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Stories by: BenSobieck
24 stories
Glass Eye: Confessions of a Fake Psychic Detective
Season 1 of Confessions of a Fake Psychic Detective* Her psychic powers are fake, but the kidnapped girl she must find is real. * Zandra is an infamous "psychic" who grifts the gullible residents of her small Wisconsin town using her wits, not anything supernatural. Her skills are put to the ultimate test when the police tap her to help find a kidnapped girl. But there's a catch. The girl's father apparently got away with murdering Zandra's husband years ago. Can Zandra put aside her grudge for the sake of a missing child? Or is this the perfect opportunity for revenge?Also available on YONDER, the next-generation reading app from the Wattpad family.Prequel to the 2016 Wattys winner, "Black Eye"(Featured by @TheGirlOnTheTrain)
Black Eye: Confessions of a Fake Psychic Detective #2 (Watty Winner)
Season 2 of Confessions of a Fake Psychic DetectiveSix months after solving the Elle Carey case, Zandra finds life is much easier for her. Money and fame grant her the creature comforts and respect she sorely missed for years. But not all of the attention is welcome. When body parts start showing up in her mailbox, Zandra must race against time to find the sender, once again putting her psychic "powers" to the test.The sequel to "Glass Eye: Confessions of a Fake Psychic Detective" picks up right where its predecessor left off. Read that one first before jumping in here.*** 2016 Wattys Award winner (HQ Love) ***Also available on YONDER, the next-generation reading app from the Wattpad family.
Bull's Eye: Confessions of a Fake Psychic Detective #3
Season 3 of Confessions of a Fake Psychic DetectiveThis sequel to the Watty award-winning "Black Eye" is the third novel in the "Confessions of a Fake Psychic Detective" series. Zandra finds herself behind bars, powerless to stop Gene's rise to political power in Wisconsin. After receiving some unlikely help, she's given 72 hours to connect the dots between Gene and an untimely death.Also available on YONDER, the next-generation reading app from the Wattpad family.
The Broken Clock is Right Thrice: Confessions of a Fake Psychic Detective #4
Season 4 of Confessions of a Fake Psychic DetectiveZandra, a famous "psychic" who grifts the grifters using only her wits, gave the worst of society plenty of reasons to want her dead during her long career. When she discovers someone from her past wants to put her in a grave, there's only one way to narrow down the long list of suspects: invite her most notorious former clients to a haunted mansion for a dinner party of the damned.Also available on YONDER, the next-generation reading app from the Wattpad family.
Twice Bitten, Once Shy: Confessions of a Fake Psychic Detective #5
Season 5 of Confessions of a Fake Psychic DetectiveA shocking murder on a river cruise forces Zandra to re-think how to use her 'powers' for good, but first she must clear herself as the prime suspect before the boat sinks.
Zero Worship: Confessions of a Fake Psychic Detective #6
Season 6 of Confessions of a Fake Psychic DetectiveThere's a fortune in drugs at the bottom of the Wisconsin River waiting to be claimed. The score would be enough for Zandra, eager to shed her celebrity psychic persona, to finally start life over. The catch? The drugs are stuck in an underwater coffin called the Devil's Hole, and Zandra can't scuba. The catch to that catch? The sole buyer for the drugs needs some psychic help with a cheating lover first. The catch to that catch to that catch? The only people Zandra can turn to for help are superfans Chad and Bexley, two well-meaning burnouts who are more than happy to help their psychic hero in "unique" ways.If Zandra can pull it all off, she might not only save her shot at a normal life, but also her soul--if you believe in that sort of thing.Zero Worship is the sixth installment of Confessions of a Fake Psychic Detective, a mystery/thriller series with a skeptically supernatural bent. Expect mental tricks, twists, weird synchronicities, crime, memorable characters, dark humor, and lots and lots of cigarette butts
When the Black-Eyed Children Knock & Other Stories
[Featured] [Highest rank #2 in Horror] [Featured by @TheExorcistFOX] Exclusive to Wattpad! "Whatever you do, don't let them inside." Liam is a new father struggling to adapt to life with a baby. Growing more sleepless and paranoid with each passing night, he wonders if the taps on the windows and mysterious faces at the door are all in his head. He'll find out the terrifying truth when the black-eyed children knock. When the Black-Eyed Children Knock is a superbly suspenseful read. You'll never hear a knock at the door at night in the same way. Also includes five other short horror stories.
THE END OF WAR (Watty Award Winner)
A secret program in the United States seeks to replace human militaries with artificial intelligence-driven machines, but the machines aren't so willing to play along.***Picture a world where humans no longer fight wars. No more families missing loved ones. No more veterans with lifelong mental and physical scars. No more conscription. For the super-secret End of War Project inside the United States government, such a reality is already here. The project models out how artificial intelligence can overcome dangerous and morally sensitive war scenarios with algorithms and automation. The centerpieces are "autonomous combat machines," or ACMs, that look like humans but function like supercomputers. After a string of brilliant successes in the field of combat, the End of War Project is preparing to reveal itself to the public, but something unusual stands in the way. Against their programming, the ACMs start exhibiting all-too-human signs of apprehension, guilt and compassion as they're pushed to perform ever more extreme tasks. The human leaders of the End of War Project race to find who "hacked" the ACMs, but what they find is even more startling--and revealing--than they could ever imagine. ***2019 Watty Award Winner - Science Fiction***
I Know Where the Dead Ones Go
A pair of police officers doesn't believe the reports about a gruesome creature killing people and stacking the bodies in a bad part of town. Maybe a visit to where the dead ones go will change the officers' minds."I Know Where the Dead Ones Go" touches on class and whether truth matters.
