Eisner Award Winners Novels & Stories

Basilio DiLustro. Charming. Deadly. A monster dressed in a three-piece-suit. Wynter Star. Realist with the most romantic of hearts, hiding it all under her ice princess fame. The two were never meant to cross paths. When they do, worlds collide and volcanoes erupt. Basilio makes her feel everything when she’s with him. Protected. Loved. Desired. Every monster has a weakness. She’s his. His obsession. His addiction. His only salvation. Theirs is a love twisted with secrets and tainted by lies. And when history comes knocking, it could shatter everything.

On New Year’s Eve, I was working overtime at a mall. Then, I saw my girlfriend rent out the mall’s largest digital billboard to pressure a poor student into marrying her. I was about to go over and question them when the poor student responded emotionally, “Getting confessed to in my family’s mall is so romantic and meaningful.” “Silly boy. I’ve loved you for five years. Of course, I was going to propose. So, marry me, okay?” Then, they kissed passionately amid a chorus of cheers. They even won the mall’s Best Couple award that night. I smiled bitterly and volunteered to present the award to them. I wanted to see just what would happen when trash found trash.

Her video was leaked to the world on the night of her award ceremony. Selena Davi was an actress. Popular, Beautiful, wealthy, the Female lead of a popular world wide sensational movie, and she was engaged to Cole Alex; A hot model who treated her like a queen. She had just won her third award in a row. Who wouldn't be envious of her life? She however, didn't expect her own best friend to actually betray her and cause her death. Sophia thinks she has it all when her best friend, Davi, dies leaving Alex and her fame All to herself; including her former role in the movie. Not until someone comes into the scene to counter her success Davi???

Arian Smith had one rule which was to keep his head down, work well as the president of the book club, and hold tight to the scholarship that gave him a second chance at life. But when he’s falsely accused of stealing funds from the school’s prestigious Book Club, the orphaned student is thrust into a scandal that threatens everything he’s worked for. Kael Palmer has everything including money, power, and a last name that opens doors. What he doesn’t have is the academic award that stands between him and his graduation. The Book Club was supposed to be his ticket out until Arian’s scandal threatened to shut it down. Desperate to graduate, Kael strikes a risky deal with Arian. “Clear Arian's name to get the best member award”. But as both boys dug deeper, they became closer to the forbidden. What will happen to them since they live in a world where love between boys is forbidden?

During the award ceremony at our annual dinner, my boss, Hank Reid, suddenly announced an impromptu addition to the agenda. “Annual department competition! The department that ranked last has to come up and receive a little award of motivation!” The screen lit up. They scrolled through all the departments’ results. The sales department got first place, the operations department got second place, and the marketing department got third place. However, there was nothing from the administration department. That was because the administration department did not have KPIs. Hank smiled at us. “Let’s welcome our colleagues from the administration department to come up and receive their awards!” Two of my colleagues carried a whole basket of brooms onto the stage. Everyone was laughing. “You should sweep away your bad luck from last year. Let’s hope you won’t get last place again next year!” Hank personally passed the brooms to all of us. Cameras flashed as people took photos of us with their phones. The sales department was laughing the loudest. “Finally, the administration department has some recognition!”

The day I was supposed to win the biggest award of my career, I walked in on my boyfriend, Ethan, in bed with another woman. He sneered, calling me a face-blind, scent-deaf bore in bed. I planned to expose his ass at the award ceremony. Instead, he and his lover mowed me down with their car. Next thing I knew, I woke up with them in an S-class horror survival game. Mortality rate: over 95%. We had to survive ten days in a haunted manor to be revived. Hit 100 on your Anxiety Level, and your soul is obliterated. Chloe, Ethan's lover, sneered. "Sensory defects? You can't recognize ghosts or smell danger. In a horror game, that’s a death sentence. You might as well just die." The others heard her and scrambled to team up. Me? I walked straight into the lair of the manor's final boss. The most powerful demon in the game wanted to devour my soul. I couldn't really see him. I just thought he was a cosplayer. I lunged forward, poked his abs, and pointed at the glowing crack in his chest. "Wow, you're really committed to the role. This getup must've cost a fortune."

Lian Moore had it all. About to graduate high school with the highest honors and every award possible, universities and colleges were scrambling at his feet. He had great friends, he lived in a perfect home. He never had to worry about everything. People around fawn over him. His life was set in stone, a straight path to success. That is until he fell in love.

Once again, my wife, Claire Winters, stabbed me with a silver needle. A reporter tracked me down and asked, "Louis Sterling, wasn't your wife, Claire, one of the winners of the National Inspiration Awards from ten years ago? She won the reward for saving you during the earthquake and ending up paralyzed from the waist down, right?" I stayed quiet for a moment, then nodded. "Louis, we're from a TV station, and we're producing a tenth anniversary special about the earthquake." I rubbed my arm, which was covered in tiny needle marks, and looked her straight in the eye. I replied, "That's fine, but can you keep the cameras discreet? Claire isn't used to being in front of so many lenses." However, I never expected that on the very first day of the live broadcast, I would be dragged onto the trending charts and torn apart online.

The night before the design competition, my husband took my design draft, promising to secure a patent to protect my work. In the intense competition, my work stood out and won first place. During the award ceremony, I walked on stage wearing the necklace that my daughter and I had made together. Suddenly, my seven-year-old daughter rushed up to the stage, screaming, "Mom, how could you steal Veronica's necklace? That's horrible and embarrassing. Just come down and go home with me."

Melania Bishop believed in love. For years, she supported struggling actor Luke Higgins in secret, putting her dreams on hold to lift his. But when Luke publicly declares another woman as the love of his life during his award acceptance speech, Melania’s world shatters. When Melania Bishop lands a job with media mogul Austin Rivers, the last thing she expects is to feel seen again. But just as her broken heart begins to mend, secrets from the past threaten to destroy everything. Can love survive when it starts with revenge?