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Serena's life is about to take a dark turn. When her mother died suddenly, Serena didn't expect to discover she had kept a secret from her. She was a little girl when her mother became a famous actress and gave her a key necklace. Serena had worn it for as long as she could remember. While searching through her mother's things, Serena discovers that the key around her neck opens a mysterious box hiding in the back of her mother's closet. What's inside changes her life forever. Serena's mother made a deal with the devil, and now she has to pay the price. Betrayal stings in the worst of ways, but the sting is keener when it's family. But she didn't know that her mother had one last trick up her sleeve, one that might save her life. She's about to get introduced to the Aces, a paranormal entity more powerful than she could imagine. But will it be enough to save her? This novella has been entered into an Open Novella Contest. I chose two prompts: ONC Prompt #93: From a deck of cards, pick one. But what will it reveal about your fate? ONC Prompt #114: For as long as you can remember, you've worn a key around your neck. But what does it unlock? Maybe it's that mysterious box at the back of your mother's closet. ONC2025 Ambassador Pick & Long List Selection Copyright Marlee Ervin

Ariel went away for a murder she didn't commit and spent five years in the worst prison on the planet. Once released, it was another five years before she was able to return to the surface of Nereid and to her father, bringing her son with her. She has since rebuilt her life. Gotten married. Established with her husband Lee with a transportation firm in the city. When Marisol returns, she's faced with a choice of revenge, but stands to lose everything. When Marisol is found murdered, because of their history, Ariel quickly becomes suspect number one. Has she lost everything after all? Inspired by Open Novella Contest 2023 prompt #42 (incidentally, I just realized that 42 is the answer to life, meaning and literally everything according to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)

[Completed in 2025] • ONC 2025 Longlister • Fame comes at a price. An aspiring musician, Dorian Gray, goes from being a nobody to stardom overnight. Everyone adores him and life couldn't be better, but the truth of his success comes with a sinister catch. What's hidden beneath the flashing lights is much darker than any Hollywood scandal. Dorian's rise to fame wasn't due to luck. Instead, it was orchestrated by Victor Ashwell, a vampire who now owns Dorian's soul. In exchange for fame and fortune, Dorian must use his influence to lure fresh blood into Victor's grasp. Dorian must play his part, or risk becoming the vampire's next meal. But what happens when Dorian meets a fan who he doesn't want to sacrifice to his vampire boss? [Warning: Contains strong language, violence, and sexual content]

**THIS BOOK IS UNDER MAJOR EDITING & REVISION** 30 year old Braxlyn Beckett has had a hard life growing up. She's no stranger to heartbreak and death. Not wanting to let the only three people she loves down, she keeps fighting. She fights to find a purpose in her life, a purpose to keep living. 31 year old Zevander Hendrix had it all. The good looks, the wealth but that wasn't what he cared about. He only cared about raising his 4 year old daughter, Lenaya. After losing his wife while giving birth to their daughter, he promised to never fall in love, to stay single and Zevander never breaks his promises. What happens when the worlds of these two broken souls collide? Can Zevander fight his attraction to Braxlyn? Can Braxlyn get past the pain and hurt of her past to give Zevander a chance? Join them on their journey to see if these two broken souls can rise from the ashes and fine their happiness. [Warning: Mature content 18+] ✍🏼 Highest rankings #1 in EroticRomance on 5/12/21 & 9/11/21 #1 in DeathAndLife on 5/15/21 #1 in Broken on 5/17/21 #1 in Forgiveness on 5/20/21 #1 in AdultRomance on 5/20/21 #1 in BoyxGirl on 5/26/21 #1 in Featured on 6/20/21 #1 in MovingOnFromThePast on 6/20/21 & 9/29/21 #1 in Faith on 6/22/21 **I do not own any of the music throughout this book.** **Do not steal my book cover or story. You are warned.**

From Prompt #95 "I will become as monstrous as I must." Rowan Stevescant just wanted to start over. He'd killed enough. He was done. Until they brought him back. And then he wasn't. In a world where faces change as easily as buying a new set of clothes, nothing is what it seems. In an attempt to leave his old life and start new, he faces an old life that simply won't let him walk away. When his girlfriend is kidnapped to ensure his cooperation Rowan has no choice. He can either take back all that he'd fought for or return to the job and never see Miranda again. But in a world where reality is fragmented at best and the nature of The Watchers is revealed who can you trust? Inspired by the Altered Carbon Book series: Altered Carbon, Broken Angels, and Woken Furies.

