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Simple Needs
Rosella simply has to steal. She can't stop herself. She doesn't know why, but any time she sees money, it's all that matters to her.She's amassed a dragon hoard of sorts, and she can't let go. Between the guilt that's taking over her and the greed that grows stronger and stronger, Rosella might lose everything, just as she's trying to get it.When her boyfriend has more to him then meets the eye, will Rosella be able to hold herself (and her impulses) together? Or will everything just crumble in her hands?#OpenNovellaContest2019 *LONG LISTED FOR OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2019*
Flickering Creatures | ONC 2024 Longlist | ✔︎
When Bryony -- herbalist extraordinaire -- goes missing, Bella knows one suspect stands above the rest. The village's aspiring second witch, Daphne, comes from a family that's tried to take Bryony down before, and Daphne seems determined to carry on that legacy. For someone who's always been terrified of Bryony, she's a little too keen on looking into the disappearance. There's just one problem. Bella's insufferable fellow familiar thinks the kid is innocent... and he's been right about worse things before. If Daphne herself is to be believed, clues on the disappearance lead a whole lot closer to home than Bella would like. As the evidence mounts, Bella must choose to either stand by her values and the woman who raised her, or seek what might be a truth she would rather not uncover.Prompt #81: The town's witch has gone missing and no one is looking for her but her two familiars - a crow and a black cat, plus the teen who has always been scared of her.❖❖❖Written for Wattpad's 2024 Open Novella Contest. Longlister. Complete.Comments and critiques are both welcome and appreciated. I write characters from many different backgrounds, with many different experiences. If you share those traits and find that I have misrepresented anything, please let me know! I am feedback-friendly and here to learn :)
Mixed Messages
Hayley Taylor was looking forward to a drama free senior year, spent with her three best friends. She was content with her mediocre social status in school and admiring her long time crush and neighbour Charlie Boyd from afar. All that changes when she is included in a group text by accident throwing her life into chaos and potentially the arms of Charlie. She knows she has to stand up for what's right, but at what cost?*Open Novella Contest 2021 entry* Prompt 73. In a group chat you reply to a message that was not aimed at you and yet you inadvertently start something with your crush.
The Lark's Pearl | #ONC2022 ✔
Entered into the Open Novella Contest 2022 | This version of the book was posted solely for the ONC. A final, even more, polished version will be coming soon to Amazon! All feedback on story pacing, character development, and the overall plot is most appreciated. | ©2022 E. S. Elias All Rights Reserved.Published to Wattpad 02.01.2022Cover: Esther Hadassah @DesignsbyEH (I used Canva and Dream by Wombo)The Lark's Pearl (A Standalone Romantic Fantasy) | ✔Ariabella is a young woman who receives the gift of pearls from a bird of mysterious, playful nature: a Lark. How does this sweet, little bird come by these pearls and what will Ariabella do when she finds out why this bird chose her?This wholesome, romantic fantasy, can be enjoyed completely on its own without fear of a cliffhanger, HEA guaranteed. #13 (Top 20!) in #ONC2022 03.13.2022 - #10 03.14.2022 #1 in #YAlit 02.09.2022 #10 in #cleanromance 02.13.2022 - #4 02.22.22 (Top 100!) #25 in #opennovellacontest2022 - 02.22.2022 #5 in #Romantasy 02.25.2022 | #1 03.13.2024
Christmas at the Cabin | ONC 2023 (Complete)
Determined and quick thinking, Amelia Conti is okay on her own. She's also an expert in outdoor sports. So when her boss offers her the winter hike of a lifetime, she says yes even before she knows who she'll be guiding. Or how much it will pay. If she'd taken the time to research the man who bought the last-minute premium tour, a demanding CEO named Damien Serrano, she might have reconsidered her answer. Well, maybe not. It is an absurd amount of money. He's grumpy to her sunshine, Christmas-lover to her Christmas dread, and the kind of man used to getting what he wants. Arrogance might work in a boardroom, but on the side of a mountain in the middle of winter, it's a hazard. If Damien can't learn to relinquish some control, they might not make it to the end of the hike alive. But everything comes to a head when an unexpected weather event pushes them even closer together. Water meets fire and something has to give. The question is, who will bend first?~ * ~ * ~ This is one of the novellas I'm writing for ONC 2023. You can find the rest on my profile! This story is based primarily on prompt 13. "You were at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and now you are running for your life!"
