M_A_Hartman

You're never too old to go on an adventure.------------Every year in the kingdom of Asledia, a handful of eighteen-year-olds are chosen by the gods to complete a quest. If they are successful, a grand reward awaits. Gwyneira Fowler is pushing forty and content with her role as both a spinster and an assistant manager at her parents' flower farm. When a cat-sized dragon appears in one of the family hothouses and declares that she has been chosen, Gwyneira's quiet, predictable life is upended.Within days, she finds herself on the back of a strong, steady mule, headed gods-know-where in search of a sacred garden. And the little dragon? She's coming, too, much to Gwyneira's chagrin.Stepping outside of one's comfort zone can be difficult. Sometimes all you need is a little push.And a muzzle for the dragon.ONC '26Prompt #3: You don't expect much excitement in your quiet garden until the day a dragon suddenly appears among the flowers.…

M_A_Hartman

The pharaohs believed they had won; she would prove them wrong.------------For three generations, the pharaohs of Ankhta waged war on the sand dragons, pushing them to the brink of extinction. Once revered across the vast desert kingdom, the dragons were forced to take human form to survive.Young Tahirah has never known the feel of the sweet desert wind blowing over her scales or the thrill of hunting hippopotamus in the Sen-nu River. Her destiny is simple: marry her neighbor's son and increase the population. But when one of the pharaoh's sons stumbles upon the village, Tahirah's mother sees an opportunity to infiltrate the palace and exact revenge on the god-king.Taken into the pharaoh's household as a royal concubine, Tahirah must navigate the complex politics of the harem -- all while keeping her draconic identity and her growing love for a palace guard a secret.…

M_A_Hartman

Delwyn of Ristead was fleeing an arranged marriage. She didn't expect to find herself in the arms of an angel.------------Delwyn of Ristead doesn't want to get married -- not now, and especially not to a man old enough to be her grandfather. When her father, the duke, surprises Delwyn with an arranged marriage, she runs away instead. Travelling across the border to the demon kingdom of Chthonia, she reinvents herself as Delwyn Gawer, an orphan human struggling to make ends meet. Amos Umbrath is failing math, and he has two options: get a tutor now or attend summer school. Either choice is embarrassing for someone who aspires to be a lawyer. When Amos meets human Delwyn at a seamstress's shop, it seems she's the answer to his problems.He just didn't expect to fall in love.When Delwyn's past catches up to her, she must make a decision -- stay with the angel who stole her heart or keep running.[Sequel to A FLAME UPON STILL WATER. May be read as a stand-alone.]…

M_A_Hartman

She's an angel. He's a demon. What could go wrong?Sunny, studious, and chatty to a fault, Siah Umbrath can't wait to enroll at St Sybil's University, the prestigious institution of higher learning in Chthonia. Most angels would balk at setting foot deep into demonic territory-not Siah. When the Angelic Council appoints her father as ambassador to the demonic kingdom, Siah sees it as a thrilling opportunity. Her parents, however, view things differently, with her father issuing a warning not to get involved with the male students. It's an easy request, one Siah feels she'll be able to uphold until she meets a grumpy blue demon on her first day.Kion Fellrose looks tough on the outside-tall, with a stern, unyielding expression, and a dozen boxing titles under his (literal) belt. But his gruff exterior hides wounds few know about, very little understand, and no one new will ever discover. Uninterested in most things life has to offer, all he wants to do is graduate and move as far away as possible. Everything is going according to plan until his father, the deputy mayor of Cinderforge, assigns him to keep an eye on the new angelic ambassador's daughter. Initially annoyed, Kion finds himself being pulled into Siah's orbit like a moth to a flame. The earth may not shatter when an angel falls in love with a demon -- they might save it instead.…

M_A_Hartman

Kidnapped by the formidable avian Vahazayi, sixteen-year-old Aisse Olgonae becomes an unwilling pawn in an ancient prophecy. ------Five hundred years ago, the Vahazayi launched a war against the continent of Hektare. Their attempt was quickly snuffed out and humanity drove their enemies to the brink of extinction. As punishment, the six triumphant kingdoms demanded a yearly tribute of minerals and jewels from the Vahazayi to ensure their submission for generations. And for a while ... it worked.When tragedy claimed her older brothers, sixteen-year-old Aisse Olgonae became the sole heir to her father's barony of Gaelre. Quick with a bow and duty-bound to protect the border, she has little compassion for the massive avians toiling away in their mountain stronghold. Especially when they had a hand in her brothers' deaths.When rogue Vahazayi kidnap Aisse, she finds herself an unwilling pawn in a centuries-old prophecy. With the last lord of the Vahazayi dead on Gaelre grounds, and their foretold savior missing, war looms on the horizon. Can Aisse put her hatred aside and work together with her sworn enemy, or will she watch as the continent burns to the ground?…

