able to find the perfect man for Pepper? Who really is Salvador Hart? What happens to the witch and her familiar if the latter fails in his mission? Start date: 20/02/2024 Completed on: 23/03/2024 Status: Complete Word count: 30954 This is an original story written exclusively for Wattpad by GandalfofspaceAnli. GandalfofspaceAnli ® This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, GandalfofspaceAnli

Two minds, one threat. Sabrina and Joshua are two very different people, but when each takes the new sleeping pill, Deeperem™, they become inexplicably intertwined. As the SAT looms, their dreams become more insidious when the Figure appears, a mysterious shadowy being. Alone, they don't stand a chance, but together, they might just survive. Based on prompt #15.