Taking the Leap
Achilles is used to a life with rules and structure. Being attracted to men doesn't fit into what he considers structured. But he's used to burying things deep down, and this is just another item on the list. Xander crosses into his life, and he's completely outside the rules and the opposite of structure. Something about Xander makes Achilles' wolf sing, his blood jump and his heart soar, even if Xander is a man, even if he is a vampire. Innocuous meetings turn into a building attraction and Achilles wants to take the leap to be with Xander. Can he do it?This is an entry for the open novella contest. Genre: MXM romance with a suggestion of magic, a dash a of angst and werewolf and vampire protagonists.
Puzzles and Pieces ✔
Josh Alves recently became a father. The only issue with that is that he is gay and never went to an adoption agency.Caleb somehow turned into a five-year-old and now goes by the name, Kyle, unaware of his traumatic past and who he was prior.Now Josh must cope with the grief while trying to raise Kyle in order to give him a happier life than Caleb could have ever had.Open Novella Contest 2020 entry
Scaling Moss and Stone ✔️ || #ONC2022
Sealed within Kealie Gothalis are the secrets of a magic destined to flood her kingdom.Trading her Mortality to disguise the heritage her mother fears most, Kealie is gifted with a blessing. She need only do one thing; keep her kingdom in the dark until the dusk of her twentieth birthday. But her control over the ancient magic is slipping......Along with her Willpower.|| Open Novella Contest 2022 |||| Complete 4/30/22 ||
'til death do us part
Getting married was not an item on Eddie's to do list until Myra put it on there. Now it's there, with thousands of sub items to take care of; all neat little boxes waiting to get crossed off. There is only one problem: Eddie doesn't know he already ticked off the 'get married' box years ago.Excerpt:Wedding proposals can be big and romantic, very small and intimate, or anything in between. You could take your beloved up for a ride in a hot air balloon, hiding the ring in the picnic basket. You could get down on one knee on a stage, watched by thousands of people who cheered for you. You could take them to your favourite spot in the park and declare your love right then and there. Or just propose after dinner in your own home, finding a quiet moment to tell them you want to be with them forever. Eddie guessed it depended on the couple: everyone did it in a way that suited them. You could say the way it went down for him, fitted them as a couple.
Liana's Ship (#ONC 2021)
"When saving an endangered species means life and death, sometimes you just need to sit down and have a cup of tea."Out of work and broke, liana accepts aplacement on a Xeran ship as a trainee. How hard can it be? The Pay? Well let's just say, no more bargain beans on toast for dinner, ever again.What she doesn't know she's unwittingly signed a contract without reading the small print. And the whole ship is one giant sentient plant with a bad temper.Things are not what they seem, the ship is strangely empty, no one knows what's going on and what's that strange smell from the observation deck? To make things worse, a Pumpkin has stolen her chocolate.
The Mirror Mage
Lord Lucian Wentworth disappeared in 1819. Was he escaping a loveless marriage or was it something more sinister? No one believes the valet's story that his master vanished into an antique mirror. Not until unemployed actor, Ben Lucas, meets the same fate two hundred years later. Now stuck in Rhillion, a world full of magic and dangers, Ben needs to learn the secret behind the mirrors if he ever wants to return home. But the longer he stays, a budding romance and a bitter rivalry could easily foil his plans. Romantic/ SciFi -Fantasy/ LGBTThe novella was LONGLISTED for the ONC 2022, now extended to novel length in 2024And winner of The Glass Slipper Prize for best transdimensional panes of love :)
The Last Card
Every year a man seeks out a tarot card reader, hoping for a different future.
