MarCafeWrites

☆ ᴡᴀᴛᴛʏꜱ 2024 SHORTLISTER!! ☆A tragic misunderstanding. A murder. A secret. An unlikely partnership. A spirited countess and an enterprising racketeer.~~~Manchester, England. May 1925.The Roarin' 20s. An era of glamor, decadent parties, jazz music, flowing booze, and opulent wealth. Possibilities are endless. Anyone can be a success, even families once seen as working class. But beneath the glittering exterior lies a world of corruption, prejudice, and civil unrest.When the disappearance of a Russian refugee brings Countess Rose Sinclair to the doorstep of known racketeer William Mercer, neither party is prepared for the significant changes a single encounter can inspire.Blackmailed by William into employment, Rose receives a swift and unwanted education regarding a side of the class struggle she has never before experienced.As she unwillingly ventures deeper into the precarious world of the Mercer family and their notorious gang the Deansgate Streeters, Rose finds herself torn between her moral compass, her suppressed rebellious youth, her growing love for a motherless toddler, and her mounting attraction for William, a man she has every reason to despise.⚠️ Read with caution: foul language, violence, trauma, and sexual content (fade to black only) within. This book is intended for readers 21+ ⚠️…

MarCafeWrites

In a land of swordsmanship and myth, three English children are about to change the course of history...~~~Colin, Madeline, and Brian Evans have always sought adventure. But try as they might to find intrigues and escapades at their ailing grandfather's estate, their quest continues to prove fruitless.Until one day, a misplaced door leading to a misplaced stairway takes them to a foreign world of warriors and legends. At last, an adventure seems within their grasp.In the beautiful and mysterious land of Makoto, the Evans children meet a pair of young samurai - siblings Shin and Min Kazuo - who show the children that Makoto's peaceful beauty is nothing but a façade. The country is plagued by unpredictable raids, a clan of merciless bounty hunters, and a faction of sinister Shōgun.When Min is captured and taken to the Shōgun's palace, Shin teaches the art of swordsmanship to the Evans children, and they begin a perilous journey toward freeing Makoto.However, the origin of the Shōgun's rule is far darker than the Makotan people know. Evil forces are at work. And amidst the war for freedom, the Evans children discover that no adventure comes without danger or cost.{For fans of Narnia, Oz, Wonderland, Neverland, and Japanese history & culture.}UPDATES EVERY THURSDAY!…

MarCafeWrites

☆ 2022 ᴡᴀᴛᴛʏꜱ ᴡɪɴɴᴇʀ!! ☆"Hell is empty and all the devils are here."On the cusp of the 20th century, blue blood heiress Lucy Penn has lost everything: her betrothed, her family and home, and even her ability to walk in the sunlight. As she struggles to acclimate to her new nocturnal existence, she makes the acquaintance of Dr. Thomas Reed: an intelligent and tortured immortal, still haunted by the horrors of his past.As the pair grow closer, Lucy becomes privy to a frightening world far below the surface of polite society, in which beings of ancient and unfathomable power live outside the confines of humanity.Carpe Noctem (or "Seize the Night") follows Lucy on her journey through the shrouded streets, eerie hospitals, and aristocratic parlors of nighttime London.As she seeks to exhume the insidious and terrifying purpose behind her transformation, Lucy finds herself drawn deeper into a dark nocturne world of unimaginable folklore and intrigue, begging the question: can love be found after death?HIGHEST RANKINGS ~#1 Carpe Noctem#1 Period Fiction#1 Nocturnal#1 Gothic Romance#1 Gothic Horror#3 Dracula#3 Shakespeare#8 Vampire#17 Victorian#46 Historical Fiction…

