One man is her family's dream. The other could be her undoing. Suraiya Rao has never quite belonged. She's not white enough for society, not brown enough for her family... not enough for anyone. She's spent her life walking a tightrope between British reality and Indian expectation, doing everything by the book, no matter the cost. Then one chance encounter changes everything. Haydn Ellis Clarke isn't part of the plan. He's rich, ridiculously handsome, and absolutely not the man her family has chosen for her. But he sees her - not the dutiful daughter or the girl buried beneath generations of pressure, but the version of herself she's never dared to be. Mendhi My Heart is a story of identity, belonging, and choosing love, even when it means breaking every rule. Because love doesn't always arrive in the "suitable" package. Sometimes, it wears torn jeans... and gives your grandmother a heart attack.

I have spent centuries in the shadows after I died. Every All Hallows Eve, I become corporial till midnight but often I have chosen not to take a human form. One night, I was wandering my ancestoral home and I crossed paths with a devestatingly attractive lycan prince in trouble. His name is Anubic. I have been wandering since I was exiled from my father's kingdom when I was a boy. I have been looking for a companion ever since. I have wanted someone to share my thoughts and experiences with and maybe more. After getting drunk on All Hallow's Eve and transforming on the on the out skirts of town on an old estate, I came across an ethereal woman as whispy as the wind with a voice like an angel. Her name is Bridget. Though these two people are from opposing species that have been enemies since time immemorial, Bridget puts the prejudice of her kind aside and welcomes Anubic into her gothic mansion and offers him every hospitality she can muster with the servants that choose to stay on in the mannor after her coming out ball end catastrophically wrong which was also the night she died. Likewise Anubic sets the Lykea prejudice about witches aside to better get to know the phantom witch that walks between the living and the dead. At night they walk the battlements and just get to know each other and make discoveries.

A successful lawyer meets a carpenter through an AI (artificial intelligence) software, hoping to find love. But what they find is more than what they bargained for. __________________________________________________________ Ursula has all the book smarts and not an ounce of social skills. After a year of loneliness, she decided to take matters into her own hands and completes the creation of Adelaide--a brilliant AI meant to help people like her make real life connections. Looking for potential clients to test her theory out, the librarian hoped that Adelaide would function properly. But as the AI came to life, this matchmaking scheme of Ursula's might not end up as well as she once believed. The Clients: Erica Cresswell, a single mother who works hard to make a living for herself and her son, happens to be a successful lawyer. Most would say that Erica was doing well, but all that was missing in her life was a man, as her fiancé passed away a few years ago. Yet, her best friend, Claudia, played matchmaker to keep her friend happy. Although, all of Claudia's attempts failed, the women meet Ursula, an uncanny librarian, who might have the answer to Erica's problems. Halfway around the world, Esteban Novicio wasn't having much luck in life either. After being dumped by his girlfriend and losing a client over a rival, he didn't know what else to do. That is, until his best friend, Commodore, introduced him to an AI dating site, which led him to meet Erica's avatar. ~ ~ ~ ~ Written for the 2025 ONC & using the following prompts: Prompt 40: You were once a character in a deleted story, now lost and memoryless in the library. All you recall is your former importance. To rewrite your backstory, you must first outwit the ghost librarian, who won't stop offering unsolicited advice. & Prompt 131: "This girl is on fire!"

The Boot Camp Mentors have more to share in 2025. This year we're introducing an early session that coincides with the Open Novella Contest, and we'll host two more sessions during the year. Read on for details. And be sure to check out BCM's Profile Guide to learn about our program and the community we serve.

