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(Adventure/Fantasy/Drama/Comedy) When thrust into a world depicted within a magical mural, Persephone comes to terms with what is holding her back, both as an artist and as a person. Madeline is the very sketch of what she wants to be: bright, optimistic, and talented. Persephone loathes who she has become, as she believes herself to be incapable of fullfilling her mother's wishes. Madeline's Paintbrush is a fantastical story of found family, adventure, and learning self-love. +50k words

Eighteen-year-old Isobel Pérez has a secret. After four years cooking and cleaning for the Green Court's immortal fae, she's about to wed one of their princes, Devlin Vanguard--as soon as he realizes she exists. Her attempts to get closer aren't exactly subtle, like manipulating a path into his inner circle and packing her sketchbook with his most intimate moments, but no one looks long enough at a servant to notice anything suspicious. That is, until Silas, Devlin's half brother, takes a sudden and inexplicable interest. While the fae are beautiful, the gods couldn't carve out their flaws without removing some of the good stuff too, like humility, empathy, and kindness. And Prince Silas is no exception. When he discovers Isobel's secret, his silence comes at a steep price. An ancient curse plagues the Green Court, rotting the king by day and turning him into a bloodthirsty beast by night. To find a cure, Isobel must use her artistry skills to transcribe a series of ciphers in the deadly underbelly of the Green Court. Doing so will reveal long buried secrets, like how Isobel isn't the only one with a dangerous obsession. As the line between aversion and attraction blurs, a bond forms between the mortal servant and fae prince-a bond that was never meant to last. There's a rotten core behind the glitz and glamor of the Green Court. One full of ambition, desire, and betrayal.

Character Description and Aesthetic Contest prompts: •Fantasy: In a kingdom of elemental magic, you gain the ability to control all four elements through an ancient artifact. But this newfound power comes with a price. •LowFantasy: Deep within your soul resides an insatiable desire, craving to possess the very essence of a mythical stone revealed in your slumber. Will you dare to seize it and unveil the extraordinary power it holds? •HighFantasy: After tumbling through a portal into an unknown realm, you find a dragon trapped in a strange form, desperate to return home. •MythandLegend: You receive a box from a mysterious stranger who tells you it brings you good luck so long as long as you don't open it. Your curiosity gets the best of you and you open it, revealing something you least expected. •��������Witches: Against the warnings echoed across the sea, you find yourself entangled in an enchanting dance with a captivating witch. Embrace the allure of this forbidden alliance and explore the thrilling saga that unravels amidst sorcery and wickedness. •Magic: Finally, you've managed to gather the courage to get yourself a tattoo. What you didn't expect, however, was that it would grant you the ability to see creatures no one else can see beside you. •��������DarkFantasy: You are invited to join a mysterious group of people who can travel to the Underworld on a whim. •��������HornsandHalos: You find yourself stuck between an angel and a demon who need to put aside their differences and work together to stop a greater evil.

When Veia Phelde is cursed, she hardly expects the ruin it will invoke, but will breaking the curse come at a cost more than its worth in blood? +++ Veia Phelde had been satisfied with her life in her small cottage in the woods, never bothering anyone save for her job as a blacksmith's apprentice. But when she loses her job, Veia is forced out of her comfort zone only to run into a simple book that means so much more than she wants it to. With blank white pages and a title carved by knife, the single word that scars the leather can only be the work of fate, and the danger it contains... well, let's just say that's fate, too. When a devilishly handsome traveler offers to take her to the City of Magic to break the curse, Veia finds herself hopelessly entangled in a danger more powerful than she could ever know. +++ ~ Featured �������� Picks: Hidden Gem (May 2020) ~ @StoriesUndiscovered Diamond list (2019) ~ 2nd place in action/adventure, Coral Awards 2021 ~ 2nd place in action/adventure, The Pantheon Awards 2020 ~ 3rd place in adventure, The Blue Rose Awards, August 2019 ~ Written for the Open Novella Contest 2019, gen fic open prompt (since expanded; 45k word count) ~ Also available on Inkitt, Prose, Sweek, and Quotev (but �������� has the best version) ;) Beautiful cover by @TheFashionPixie

Niccola is a demi-queen undercover in enemy territory. Her little sister went missing seven moons ago, but one lead remains: a picture of a woman's face, drawn by a diviner shortly after the disappearance. Tracking her down has led Niccola to Calis, the realm next door whose border with her own remains closed for a reason. There, the trail goes cold. Until, that is, Niccola runs into a man in the marketplace who bears a family resemblance to the woman she seeks. His name is Isaiah, crown prince of Calis, and he's investigating disappearances, too. They join forces, faking courtship to sneak Niccola into the palace and get Isaiah's wedding-minded mother off his back. It doesn't take long to suspect that a common threat might underpin both their realms' problems. And as Niccola begins to develop real feelings for Isaiah, she's faced with an impossible choice: reveal her secrets and risk breaking his trust, or leave him in order to chase down the woman who stole her sister... a woman whose forbidden magic comes with a cost that could bring both realms to ruin. ❖❖❖ Complete and fully edited. Cover credit goes to @CeeMTaylor. Go check out her books too if you like Dark Fantasy Romance-she writes some pretty incredible stuff! 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 :)

(TWs: gore, abuse, sexual abuse, cursing) Why does he still breathe? Why is he kept alive in this shadowed purgatory where time has no meaning, and screams are swallowed by the walls? His cell is a cage, his life a cruel experiment, and his mind a battlefield. Questions claw at him relentlessly: Who is he? What is he? Why does this torment exist? The walls bleed stories of others-lost souls whose cries still linger, haunting the air. His own voice has grown hoarse from endless screams, his body a canvas of scars, a map of suffering that tells no answers, only pain. Every day is a ritual of degradation, where faceless captors toy with his humanity, stripping him of it piece by agonizing piece. The only constant is the endless cycle of questions. Why him? Why the torture? What is their purpose? He clings to the faintest memories of a time before-fleeting images of warmth, love, a face he cannot quite recall. But even those are slipping away, devoured by the void growing inside him. In this relentless, suffocating darkness, where hope is a distant memory, only one question remains: When will the game end, and what will be left of him when it does?