MarCafeWrites

"I do bad things. But you already know that."~ Thomas ShelbyA tragic misunderstanding. A murder. A secret. An unlikely partnership.When the disappearance of a Russian refugee brings Lady Rose MacClare to the doorstep of Thomas Shelby, neither party is prepared for the significant changes a single encounter can inspire. As Rose unwillingly ventures deeper into the world of the notorious Peaky Blinders -- spanning ballrooms to dark alleys -- she finds herself torn between her moral compass, her suppressed rebellious youth, her growing love for a motherless toddler, and her mounting attraction for Tommy, a man she knows she should hate.|| A historical fanfiction novel combining the fandoms of "Peaky Blinders" and "Downton Abbey." ||⚠️ Read with caution: foul language, violence, trauma, and sexual content within. This novel is NOT a romance. If you're looking for soft, sweet, fake Tommy, look elsewhere. This novel depicts him as he is in the show: flawed. ⚠️HIGHEST RANKINGS ~#1 Downton Abbey#1 Peaky Blinders#1 Tommy Shelby#1 Countess#2 England#2 Spying#2 Lizzie Stark#3 John Shelby#40 Birmingham#241 Historical{ Began posting 07.25.22 Finished posting 07.17.23 }…

MarCafeWrites

ONC Ambassador's Pick & Shortlister!Rumors. Infidelity. Lies. Secrets. MURDER. And all before lunch time. Who knew being a socialite in 1951 could be so thrilling?~~~On a lovely June afternoon, as the oh-so-chic members of the Gilded Grove Ladies' Book Club gather for their scheduled luncheon, they are shocked to receive the news that their vice president, Camilla Otis, is unable to attend. Gossip ensues. What catastrophe could possibly have befallen her to warrant a last minute cancellation?The answer comes by way of two clever, dashing police officers. It seems Camilla Otis has had quite a busy morning, and that the truth behind her absence is far more scandalous than the Book Club ladies could ever have imagined.As the police dig deeper into the events surrounding Mrs. Otis' shocking crime, buried secrets about the other Book Club members begin to surface. None of the women in question are the fine, upstanding ladies of society that the public believes them to be. Each has tarnish on her so-called "sterling reputation." And no one has more to hide than club president Marcella Montgomery.Written for ONC 2024, this is a tongue-in-cheek "whodunit" (in reverse) that will leave you wondering just what a scorned woman *wouldn't* do for sweet, sweet revenge.⚠️ Warning: many very nonchalant references to murder and death. Very ignorant (era-realistic), inaccurate comments about nationalities/cultures outside the US.…

MarCafeWrites

{ ᴏɴᴄ ʜᴏɴᴏʀᴀʙʟᴇ ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ & ᴀᴍʙᴀꜱꜱᴀᴅᴏʀꜱ' ᴘɪᴄᴋ }Tate has been the bartender at The Imp's Bottle for years. The dive bar attracts a trickling array of unusual patrons, but due to his social anxiety, Tate avoids conversation and interaction....Until a random encounter with a beautiful girl causes Tate to open up in a way he never imagined possible. Unbeknownst to Tate, the girl's kindness plants a seed, inspiring him to abandon his wallflower nature.The changes are subtle at first, but rather than hyperfocus on his beloved retro music and impulsive need to clean, Tate begins to converse and interact with the bar's patrons. He becomes more outspoken, engaged, and confident. And his positive changes inspire changes in those around him.However, not everyone is thrilled with Tate's newfound confidence. Ali, the bar's prickly lone waitress, has a bone to pick with Tate. And she plans to come out on top of their little workplace rivalry, no matter the cost to her coworker.|| A story about how the tiniest pebble can create the biggest ripples, this is my entry for ONC 2023. ||…