A Glow in the Woods
When kids camping in a remote part of Minnesota come upon a mysterious glow in the woods, their lives change in unexpected ways."A Glow in the Woods" combines high strangeness and nostalgia with an unusual twist that's perfect for fans of "The Twilight Zone."(cover art by @LiteraryBeast)
Unbalanced - A Jack the Ripper Short Story
A London man writes a final letter to his sister as the Whitechapel murders grip London in this short story inspired by Jack the Ripper.
Wings - A Short Story
A horrific flying creature, invisible to humans, takes an orphaned human baby under its wings in this short story about paternal love, loss, and revenge.* Originally featured in The One That Got Away anthology published by Wattpad *
The End of the Light in the Tunnel
You're disturbed by the shadow person that visits your bedroom each night, but that's nothing compared to what's really happening.
Crickets (31 Blind Dates Anthology) (Date 5 of 31)
Suzi needs a date. Well, actually, based on the bet she just made with her two best friends, she needs 31 dates. Thirty-one blind dates to be exact. In "Crickets," Suzi meets a blind date for lunch at a hip restaurant, but he's not what catches her eye. And someone eats a bug.This one-shot is part of the 31 Blind Dates anthology from more than two dozen Wattpad writers including members of the Stars program, published authors, Ambassadors and Wattys winners. At the end of each story, you will find the link to the next chapter in the collection.
The Invisible Hand - A crime novel
A corrupt sheriff hires a ruthless vigilante to hunt down a murderer during the modern day North Dakota oil boom in this crime thriller full of unexpected twists and turns.
The Writer's Guide to Wattpad
The OFFICIAL guide to writing on Wattpad. Available everywhere Aug. 7, 2018, from Writer's Digest Books.Featuring contributions from your favorite Wattpad writers, "The Writer's Guide to Wattpad" will show you how to:* Get started using Wattpad, prepare your writing to be published, and develop a unique cover design.* Interact with readers, use multimedia to enhance and tell stories, and leverage social media to create a stronger platform.* Drive sales of your work available elsewhere using Wattpad.* Go behind the scenes at Wattpad to understand its Stars program, brand campaigns, TV and movie initiatives, and what success looks like.
Outdoor Survival: A Guide to Staying Safe Outside
***Available now at all U.S. book retailers from Adventure Publications***This survival guide condenses the best of what I learned during my time as an editor with "Living Ready," an award-winning survival/preparedness magazine. It's only 28 pages long, but it's stuffed with only the good stuff. No survivalist TV show parlor tricks!This guide is intended for the everyday person who isn't necessarily all that interested in survival skills, but still wants to be prepared. It's spiral bound, so it's easy to toss into a pack or store in a glove compartment.No matter how you keep this guide handy, don't wait to read it when you're in an outdoors survival situation. The best survival skills in the world can't hold a candle to the simple, time-tested preparedness tips you'll find inside.
How to Win a Watty Award - TWICE!
***VIDEO***I was honored to win a Watty in 2016 and 2019. Here's what I learned.
The Eighth Continent - #PlanetOrPlastic
Did you know there is a patch of the Pacific Ocean so littered with plastic that, taken together, it would be at least the size of Texas? Learning this shocked me. I wrote The Eighth Continent on behalf of National Geographic and "Planet Or Plastic," imagining what would happen if all that plastic "invaded" the west coast of North America.Join me in spreading awareness about plastic's impact on marine (and human) health. Enter the Planet or Plastic contest with the #PlanetOrPlastic tag and a story of 500 words or less. You can't really lose. You need clean oceans, too!
A Visit from the Shadow Man (true story)
This is by far the strangest thing that ever happened to me, and it sparked a lifetime of inquiry and curiosity into the unusual. Late one night, while I was alone yet wide awake in my room, the doorknob turned. In stepped something I still can't explain.
The Only 5 Writing Tips You Need to Know
I've received requests for writing tips from several Wattpadders. Here are, in my view, the only five bits of writing advice you need, in less than 500 words.(Cover image by madga s via sxc.hu)
The Writer's Guide to Weapons (Writer's Digest Books) EXCERPT
When it comes to writing weapons, most authors shoot from the hip--and miss. The Writer's Guide to Weapons (published by Writer's Digest Books) will help you hit your target every time.Firearms and knives have starring roles in a wide range of genres--crime, thriller, war, mystery, Western, and more. Unfortunately, many depictions of weapons in novels and film are pure fiction. Knowing the difference between a shotshell and a slug, a pistol and a revolver, or a switchblade and a butterfly knife is essential for imbuing your story with authenticity--and gaining popularity with discerning readers.Equal parts accessible, humorous, and practical, The Writer's Guide to Weapons is the one resource you need to incorporate firearms and knives into your fiction like a seasoned professional.* Submitted to Wattpad by the author, who is the copyright holder.
![My Name is Human [hiatus]](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/125359002.jpg "My Name is Human [hiatus]")
My Name is Human [hiatus]
When a software programmer receives a warning from God, she must reclaim the United States government from alien invaders who assumed control of the most powerful nation on Earth 70 years ago. From Ben: This is for a project I'm working on, which means more chapters may or may not be coming. Still, feel free to let me know what you think!
