Haunted by the past, Rhiannon Carmichael returns to her hometown for her father's funeral, only to uncover a web of secrets and a possible murder, forcing her to confront the family she left behind. *** Victor Carmichael, the titan of local construction industry, is dead. Officially, it was his failing liver that finally did him in. Off the record? He's been murdered, and the only one who suspects it is his prodigal daughter. Gaffney, South Carolina, holds the ghosts of Rhiannon's past - the past she desperately tried to escape. Forced to sift through fractured memories and lies, she must expose a killer possibly lurking in the heart of her family. Every smile hides a secret, and every hug is a potential weapon. Whodunnit? Her mother, Lorraine, who seems to hold back more than tears? Her resentful brother, Tom? Then there are Beverly, the enigmatic interior designer with a past as murky as the swamps surrounding Gaffney, and Aubrey, the glamorous influencer whose connection to Victor runs deeper than anyone knows... Each clue, each whispered secret, pulls Rhiannon deeper into a dangerous game. As the idyllic charm of her quiet hometown crumbles, the lines between friend and foe start to blur. The more time passes, the more she realises: her returnal to Gaffney is not a blissful family reunion. It's a deadly reckoning. © 2025 EvelynHail Exclusively on Wattpad Based on prompt 61: "The silence in room is deafening, as though it has a life of its own. It's time to rewrite the fairytale, but this time, the ending will be yours, and it won't be happy."

Giles is a 15th-century holy man. Raised by a religious order since the age of two, he was very surprised to be twenty-six, dead, and in the sixth level of Hell. No training could have prepared him for that! After centuries of torture-- and therapy! --Giles is granted twenty days of freedom on the mortal plane. He has seen this happen before to others, and thinks it's all just a cruel game being played by the demons and their masters. Giles decided to use this time to find a way out of Hell--because there's always a way out, right? ------- "I find it amusing that you thought you knew everything about my realm." Lucifer chuckled at his statement. He paused and focused on Giles as the soul tried and failed to move into a sitting position. "What's the matter, holy man? Does it hurt?" ------ ONC prompt 110: 20 days of freedom. Cover by: @lostlovefairy Content Warning: Paranormal dark drama/thriller/horror Triggers include hell, torture, religious beliefs, abuse, gore. (I may add to this.) Please read safely.

A devout moon priestess strikes a deal with a powerful Daemon, but her traitorous fondness for him complicates her mission to save her dying goddess. *** After devoting ten whole years to the Moon Goddess, Flurry is given a vision and a straightforward message to run and locate a stolen artifact. Even though doing so means she'll be labeled a deserter among her people, Flurry takes a leap of faith to save her Goddess from a horrible fate. All she has to do is reclaim the sanctified object inside one of the most guarded palaces in the world. But before her mission can even begin Flurry gets captured by Humans and is forced to work with her people's number one enemy in order to escape. Daemons. Uck. Sy, the Daemon, vows to serve & protect Flurry in order to escape the Human fortress with her. And escape is exactly what they'll do. But as they venture across the continent, with everyone chasing after them, can they grow to fully trust each other? And more importantly, can they resist the urge to keep their hands to themselves? ❤️‍🔥 allies-to-lovers 🥷 secret identity 🛏️ always two beds (but he gets cold) 🙋🏾 dude in distress ☠️ touch her, DIE 👿/🌞 she's the grump, he's mr. sunshine ONC 2025, Prompt #2: To be in love with a demon was the last thing on your wishlist.

"The afternoon teacup, full of amber liquid, Promises respite from the day's turmoil." [Original] [Started: 02/23/2025] Cover made by @Purplemist14 *** [ONC 2025 Round 1 Participant] Written for the Open Novella Contest 2025, this story uses prompt #15: "A mysterious tea shop suddenly appears, and you can't help but wonder, what's its true purpose and why does it seem so important?"