In a crumbling society ruled by a ruthless regime, a group of rogue rebels embark on a desperate mission: infiltrate the most heavily guarded archive and steal the one book that hold's the government's darkest secrets. Hidden within its pages are messages from civilizations forgotten long ago that could change everything - if they can decode it in time. With relentless enforcers hunting them down, tensions rise and loyalties are tested. As danger closes in, so does an undeniable attracted between two of the rebels, forced to choose between their growing love and the fate of the world. The clock is ticking, and the truth is waiting. As the world ends, their fight is only beginning

When your boss shows up angry at your door, you know your day is going to suck. When said boss happens to be the local crime lord, it's going to suck even more. And when an omen of death comes to pay you a visit as well, your morning is officially the suckiest. Jack isn't having a very good day. At least the problem with the angry boss can be fixed: to prove his worth and pay back debts, Jack agrees to help her find a valuable treasure in a cursed swamp infested with danger. Death, however, looms over him. Can he find a way to cheat his way out of losing his life? ~~ ~ONC honorable mention~ ~ONC round 1 ambassador pick~ ~Featured on StoriesUndiscovered~ ~Featured on ��������DarkFantasy~ ~Featured on BadassReads~ ~Featured on 'the best action and adventure' reading list by the Ambassadors profile~ ~Featured on 'Magical realism' reading list on @Fantasy~ ~Featured on 'A magical journey' reading list on @Magic~ Written for ONC IV.

Book 1 of the Black Series. Rated 18+ Dorian has lived for six centuries. He's lost track of how many men he's killed, of how many wars he's seen. Immortality doesn't seem like a good idea anymore when your feelings have slowly disappeared over the years and you have nothing to look up to. But then he meets a young woman that fears the ocean, that hides many secrets in her turquoise eyes and she slowly revives all the feelings he forgot he could have. Torn between the desire to taste her blood and the rush of emotions, Dorian goes through the biggest war he has yet to live: his internal war. Will she let him unravel her secrets? Will he tell her his? Mature audience 18+. This book will contain mature language and themes.

Reality is shifting. And someone knows the truth. When three thieves steal an old book from a noble's archive, they expect gold, not trouble. But the book is anything but ordinary-its pages rewrite themselves, whispering of events that never happened... or ones that no longer exist. As the world around them shifts in ways they can't explain, one thing becomes clear: nothing is set in stone. Whispers of power, unseen forces, and a figure lurking in the shadows all point to a deeper mystery-one that could unravel reality itself. And someone,somewhere, is watching. Some stories change the world. Some erase it entirely.

❝Your secret is a painting?❞ I took a few cautious steps; the hairs on my arms stood on end. ❝Not just any painting.❞ Dorian approached the easel, shadows on his face as he touched the cloth protecting it. ❝It's a dark object, the manifestation of my curse. The reason I shall always live and never die.❞ I swallowed. ❝Show me.❞ * * * When Dorian Gray dies, and returns to life, Amelia Thorne is introduced to the world of the supernatural. Here, monsters exist and paintings become portals to other worlds. Amelia learns Dorian's most precious secret - an evil painting that holds the key to his immortality, and his dark side. When the painting is destroyed, his inner monster is unleashed. Soon, Amelia finds it hard to separate her feelings for Dorian and the demon he created. Especially when destroying his evil twin means destroying Dorian as well...