Opennovellacontest2023 Stories

London, 1857. Seventeen-year-old Leah Manston has always been the apple of her father's eye. A factory owner, he worked hard to ensure Leah had the best clothing, maids, and jewellery that money could be. But, when factory owners across the city keep winding up dead, Leah fears for her father's safety. With the police struggling to uncover the killer, she teams up with friend Ezra Wentworth to unravel the mystery before her father falls victim to this elusive killer. However, as time starts to run out, they realise that the killer might be closer than they seem... Based on prompt 62 'Hell is empty and all the devils are here. - William Shakespeare' (C)Spruce_Goose

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."

[ONC Shortlister - 4x Featured] Professional thief and smuggler, Nio Barn, lives by one rule: break them all. When his criminal past finally catches up to him, he's faced with a choice: win the world's most dangerous racing competition in exchange for freedom or face a lifetime in an overcrowded prison cell. As he enters a world of high-speed thrills, deception and betrayal, Nio realises that life in the Speed Sprint races is far from easy. Forced into a fake relationship with his teammate to keep the money flowing, Nio instead feels more drawn to his fiercest competitor, Ruben Vincuña. With ten races across ten different countries, the stakes are high and the tension is palpable. Only one can be crowned champion. Only one can be free. Death is but a corner away. Written for the Open Novella Contest 2023, based on the prompts: 69 - I had a marvellous time ruining everything - Taylor Swift 49 - Master the rules of the game until you play it better than they can - Michael Scott Four times featured: Romance - Rainbow of Love Dystopian & Apocalypse - Rebellion: Against The System Speculative Fiction - A Crack In The System Science Fiction - Punk Fiction

As a spare heir and hero of the last war, Wystan would like nothing more than to enjoy retirement while teaching recruits and drinking up his inheritance. After stepping on the wrong toes, he is reinstated early and finds himself on a quest to slay a dragon in the Southern Lands of the Empire. Unwanted and feared, the merry band of the Empire's mercenaries joins him on the journey, for they have been ordered to die with him in not so many words. While the rumors consist of a tale of a feral, man-eating dragon, a captured princess, and a dreary, impenetrable fortress of a tower where both dwell, Wystan learns that stories are just that: stories. The tower is not impenetrable nor dreary. On the contrary, it's quite homey with warm rugs, shiny chandeliers, and the fire roaring in every heart. The dragon ignores humans like a person would an ant. And the princess... Is in fact a prince. The runaway prince of the Zmaya Kingdom enjoys making Wystan's days harder. Smooth-tongued and shrewd, Alexei offers their party a place to stay after hearing about their grim fate. Uncovered coincidences and secrets imply a connection between him and the dragon. If Wystan returns home empty-handed, the Emperor would hang him. But it's not just his life at stake, the mercenaries become comrades in arms. Wystan is forced to entertain Alexei's whims while unraveling the truth behind the man's meddling, the dragon's presence, and the Empire's betrayal.

Legend speaks of a man with crows in his hair and stitches in his lips who will teach you his greatest trades. Some call him a monster. Most call him the Needle-Mouthed Man. But only the shadows know his true name, and they call him Master. As one of the dead, Minseo Park is a creature of the night, doomed to eternal darkness. However, refusing to accept his fate, Minseo turns to the shadows to give himself a second chance at life---all to get his sister out of the whorehouse where he himself died. Desperate, Minseo seeks out the Needle-Mouthed Man for guidance. But the Needle-Mouthed Man brings company: his protégé Nikolas, who both makes Minseo's blood boil and sets his heart aflame. In order to find his murderer and save his sister, Minseo must walk the balance between life and death and decide whether to embrace his inner darkness---or to let it consume him. Because the shadows are hungry, and the only food they want is revenge. [ cover and banners by inmyxikey ]

Colin Creevy runs into Hermione Granger in Dijon, France after his first year as both of their families are there touring the place for their family vacations. He doesn't expect to find something strange in one of the photos he took the summer Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban. Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter. This is written for ONC, for prompt twenty-six, "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."

A contemporary Scandinavian adaption of the legend of Jack Frost/Jokul Frosti. *** A first kiss changes everything. When Joakim kisses his childhood friend Anton it puts their relationship and also the weather in turmoil. Snow starts to whirl over Stockholm, turning the capital into a chaotic state. Is Joakim's emotional state actually affecting the weather and can his inner turmoil be stilled once he reunites with Anton, who mysteriously has disappeared after their intimate encounter? An ONC novella using prompt #69: "I had a marvellous time ruining everything."

2023 Leighyeann A. Mies All rights reserved An entry for the Open Novella Contest 2023 (based on prompt #56) Book #3 of the Face saga [COMPLETED ON 30/4/2023] *** Everyone knows Sim Daejung, the master troublemaker from South Korea who took the state of New York by storm with his shenanigans. When it comes to getting other people spill their darkest secrets, he's unrivaled. Until just now. Jung Sanghyun is yet another hopeful who leaves his home country to find his way through the so-called American dream. Or nightmare, it depends on perspectives. Nevertheless, this doesn't deter him from his goal: delving into other people's inner demons, like Sim Daejung does. Put him in an elevator with six other people, and trouble is served...