A war won. A triumphant return home. Ell is a member of the Lion Regiment, a special forces squad trained to be the very best. After years spent fighting insidious demon armies, he returns with his squad to their barracks on the outside of the royal capital. Just as the yellow sun breaks through the turbulent, volcanic clouds above, just as the blissful days of silence, of a job well done wash over him and his fellow squadmates, trouble arises. ~~~ ONC 2025 Entry |PROMPT 31 WITH SOME OF 61| First Draft version Prequel to an unwritten story Word count for project: ~34,000 COVER ART NOT MINE TAKEN FROM PINTEREST AND FILTERED

Burnt-out influencer Wynne Mayfield gave up on her social media dream five years ago. But a new sponsorship deal might be her second chance, even if it means returning to the island she has tried to escape. When she crosses paths with her former best friend, Sienna, Wynne can no longer avoid her. With only twenty days before the sponsorship deadline, Wynne plans to drown her feelings for Sienna--but the more their history resurfaces, the more the two find they understand each other better than before. **** Written for the Open Novella Contest 2025 (ONC), using prompts 110 and 120. * Cover by the wonderful @-MilaSteele !! *

Not all that glitters are gold and things that are graceful should be flowers. ⚜️🔅⚜️🔅⚜️🔅⚜️🔅⚜️🔅⚜️🔅⚜️🔅⚜️🔅⚜️🔅⚜️🔅⚜️ The golden sands of Navapuri was getting ready to celebrate Theerthankara Mahadeepam. People had come from afar to witness the majestic festival of its times. But when he arrives, the entire place would be taken by a storm. To him, it was merely an assignment, until the path twisted into a maze of shadows. To her, he should have been nothing more than a stranger. Yet, fate seldom abides to the rules of quests. As choices tighten like a noose, could she hold firm to her purpose, or would the battle between heart and mind lead her astray? One goal and countless paths must be feared. Sometimes what seems simple comes with a deceptive price. NOTE: A fusion of Sasthras, living traditions, and imagination-Rathnalaya is a perceptional historical fiction that reimagines the past through the layers of the present. Not a periodic tale, but a journey through the veiled truths of time and mystery weaved in the land of Navapuri. Plot: Formed from ONC prompts and fascination Dedication: To all my Gentle readers ONC milestone: Round 1 and 2 Qualified

A forgotten goddess, a love torn by fate, and a war that shattered the heavens-Elaria must choose between power, love, and the future of existence itself. 🔥🔥🔥 Eleanor thought she was human-until her soul bond shattered, awakening powers no mortal should possess. As memories of her past life return, she discovers she was once Elaria, the Weaver of Fate, a goddess erased by the celestial order. But her return was no accident-her inner powers may have called her back. Now, Cupid, the god of love, claims she is meant to restore balance, while Veyron, the demon of obsession, whispers that she was betrayed and must bring vengeance. Yet as her power awakens, so does a force within her that even the gods failed to anticipate. Will she preserve love, break fate's chains, or uncover a hidden truth that could rewrite the laws of gods and mortals forever? Time is running out, and the choice is hers-if destiny doesn't claim her first.

🏆 ROUND 1 WINNER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 A young witch must team up with a banished demon to reverse the curse on her village before she is persecuted. ⋯⋯⋯ Rakida of Apilsha has her life in order until a mysterious fire broke out and the townsfolk fell ill overnight. With fingers pointing towards her as the rumored village witch, she must find a cure before they burn her at the stake. Enter Tam Sinnasi, a demon stuck in her mother's antiques, with his devilishly charming smile and a hidden past, offering a shot at success. Having made a deal with the devil, Rakida now must balance mystery and magic as she is thrust into the deadly world of the wicked battling blood-thirsty beasts, deranged witches out for blood, a mad Queen of the Dead, and a vengeful goddess who surely had business with Tam. But as her journey takes her to Ganzir, the sprawling palace of shadows and ice, dying may be the least of her worries. From the award-winning author of 𝘋𝘪𝘦 𝘢 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘈𝘳𝘭𝘰 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 comes a tale of blames, bargains, and betrayals, set in a game of life and death where losing is not an option. After all, to save one's skin, sometimes, death may just be the answer. ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• © 2025 (First Edition) Updates weekly on Tuesdays, 9:00 AM, GMT+8. [25,000 - 30,000 words] [All graphics are made by @sardonictabby] ˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°•˜"°•.˜"°• 🏆 ROUND 1 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 🏆 ROUND 2 QUALIFIER - OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025