MarCafeWrites

🏆 ONC 2021 Ambassador's Pick, Shortlister, & HONORABLE MENTIONTo the outside world, young novelist Cristina Castillo appears to have nothing but success. With four published works under her belt, she is a literary wunderkind. But behind closed doors, she has a secret shame: countless notebooks filled with unfinished stories. Cristina's waking mind is plagued with the underdeveloped characters, incomplete plots, and cliché themes of her countless abandoned and discontinued tales. So many dreams, forgotten.While attending the release party for her latest published novel, Cristina comes face-to-face with none other than the protagonist of one of her most beloved (and unfinished) passion projects. He tells Cristina that he wants an ending for his story. And he warns her: he is not her only forsaken character seeking fulfillment.As Cristina's vengeful creations begin coming out of the woodwork, she is plunged into the depths of her very vivid and expansive imagination. A journey of humor, adventure, terror, and startling self-discovery ensues as Cristina tries to return to reality. She soon learns, however, that the only way to escape the fictional worlds she dreamed into being is to appease her creations by writing their endings.*Rated MATURE for language32,000+ words☆☆ FEATURED STORY ~ Eight Times!!HIGHEST RANKINGS ~#2 Hamlet#4 Edgar Allan Poe#5 Writer's Block#6 Open Novella Contest 2021#14 Shakespeare#42 Alice in Wonderland…

MarCafeWrites

Chartreuse ® ~ A Universal Solution**if used as directedIn an alternate dimension similar to our own, the mobile city of Neo-York is held hostage by its oppressive warden, a mysterious woman known only as "Big Sister." Little is known about Big Sister, but her rule is absolute, secured by synthetic military forces and advanced citywide surveillance. Those who oppose her are vaporized, their existence wiped from history.Neo-York citizen Nova Herdeem has had enough of living in fear. At great personal risk, she procures the assistance of the Negotiators: a trio of unlikely allies comprised of a samurai, a vampire, and a cyborg. Armed with their collective skill sets and Nova's knowledge, the Negotiators agree to end the tyranny of Big Sister.As they proceed in their reconnaissance, the Negotiators discover that there is far more to Big Sister than a power-hungry dictator, and the omnipresent and multifaceted product line known as "Chartreuse" may be the very key to her rule.|| George Orwell meets Philip K. Dick meets classic literary and film characters in potentially the weirdest most tongue-in-cheek book on Wattpad. This novella is written for ONC 2022, and I'm pleased to say, made the LONGLIST!! ||HIGHEST RANKINGS ~#1 George Orwell#4 cosmetic#6 ONC 2022#48 Android…

MarCafeWrites

A Sci-Fi retelling of "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë.{ 🏆 ɢʀᴀɴᴅ ᴘʀɪᴢᴇ ᴡɪɴɴᴇʀ ᴏꜰ ʀᴇᴡɪɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʟᴀꜱꜱɪᴄꜱ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇꜱᴛ 2022 }In the future, androids are part of everyday life. Brontë Incorporated, an Artificial Intelligence Goliath, systematically engineers and manufacturers the most advanced androids on the planet.Brontë Inc's latest and greatest android creation, The Governess, is in its testing phase, and prototypes are given to select individuals for use in their homes.One such individual is old-money aristocratic Edward Rochester. He and his daughter bond deeply with their Governess, JN-1 (or "Jane"), amidst a myriad of frightening incidents orchestrated by the sentient smart system in his ancestral home. After Mr. Rochester is saved from a fire by Jane, the pair fall in love.But Brontë Inc. issues a product recall for the Governess androids, deeming them "too human."Can Mr. Rochester and Jane find a way to remain together? Or will a particularly apathetic analyst named John Rivers bring about the end of their unorthodox love affair?|| A sci-fi romance told in retrospect, this short story is written for Rewind the Classics contest, 2022. 4150 words. ||…

MarCafeWrites

🏆 WINNER of the 2021 Ambys!Historical Fiction genre & Contest!Something is amiss within the halls of Elsinore Manor. Something that cannot be defined.With her husband away on business, Gertrude Bard awaits his return in their manor in Cornwall, England. She spends her days in the company of her three children - Ophelia (12), Rosen (8), and Gilbert (6) - and her husband's younger brother, Claude, who has come to stay with them during the patriarch's absence.Not long after Claude's arrival, strange and unexplainable things begin to occur. Objects go missing, the piano plays on its own, and Gilbert has a sudden imaginary friend who may or may not be a ghost.Claude claims ignorance, and Gertrude begins to doubt her sanity. Is the new darkness enveloping Elsinore Manor the product of calculated deceit? Or is the truth something far more sinister and otherworldly?~ ~ ~HIGHEST RANKINGS ~#1 Period Fiction#1 Hamlet#1 Jane Eyre#2 Haunted Mansion#3 The Ambys 2021#4 Ghost Story#4 Red Room…