The Bond Once Severed, Book 1: Natalia never doubted their bond-until Lukas, the strongest Mind Master of his generation, turned against her, using his power to destroy everything she loved. Once hailed as the hope of his people, Lukas now stands as their greatest betrayer. Raja, the exiled son of a chief, was meant to inherit leadership, but his father cast him aside, leaving his destiny uncertain. Fate pulls the three together and tears them apart. They may be the ones to restore balance to the continent-or they could destroy everything, including each other. *A/N: This is essentially a first draft, so I appreciate all comments as they help the story grow.* ***1st Place in The Rose Awards 2020 - Fantasy*** ***3rd Place in SUAW First Impressions Award 2020 - No categories***

When Teal helps an injured soldier by hand-delivering a scroll to the Emperor, he is offered a place in the Emperor's harem. Teal is of Lombock descent however, a cannibalistic race of beings who were believed to have died out. Having grown up on the outskirts of the Empire, Teal finds adjusting to life as the Emperor's concubine difficult, especially when he starts to fall for the Emperor's number one concubine instead. As he begins to learn about his origins, he also stumbles on old dark secrets; traitorous spies, unfinished disputes, and old enemies from neighboring kingdoms hide in plain sight within the palace walls, all threatening to ignite Teal's true identity and with it, cause the return of a race of beings who once controlled the world with horrific consequences. The only way out? A possible alliance with a defiant and strong-willed princess and a group of magical assassins who wish to control the world as they see fit. (Contains mature content) This story was inspired while reading the book "Emperor Dowager Cixi" by Jung Chang. Quite a bit of Ancient Roman politics also inspired/influenced me. Word Length: approx. 176,000 Art work for cover purchased from Canstock: by 'AtelierSommerland'

Everyone over twenty is a ghost. Everybody's psychic. Demons are invading. And magic, once secret, is now considered a public menace. Three college girls are chosen by the Gods to resolve this mess. Follow their story.

In the summer of their senior year, 2018, a group of 6 friends leave a kick-off party for the summer after a long night of drama and drinking. On their way back to their small town, they get into a severe car accident, leaving one of them dead. Six years later, the other five friends come back into town after graduating college. They plan to honor their dead friend, but someone has other plans. Secrets that they wished would have stayed hidden are revealed, and one by one the group starts to run into trouble. Can the survivors find out who is tormenting them in time? Why are they doing this? What happened that fateful night in 2018? And will anyone survive the summer of 2024?

Are dolls innocent figurines as the advertisements on television say? Or is there something sinister that lurks inside of them? As the last heir of a mysterious curse, Janneth Hudson has her hands full. For generations, a doll has been watching over the Hudson family without their knowledge. It was waiting for the right time to punish all who have done her wrong. After her mother passes away, Janneth is tormented with a new doll named Piper to the point of insanity. She is desperate to end the vengeance of Piper, as it took the lives of innocent people with her. But Janneth couldn't do this alone. No matter if Piper had to be sacrificed under a burning bonfire under a witch's chant, or if Janneth had to involve her psychologist, his secretary, and her social worker in the process, she'd do it. She wanted to prove that she isn't insane as many believed. The cover was created by the amazing @feralshadow #1 in Horror and Paranormal = 9/20/2021

"History is a survivor's tale. It knows no villains. Only failures." A decade ago, Leudora had her major enemies eliminated - the scientist known as the Dalmatian Serpent, and his followers, who sought her people's blood. A ruthless guardian of her kin and an unscrupulous politician, Leudora lived with her guilty conscience for as long as the invisible barrier that shields civilization from madness remained intact. But it is no longer so. When the Veil starts to fade, slowly poisoning the air and endangering those whom she once sought to protect, Leudora wants answers. She does not expect it when the answers confirm the Dalmatian Serpent's theories: Leudora's own people, conducting bloody experiments to protect themselves from their powerful neighbors, are causing the Veil's degradation. If this gets out, not only the guilty, but all her people will be blamed. Trying to prevent a war and stop the Veil's decay, Leudora turns to her enemy's research. The deeper she delves into the Dalmatian Serpent's secrets, the more Leudora finds herself drawn to his fascinating mind and dark science. If she follows in his footsteps, all her kin will turn against her. If Leudora stays loyal to her people, she will have to side with those who may bring them all to the verge of extinction. ------------------- Welcome to the first version of my work that I published on Wattpad. The Story of the Basilisk and the Serpent is complete. However, the great game will continue in "The Noblest Shroud", the second part of the trilogy. Trigger Warnings: questionable morals, angst, mild gore, occasional violence. That should cover it. If you don't mind these aspects, you will (most likely) enjoy reading my work. The new magnificent cover is created by @lavendareyes, a graphic designer and an author, whose creative work deserves all attention and praise.