Defixio
Zeus and Hera are fighting. . . Again. . . Zeus has made it with a lady. . . Not his wife. . .Only this time, he pissed off the wrong father. . . who would later piss off the wrong goddess? This leads to a curse tablet being delivered by Hecate. . . To Zeus and Hera. . .What can I say? Karma has a funny way of being an utter bitch. . .This has made the Shortlist for the Open Novella Contest 2019!1st in tablet-- 4/9/1912th in opennovellacontest2019-- 4/9/19
A Delicate Web (gxg) | ONC2020 |
In a future Earth where technology and magic combine, Maud Freeling, the spellcaster princess of the Northerns and heir to rulership of the country, spends her nights disguised as a man and performing vigilante justice, specializing in taking down users of dangerous dark magic. When she meets Gem, however, a girl who can't seem to keep herself out of trouble, Maud finds herself building a complicated series of lies to keep her intriguing new friend from discovering her true identity. She's fallen for someone who doesn't know of her royalty - doesn't even know she's a girl. Although greater threats loom on the horizon, Maud realizes one misstep is all it will take to destroy her delicate web.Written for ONC 2020.
Celtic Cross | #ONC2019
|| ONC 2019 OVERALL THIRD PLACE WINNER || Every card has a meaning, but not all are pleasant.Siobhan Brady is a Tarot reader, a profession that called to her ever since she was young. So when the same card begins to repeatedly present itself during her daily personal readings, her intuition tells her there's something greater at play than just a random draw.But when the mysterious MacKenzie Stewart crosses her path, Siobhan realizes the cards weren't lying, and soon finds herself in the middle of a deadly spread where not even Fate can determine the outcome.----------Entered into the Open Novella Contest 2019Suspense Fiction Prompt #6 - TarotONC Round One Qualifier - 02.12.19ONC Round Two Qualifier - 03.13.19ONC Round Three Qualifier (Long List) - 04.18.19ONC Short List - 04.28.19ONC Overall Third Place Winner - 07.03.19Cover by Lucy Rhodes©2019 M.DaltoPublished to Wattpad 01.01.19Completed 04.02.19
Pandora's Box: Maenads (Book 2)
Entry into the Open Novella Contest 2019.A new threat rises as Pandora tries to deal with the fallout of opening The Box and the spirits that have possessed her classmates.
Telltale Tango | Complete
Giselle Landry shows up to her first date in years, expecting to have a lovely dinner with the tall, dark and handsome man she's been talking to online for months. Instead, she finds herself in a restaurant full of strangers. Eventually, it becomes obvious one of the men there is the guy she has been talking to. But he looks nothing like him. She did not shave her legs for this.Hunger overtakes embarrassment because a girl's gotta eat. So, Giselle pulls up a stool at the bar to grab a bite and immediately strikes up a conversation with the handsome bartender, Feliciano Arias. Sparks fly as he shows her parts of the city she never knew existed. On the surface, everything is charm and excitement. But Giselle can't shake the feeling that she doesn't really know the man behind the tattoos.Is she being catfished again?
The name of the game | ONC 2022 ✔
Normally the bad boys run the school. Here at Panorama High, things are a little different. Girls lead the school and the boys fade into the background. What happens when a queen meets her match?Ash Murphy, the new guy. Jessica Wilson, the popular girl. And one game between the popular girls of Panorama High. Open Novella Contest 2022 - prompts 96 and 99.~Round 3 qualifier~
Rain Rain Go Away | #ONC2021
|| ONC 2021 HONORABLE MENTION || ONC 2021 ROUND TWO FIRST PLACE WINNER ||Three friends.One secret.Thoughts of a summery vacation in the middle of winter sounded fantastic until all plans to enjoy the Caribbean sights were thwarted by an unexpected tropical storm, keeping everyone inside. Normally spare time without current-day distractions would be beneficial to a group of long-time friends always too busy to spend time together otherwise, but this is one trip down memory lane they're going to wish they never took...----------Entered into the Open Novella Contest 2021Mystery & Thriller - Prompt #55ONC Round One Qualifier - 03.23.2021ONC Round Two Qualifier - 04.20.2021ONC Round Two First Place Winner - 04.24.2021ONC Round Three Qualifier (Longlist) - 05.21.2021ONC Shortlist - 05.30.2021ONC Honorable Mention - 06.29.2021©2021 M.DaltoPublished to Wattpad 02.01.2021Draft Completed 05.02.2021
![Beethoven - Scourge of Vampires [ONC 2022]](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/303010834.jpg "Beethoven - Scourge of Vampires [ONC 2022]")
Beethoven - Scourge of Vampires [ONC 2022]
Between 1813 and 1819, the great composer, Ludwig van Beethoven almost disappeared from public life. Many stories passed about the reason, but none could ever hope to know the truth. Until now.In 1818, Bernhard Gerber experiences something terrifying and heartbreaking, bringing him in contact with the great man, Beethoven, himself. Though Beethoven proves nothing like the person known all across Europe.Between them, the two men take on the task of ridding the world of the greatest horror ever to walk the Earth and, in the process, perhaps lay to rest both men's greatest tragedies and guilt.A deadly serious story with a character that doesn't know it. And doesn't care.A novella, written for #ONC2022. Based upon Prompt No. 70 and in the 'Creature Feature' category.Cover created in Canva, using an AI generated picture.