Genevieve has always been drawn to the forest near her grandmother's house, though everyone in the village fears its whispered curses. As a child, she encountered a mysterious boy named Kaelen by the riverbank, who warned her to never return. Yet, years later, haunted by vivid dreams of the forest and Kaelen's dark gaze, Genevieve feels the pull of its magic growing stronger. Against her mother's pleas and the village's warnings, she steps into the forbidden woods to uncover the truth. What she finds is a forest teeming with ancient magic, deadly creatures, and secrets older than memory. The forest isn't just alive-it's sentient, twisted by a centuries-old curse tied to an ancient prophecy. Kaelen, now a guarded and enigmatic man, reappears, and though his warnings are fiercer than ever, Genevieve refuses to turn back. Drawn to a hidden clearing, Genevieve discovers a glowing crystal that reacts to her touch, triggering a surge of magic that binds her fate to the forest's. As the prophecy begins to unfold, she learns that she is the one destined to either break the curse or doom the forest forever. But the prophecy's meaning is clouded in riddles, and with each revelation, Genevieve uncovers truths that change everything-about Kaelen, her family, and herself. The forest grows darker and more dangerous, summoning shadow beasts and testing Genevieve's resolve. Kaelen, who has been bound to the forest by his own tragic past, struggles with his desire to protect her and his belief that she should flee before the forest claims her too. As time runs out, Genevieve faces an impossible choice: embrace the prophecy and risk everything to free the forest and its people, or abandon the fight and save herself. But the forest does not forgive, and every decision has a cost. With lush world-building, a gripping romance, and themes of courage and destiny, The Curse of the Enchanted Forest is a spellbinding tale about embracing one's power and defying fate.

In the quiet, superstitious town of Hollow's End, whispers circulate about a boy who lives deep in the woods-a boy cursed with half the face of a skeleton, feared by all who dare to speak his name. The townspeople warn that the forest is haunted, urging everyone to stay far from its shadowy borders. Lily, a daring 19-year-old who has never believed in old tales, sneaks into the woods one night, driven by her unshakable curiosity. There, she meets Kael, a mysterious and brooding figure whose life has been marred by a curse that forced him into isolation. Kael, now 23, lives alone in a secluded cabin, hiding behind a mask that conceals the skeletal half of his face. To his surprise, Lily isn't frightened by his appearance-she sees past the curse to the man he truly is. As the two grow closer, their bond begins to challenge the very beliefs that have kept Kael isolated for years. But the curse that haunts Kael runs deeper than anyone in the town knows. As Lily delves into the mystery of what really happened to Kael, she discovers that the curse isn't just about his appearance-it's tied to a dark secret that could destroy them both. In The Phantom of the Woods, Lily and Kael must face the unknown together, unearthing the truth behind the curse and testing whether love can break through the barriers of fear and isolation. Their journey leads them into the heart of the forest's darkness, where secrets, danger, and the very essence of Kael's humanity are at stake.

Being able to create alternate universes in your sleep might seem like the ultimate super power, but when a malevolent force from the dream realm tracks you down in real life, how do you escape it? Seventeen-year-old dreamwalkers and life-long best friends Emma and Zoe must journey deep into the perilous, unpredictable dream realm, risking their lives while evading constant danger, in order to seek out and destroy the evil that threatens to capture their souls for eternity--even if it means they'll have to give up their super power and obliterate the dream realm forever. To be successful, they must first immerse themselves in the rich history of dreamwalking. But this knowledge will do more than teach them how to defeat the evil lurking around every corner. It will reveal dark family secrets, shattering their realities.

Brace yourself for a bone-chilling journey into the darkest recesses of the human psyche. This gripping collection of short horror stories will keep you on the edge of your seat, your heart pounding with every turn of the page. Within the pages of this sinister anthology, you will encounter a gallery of nightmares, each story more diabolical than the last. From haunted houses that harbor vengeful spirits to ancient curses that consume their victims, these tales will plunge you into a world of terror where the line between reality and nightmare blurs. Prepare to meet characters whose lives unravel in the face of unimaginable horrors. A young couple moves into their dream home, only to discover an evil presence lurking within its walls. A traveler stumbles upon a seemingly idyllic village, but soon realizes that its inhabitants are not what they appear to be. An aspiring writer becomes trapped in a nightmarish loop, reliving his worst fears over and over again. Each story in "Nightmare Gallery" is a meticulously crafted nightmare, designed to elicit fear and suspense. As you delve deeper into its pages, you will find yourself questioning your own sanity and the very fabric of reality. Every twist and turn will leave you breathless, desperate to uncover the truth behind the horrors that unfold. With its blend of psychological terror, supernatural phenomena, and spine-tingling suspense, "Nightmare Gallery: Twisted Tales of Terror" is a must-read for fans of horror fiction. Get ready to confront your deepest fears and embark on a journey through the darkest corridors of the human imagination. But be warned, once you enter the Nightmare Gallery, there is no turning back.