M_A_Hartman

When handmaiden Isabel Wintergale incurs the wrath of the alpha queen, she is thrust into a perilous journey across treacherous, dragon-ruled lands in a desperate bid for survival and freedom.--NaNoWriMo 2024/DANMCover designed by @milasteeleshearts…

M_A_Hartman

When the goddess anoints a new alpha, he must claim a city. He must also choose a mate. ------------Until recently, beta werewolf Lee Bloodmoon lived a simple life, working as a security guard for the Stillwater Casino in Hecate City, Oregon. But all that changed when he defended his sister from the mad former alpha, Owen Stillwater. Raised to the status of alpha by the goddess Hecate, Lee is told he must leave the only home he's ever known and claim a city to rule over. If that wasn't bad enough, he needs to find a luna before the next full moon. Who wants to marry a stranger? Certainly not a notoriously commitment-phobic man.Born into the lowest caste of werewolves, omegas, Kelsi Kohl is excited about the changes promised by the new Hecate City alpha, Ryan Stillwater. When her family receives an invitation to a ball hosted by Alpha Lee Bloodmoon, Kelsi begrudgingly attends with her older sister. She knows there's no way an alpha will consort with an omega, but the goddess Hecate has other plans. Invisible threads pull Kelsi and Lee together and soon Kelsi finds herself elevated to luna, a position she never imagined herself in.Finding your soulmate is wonderful, but life isn't all sunshine and roses. Especially when facing opposition from the citizens of Silver Rush, Nevada -- none of whom are excited to have a pair of werewolves take over their tiny town.Sequel to "Fall With Me", but may be read as a stand-alone.[Rated M for intimate situations, swearing, and violence.]Cover designed by @myie_laura…

M_A_Hartman

When grave witch Elara Nowak inherits the Silver Spirit Inn from her great-aunt, she discovers it is a halfway house for restless spirits whose existence must be protected from evil sorcerers. ------------Grave witch Elara Nowak misses the fast-paced lifestyle of Los Angeles. When the magazine she was an editor for abruptly closes, she finds herself back in her hometown of Andover, New Hampshire. Her days of boredom come to an abrupt end when she inherits a bed and breakfast from her great-aunt. The only problem is it's located on Martha's Vineyard.An island. No doubt surrounded by sharks.With no other job opportunities on the horizon, Elara packs up and heads for Massachusetts. Once there, she discovers the inn is not just a regular bed and breakfast -- at night, it turns into a halfway house for restless spirits. It's Elara's job to ease their suffering and guide them toward the light. Sounds easy, right? But being an innkeeper and therapist for wounded souls was not on Elara's bingo card. Adding to her stress is the inn's acerbic house ghost, who is bound to serve the witches of Elara's line for five hundred years.If that wasn't enough, Elara must also protect the spirits from evil sorcerers who wish to use the ghosts' energy to fuel their dark intentions. She'd rather take the sharks.…

M_A_Hartman

|| 2021 WATTYS SHORTLIST ||Welcome to Streamfield, Massachusetts, home to one of the largest populations of witches, sorcerers, and shapeshifters in New England.Little Jimmy Grabowski is missing ... and that's a problem.In a world where a witch or a sorcerer can locate someone with a simple tracking spell, all attempts at recovering the boy have come up empty. Finding themselves at an impasse, the local police department turns to the Michaels Clan, one of the largest shapeshifter clans in the city, for help.Snow leopard shifter Alina Michaels sees the Grabowski case as her chance to discover if there is something more to life than being the receptionist for the family business. When the clan tracks Jimmy's scent to a wooded area marked by two eerie silver stones, it becomes apparent that this isn't a simple case of kidnapping.The stones are a Gateway to the mythical lost continent of Atlantis, home to a race long since regulated to legends-elves. Now, Alina must trek across unfamiliar and fantastical territory in order to find Jimmy and bring him home.For Jimmy's disappearance may herald that something more sinister is afoot and pose dangerous consequences to both worlds ...Cover designed by @xxsoteria…