🏆ONC 2023 || Ambassador's Pick 🏆ONC 2023 || Round Two Qualifier One night is all it takes to change a life. There's something wrong with Felicity Farr. It's how she can't seem to do her job right no matter how hard she tries, and how she's still under her parents' thumb years after moving out, and how she looks at girls the way she should look at boys. So even though she can't fix anything, she tries to fix herself all the same. But when a blind date ends with her in an attractive stranger's bed, Felicity is forced to question everything in her life. Especially when said attractive stranger asks her to run away with her for a week. Clover Chai is beautiful, confident, and everything Felicity should avoid. But she captures Felicity like the drag of the tide, and as the week drags on, Felicity finds herself having to choose between her head and her heart---especially since she can't imagine her summer fling remaining a fling anymore.

I woke up tasting sweaty too sweet fruit. Discover a new love of living with Sekane, god of broken hopes and revenge. Through the charms of a kindergartener nicknamed little terror, the long believed dead goddess learns to cherish being alive after eons of failure. ONC: prompt 73 I don't know how to grab the sticker but.... WE MADE IT PAST ROUND 1 Original Story Publishing Date: February 1st

"Who's your favorite zomenby?" Rellek clapped happily. Dao looked up from his files and gave them a death stare. "Not even a week ago you bit off my ear." "Not the point. My point is, you don't even know any other zombie who's an enby. I've got to be your favorite." "This is about my ear!" "You grew it back!" Rel made a face at the memory of trying to chew Dao's ear. They loved that cartilaginous part of humans but now they knew that vampire ears were a no-go. "It tasted like sawdust in my mouth." "Well, I liked that one. It's taking me some time to get used to the new ear," Dao huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "And how do you know what sawdust tastes like?" "Desperate times, Daomir, desperate times." *** Daomir is patient. He is as patient as a vampire can be. He has waited a thousand years to find his true love. What's one more day? It's a blink of an eye when you're a vampire. But when an oblivious zombie, who wants to eat him, turns out to be his soulmate in the middle of an apocalypse, Dao finds himself signing up for another century of patience for Rel to catch up with his feelings. *** Here's a funny spin on the vampires, zombies, and apocalypse trope, set in India.

Copying is a common occurence, but not to the extent of copying someone else's image and likeness. Carina a.k.a. The Copycat was the harbinger to usher in an era of usurping on a galactic scale by stealing the encrypted data of a bioweapon which can copy and splice the genetic composition much faster than any plastic surgeon and geneticist combined. The Genome Collider was the original bioweapon that can copy, alter, transfer, and adapt for the user to morph into anyone or anything they desire-given the right combination and master it. Carina, now public enemy No.1, was last spotted in Pinwheel Galaxy according to the Intergalactic Bureau Investigation. It's up to Micah Arganism and Stella Spacey to pick up where they left off to find The Copycat and turn her in to the I.B.I. That is if they are able to find her.

Colton has always thought he's better than others. After all, he's a marvellous wizard in a world full of dull humans. But after getting expelled, his pretentious attitude gets a massive blow. Suddenly he's forced to enroll at a local high school where his powers must stay hidden at all times. But without magic he's a loser... That won't do, especially not when the hottest guy totally ignores him. So he does what he does best; turns to magic. A spell, to be specific. That turns out to be a big mistake when he accidentally sends them into an alternative universe. And to make it all worse, they're forced to escape with a bunch of uninvited classmates.

"Excuse me, mister, but why did everything suddenly turn black and white?" A miserable adult who prefers to ignore everything, including their dying father. A concerned neighbor/friend/something more with curious connections. A taxi driver who doesn't bother to ask where the passenger wants to go. And a cat with unclear intentions. Where will this journey lead to, if anywhere? --------------------------------------------------------- • Based on prompt #9 of ONC. • Started: February 2, 2023 • Ended: November 15, 2023

Buried in the wreckage of a Compound meant to imprison her, Faine awakens a shell of her former self. With no memories and a growing taste for revenge, she is given the ultimate decision. She must save the city, or herself. Round One 》✅️ 2k 》✅️ Round Two 》 ✅️ 8k 》✅️ Round Three 》✅️ 20k 》✅️ Longlisted 》 ✅️ 》Featured on WattpadUrbanFantasy and Fantasy《 || Start Date 2/1/2023 || Finish Date 4/20/2023 || || Open Novella Contest 2023 ||

Who let the ghosts out? Ian thinks he's getting the hang of his supernatural powers but a surprise encounter with Melody, a professional psychic medium, forces him to put his skills to the test in a friendly psychic duel. It's all fun and games until they accidentally break the fabric of reality and the Grim Reaper gets involved. Ghosts aren't the only ones with unfinished business. Ian's approach to moving on is to not think about the past, but what he really needs is someone to guide him through the darkness, someone who understands his gift. Too bad he pissed her off. * ONC 2023 Prompts #40 and #20 * **** ONC SHORTLIST ****

** 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 *****

Humankind has long since perished. But life goes on. Nature is slowly reclaiming the planet. A fire forces a young red fox named Kip to flee her den for the first time. Now alone and left half-blind, Kip must struggle to find refuge for herself and her two cubs. One thing is for certain: this nascent and feral world is just as dangerous as ever. --- ONC Prompt 13: You were at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and now you are running for your life! Cover art drawn by me.