MarCafeWrites

"The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race. It would take off on its own, and re-design itself at an ever increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn't compete, and would be superseded."-- Stephen Hawking* * *A collection of short stories and one-shots: some old, some new, and all (in one respect or another) science fiction. From reimagined fanfiction, to homage paid to greats like Philip K Dick, these are some pieces centering around the rise of technology, the decline of humanity, androids, A.I., and dystopian futures. Do you know what's real?HIGHEST RANKINGS ~#1 Matrix#1 Westworld#3 Android#4 Synthetic#34 Artificial Intelligence#140 Must Read…

MarCafeWrites

"Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality."-- Lewis CarrollA collection of short stories of multiple genres. Some are one-shots for contests, and others I wrote simply because I felt inspired. ▪︎ Hayase▪︎ Never Wonder▪︎ Coffee, Tea, or Me?▪︎ From Neverland, With Love▪︎ Magic Pumpkin Café▪︎ Lipstick Graffiti▪︎ Mean Princesses▪︎ These Keen Delights▪︎ All For Show▪︎ Hindsight is 2020HIGHEST RANKINGS:#1 TheCalling#1 Rewind the Classics#5 Flight Attendant#15 Literary Fiction#16 Fairytale Retelling#85 Wonderland…

MarCafeWrites

Meanwhile, back in the Batcave..."Masked" is an ongoing collection of short stories featuring my own satirical vigilante heroes and villains!PAINT THE TOWN RED:Vigilante heroes Lady Silk, NightHawk, and Knives (comrades, but not necessarily friends) deal with the shortcomings of Knives' new sidekick, and fret over the nefarious plans of their nemesis Doctor Impossible, and his villainous faction: Task Mayhem.(Winner of the "Twist the Clichés" contest!)FOILED AGAIN:Tired of the heroes always being one step ahead of him, super villain Doctor Impossible decides to enact an unorthodox experiment to see if his diabolical plan succeeds! Accompanied by his protégé Abracadabra, the evil genius travels one year into the future. ** Cover image made public domain by the incredibly talented Josh Hild.HIGHEST RANKINGS ~#1 Tongue-in-cheek#1 Twist the Clichés#3 Comic Relief#9 Cape#28 Save the World…

MarCafeWrites

"There's no place like home."When his hot air balloon crashlands in East Egg, Long Island, Nick Carraway is dumbfounded by the colorful world of wealth and opulence in which he finds himself.Shortly after his accidental arrival, Nick makes the acquaintance of the bubbly Daisy Buchanan, the statuesque Jordan Baker, and the ferocious Tom Buchanan. Like Nick, each of them is missing a vital attribute.Alongside his trio of unlikely companions, Nick plans to enlist the help of the mysterious and indecently rich Jay Gatsby in his efforts to return home.However, during his strange journey, Nick discovers that in the rivalry between old money East Egg and new money West Egg, obscene wealth does not necessarily guarantee happiness.__________A retelling of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum, substituting the characters and setting of "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.HIGHEST RANKINGS ~#1 Opium#1 Emerald City#1 Wizard of Oz#1 Classic Literature#4 Great Gatsby#5 The Ambys 21#19 Fairytale Retelling…

MarCafeWrites

WINNER of the #WelcomeToTheBlumhouse contest presented by Wattpad and Amazon Prime Video._____After losing both her job and her boyfriend within the same twenty-four hour period, Josephine Thorne no longer wants to be herself. When a finite opportunity to be someone else presents itself, she grabs it, never considering the consequences.HIGHEST RANKINGS#1 Death is My BFF#2 Blumhouse#3 Welcome to the Blumhouse#6 Ambiguity#8 Mistaken Identity…