M_A_Hartman

|| ✨ 2022 WATTYS WINNER ✨ || || x8 FEATURED ||Kill the monsters. Claim the bounty. Escape to Alaska.------------Ten years ago, an event known as The Turning upset the balance of Earth's ecosystems. Demons emerged from the depths of Hell, dragging along with them obscure creatures from old myths and legends.In the midst of all this chaos, eighteen-year-old Raine Barlow makes a living by hunting monsters. No price is too high, no monster is too deadly. Her goal is simple: to make enough money to escape to Alaska -- where her parents are rumored to be held.And Raine just might be able to do it: the mayor of Eureka has agreed to pay her $10,000 to escort his young daughter to the City of Dust -- a former metropolis surrounded by walls and secrets. Armed with poison-tipped crossbow bolts, her own brand of small magic, and an aging battle-elk named Winston, Raine and her charge must trek across the dust-covered and desolate stretches of a California highway, all the while trying to avoid the monsters and demons who are trying to take over the world.Cover created by @Shreya_VA…

M_A_Hartman

A story of love, power, betrayal, and the corruption of an innocent soul.------------Melusine "Sina" Fisher grows up in the seaside village of Farbarrow, the only daughter of a widower father. Although bright and precocious, the limited curriculum provided by the village school leads Sina to be branded as "difficult" by her teacher and treated accordingly. All that changes when Sina saves a rare black octopus from a group of village boys. As thanks for her help, the octopus promises to grant the child one wish:"I want to learn."And so begins Sina's magical education. As she grows, so do her powers. With her reputation expanding beyond Farbarrow's narrow borders, Sina attracts the attention of Viscount Klaus Zeimet who captures her heart with a dashing smile and kind eyes.But not all noblemen's sons are gentlemen and happily-ever-afters can disappear in a puff of smoke.Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid".[NaNoWriMo 2022]Cover designed by @lavendareyes…

M_A_Hartman

A faerie adopted by werewolves must confront her past when her brother comes looking for her.------------In Hecate City, Oregon, Alpha Owen Stillwater's word is the law. He rules over a city filled with supernaturals, where crime is low but there is little room for prosperity if you happen to be anything but a werewolf.Faerie Sawyer Bloodmoon and Caleb Stillwater, the alpha's grandson, have been in love since they were children. Aware of Alpha Owen's strange hatred of faeries, they manage to keep their relationship secret for years, until an unknown individual rats them out. Violently accosted by the alpha, Sawyer flees to the edge of the city where she spends the next five years eking out a meager existence.When Sawyer's brother Lee manages to track her down, he brings Caleb along. Like two magnets, Sawyer and Caleb are drawn back into each other's arms. But living happily ever after isn't so simple. Old family secrets and haunting personal demons threaten to tear apart their rekindled love.[Rated M for mature content: Swearing, violence, and intimate situations.]Cover designed by Andi J Feron.…

M_A_Hartman

|| WINNER AMBYS 2022 VAMPIRES CATEGORY || || FEATURED: FOODKART ||When single mother and baker Autumn Milford is hired to cater a high-end party in the Berkshires, she discovers the "special ingredient" she is required to use isn't just the quirk of an eccentric millionaire ...------------Autumn Milford has been determined to rely on no one but herself after her parents kicked her out at seventeen. With the money she's due to earn from catering a high-end party in the Berkshires, she'll finally have enough to open up her own storefront bakery. But her employer is not just another eccentric millionaire and his guests aren't your average denizens of high society. Autumn is about to discover that creatures of the night are real ... and they're eating her cinnamon rolls.Corbin Westbrook would rather cut off his own head than host the once-a-decade gathering of the New England Knowing. There have been sightings of a Fallen in the area and it is Corbin's duty to ensure that the creature is disposed of. But to decline such an "honor" is ill-advised. Left with no choice but to throw the party, Corbin stays as far away from the event planning as possible ... until he meets the baker.Hold onto your cinnamon rolls, it's going to be a sweet ride!------------ONC 2022 Prompt20. You manage a catering company. The latest request has a few ... interesting menu items.[Status: Complete][Word Count: 28,000][Content warning: PG-13 for mild swearing, violence, sensuality, and fade-to-black intimacy.][ [ Highest rankings ] ][#1 in Baking 2/26/22][#1 in Singleparent 4/1/22][#1 in Paranormalromance 4/14/22][#8 in Paranormal 4/11/22][#10 in ONC2022 4/14/22][#11 in Supernatural 5/3/22][#16 in Vampireromance 4/20/22][#20 in Romance 4/11/22]Cover by @chessaandersen…