The Bones Below | ONC 2023 | ✔️
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.
Cosplayer to Vigilante /Arrow FanFic/ /Open Novella Round 2/
Liberty Davis is just a typical fangirl who loves superheroes. Despite the millions of comics, games, movies, and TV series in existence, CW's Arrow, based off of DC Comic's Green Arrow, is her favorite. A trip to Comic-Con gives her an unexpected surprise as she meets the Roy Harper. With Roy's help, Liberty will become someone else, something else. She'll go from zero to hero, from cosplayer to vigilante.~•••~I own the plot and Liberty, everything else is owned by DC and the CW. It's based off the 10th fanfic prompt for the Open Novella Contest. Contains spoilers for seasons one and two. There are some changes to the Arrow plot. Takes place after season two and before season three. The first chapter involves a Google search, and I literally quoted Google, so credits to Google.~•••~Qualifies in 2nd Round of the Open Novella Contest#34 arsenal#13 nyssa#129 stephenamell#478 opennovellacontest#453 saralance#27 coltonhaynes#237 vigilante#83 cosplay#166 blackcanary#267 laurellance#141 opennovellacontest2019#58 arrowfanfiction#751 oliverqueen#463 greenarrow
![Big Dog [ONC 2022]](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/300462578.jpg "Big Dog [ONC 2022]")
Big Dog [ONC 2022]
After losing her husband during the pandemic, Runa MacCabe moves herself and her children to the remote island that her husband's family had owned for centuries, hoping that she, her daughter, Hertha, and her son, Stigr, can find some kind of peace and closure.When the island is rocked by an earthquake and a terrifying storm on the first night, Runa believes their new life may not be as peaceful as she hoped. Especially after her children tell her that they were saved from the earthquake and storm by a big dog that now lay injured in a mysterious cave.Only, there were no dogs on the island and the only other resident of the island had only livestock animals on his farm.Insistent, Hertha and Stigr persuade their mother to see the big dog, only for Runa to find something far stranger and far more dangerous than she could have ever feared. Something that could spell destruction for the entire world.A novella, written for #ONC2022. Based upon Prompt No. 13 and in the Creature Feature category.Cover created in Canva, using a Pixabay stock picture.
Boys of West Denton ✓
WATTYS 2023 SHORTLIST | WATTYS 2023 FANS CHOICE AWARDS NOMINEEInitially looking for nothing more than a feelings-free summer fling before college, reckless Harris McCammon and anxious Seb Krause might have stumbled into more than they bargained for. ---------------------------------When a graduation party takes a risky turn, Harrison McCammon finds himself in the passenger seat of Sebastian Krause's truck. When the two virtual strangers agree to begin a friends with benefits kind of situation, neither expect anything more than maybe a fun situationship before they leave for college. But as their casual entanglement turns into something slightly more, the two of them are forced to push down their real thoughts on this non-relationship. Add in sketchy ex-boyfriends, concerned parents, and a small dash of existential dread, there's no such thing as no strings attached.TW: underaged substance abuse; mentions of/attempted SA; (fade to black/non-explicit) sex; homophobic figures/abandonment; hospitalisation ^that sounds like a lot, wow, i'm sorry, it's ... it's mainly fluff---ONC Ambassadors Round 2 Pick, 2023---
Obelus (ONC 2020)
COMPLETE. Eli just wants to get through college in one piece, but that goal is cast aside the day he awakens from his simulated reality. Will Subject 801 submit to the system? Or will he fight his dreamscape-- and those desperate to keep him there?Featured on WattpadExplorer's Hidden Gems reading list.Added to the 2020 Shortlist.