M_A_Hartman

Tarah Mondadori has long accepted a life in the shadows: small, overlooked, and unheard.Annabelle Zhao is everything Tarah is not: tall and athletic, with a voice that can command a shipful of pirates.But that all changes when the universe pulls Tarah from the modern age and plants her firmly into the famed Pirate Queen's body. Now, Tarah has everything she's ever wanted: fame, power, and a voice. The question remains: will she ever want to leave?[Written for @wattpadasianfantasy's Shiver Me Timbers contest.]…

M_A_Hartman

Schoolteacher Fiona is on a mission for grandpa - find a missing Zimbabwean artefact, the precious soapstone "Bird of the Gods". Conrad - dodgy archaeologist contracted to the stunning influencer Amanda aka #mandalove - has the same job. When Fiona and Conrad's paths cross, what was supposed to be a straightforward quest turns into a crazy race around the world. With antagonists popping up at every corner - from mountain tops to underground settings like Serbian caves, frozen Canadian crypts, and the silver mines of the old West, Fiona and Conrad have to work together to catch their bird. Mutual respect grows into something more intimate. But not everything is quite as it seems, and they had better watch their backs lest they too end up underground, this time permanently.…

M_A_Hartman

Autumn Milford is ready to marry her fiance, millionaire Corbin Westbrook. But when the love of your life also happens to be a 250-year-old vampire, nothing about the wedding or honeymoon is normal ...------------Wedding? Check.Honeymoon in Rome? Check.Being surprised by master vampires on your honeymoon? Uh ... [A short-story sequel to the ONC 2022 novella, "The Vampire's Pastry Chef".][PG-13 for mild swearing, sensuality, and fade-to-black intimacy.]Cover by @chessaandersen…

M_A_Hartman

A single prompt can open up a whole new world.Welcome to this collection, where many of my official Wattpad contest short stories will be featured.* "Results May Vary" -- Bottled Mishap Contest | Wattpad Magic | FIRST PLACE WINNERKarli Sands, the non-magical daughter of a witch, crosses paths with a mysterious woman who promises her real magic ... for a price.* "Charge Me" -- Witches 2021 | WattpadWitches | CO-WINNERA day in the life of Maddie de la Fleur, who works in her grandmother's magic emporium.* "Death Will See You Now" -- Key to Magic | Wattpad Magic | FIRST PLACE WINNERAddison Knight's grandmother made her memorize an ancient rhyme when she was a girl. Little did she realize that the rhyme was part of a bargain between her female ancestors and the Lands of the Dead that she was destined to pay.…

M_A_Hartman

Halloween Vault 2021--Fantasy Prompt 4: Each year they say someone goes missing on Halloween in your small town. When you and your friends decide to enter the crumbling, abandoned house you know exactly why.--It's Halloween and all twelve-year-old Hannah wants to do is forget the reason why she and her mother moved in with her uncle, aunt and cousin Mark. But when Mark's adventurous friend Sam proposes that the three of them explore the abandoned Newman House -- with its rumored promise of treasure -- the three tweens end up discovering something far more interesting. And sinister.…

M_A_Hartman

**CO-WINNER IN WATTPADVAMPIRES NEWBORN VAMPIRE CONTEST **They offered him the life of an immortal scholar, but only if he can pass the Test.…

M_A_Hartman

** FIRST PLACE WINNER: #OFMONSTERSANDUS CONTEST **The Turning: an event which upset the balance of the world's ecosystems and brought forth deadly creatures from the depths of mythology.In the present day, a lone woman and her battle elk trek across the dust-covered and desolate stretches of a California highway, all the while trying to avoid the monstrous cockatrices which lurk in the shadows.Created for @fantasy 's #ofmonstersandus Contest.…