Forced into an engagement with a man she doesn't love, Reyna must ignore her bond with her father's general in order to avoid a war and save her throne. ***** As the first female heir to one of the great Northern Kingdoms, Reyna panics when her claim to the throne is threatened by the discovery that her father's general is her soulbound partner. She forces herself to ignore their connection, determined to be more than a general's wife, only for her father to manipulate her into a political engagement with a man she could never love. So to forge her own path forward, keep her throne, and confront her feelings for the general who owns her heart, Reyna must find a way to refuse this arranged marriage without destroying her kingdom in the process. [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]] ---------- Cover designed by Ren Tachibana

In a city overrun by the corrupt and crazy, driven by greed, lust, and desire, Remi Goldridge's sweet nature and strong moral compass are strange and unheard of. Beasts of nightmares roam free here, taking and doing whatever they please. When Remi's father buys her one of the most dangerous creatures in the world as her slave and personal bodyguard, she is terrified, and wants nothing to do with the dangerous beast.

*WARNING WORK IN PROGRESS EDITING HAPPENS FREQUENTLY* written by LMFallon Editor SGallaghar After accepting a new position babysitting Jezebel, Megan struggles to keep her life in the balance. University becomes a last thought, and Luke and Charlotte worry about what decisions she's making. ‪Jezebel warns Megan about the monsters her uncle keeps locked in the basement, but will they scare her off? ‬ Things get out of control and secrets are revealed. Does she want to be in a world she never knew even existed?

Thirty-Four has been awaiting his Pelt all his life. All across the wolf world of Sylvera, others wield magic of all kinds, and he longs for the ability to channel his own power. All around him, mysteries begin to unfold. With eyes watching from the shadows and secrets kept just out of reach, he feels more helpless than ever. Until, in one single night, everything changes. His Pelt arrives, but with it comes a rising darkness, one torn right from the ancient stories. And he is not as different from it as he thought. With the fate of the world thrust into his paws, Thirty-Four finds himself fighting for survival, as well as struggling to control his new power. With few allies and trust hard to come by, he can barely identify which side is the true enemy. Perhaps he would have been better off remaining Peltless. -☽༓☾- {Book One of the Wylfven Trilogy} [amazing cover by @StormRidden] - First place in fantasy category of The Dream Awards - Third place in fantasy category of The Flames Awards - Winner of the Flawed Hero category (with Thirty-Four) of the SLink Awards: Character Edition ~ COMPLETED ~ ~ rewrite ongoing offline ~

Chance Nightshade, a werewolf with a curious curse, will avenge her brother's murder at any cost-even if it means working with an infuriatingly charming vampire prince. Season 1 of Witchfire ***** Cursed with yellow eyes and the ability to tell truth from lies, Chance Nightshade is used to confronting the uncomfortable reality of things. But when a death in the family snowballs into a shadow war between werewolves and vampires, Chance finds herself torn between protecting her pack and working with an irritatingly charming vampire prince to solve her brother's murder. Can she prevent the destruction of everything she holds dear by putting her faith in her enemy? Or will she be forced to save herself and her people by taking up her father's mantle as Alpha...whether he's willing to step down or not? ***** [word count: 90,000-100,000 words] Cover designed by Stefanie Saw

When Ben's secret boyfriend, Mickey, forgets he exists, he discovers an underground world of wizards and teams up with Mickey's impostor to save him. ***** After a whirlwind affair during junior year, Ben didn't hear a word from Mickey over the summer. So, on the first day of school, Ben confronted his secret boyfriend. Only Mickey had no idea what Ben was talking about. Something was deeply wrong, and soon Ben learns it involves a world of wizards, Mickey's family, and a sleeping curse! The only way for Ben to save Mickey is to journey into a realm of magic with a man who looks just like Mickey, and as spells start flying so do feelings. Ben has to save Mickey, survive the coming battles and stay true to his heart, or he'll lose everything. [[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]]

Lenora did not have a wonderful life. After her engagement to Prince Ronan is broken, she loses everything... her reputation, her home, and her family. Starving on the streets, she dies angry and bitter at how her life unfolded... Only to wake up in her old bed, fifteen again, five years before she died. Now she must struggle to change her fate, and the fate of those around her. This time she won't trust in something as flimsy or changeable as love. No, this time she'll have the power and the money to protect herself. Lenora has already lost everything once. She's not going to lose again. No matter what the cost. (Cover submitted by @QueenHelmer)

(Discover more at InfiniteExodus.com!) Year 22XX The world is coming to an end. We all knew it would happen eventually. Somewhere in the back of our minds we knew that it was only a matter of time before humanity's rapid scientific advancements would spell our end. Military advanced faster than medicine could keep up, and the human race ended up on the brink of extinction. The looming end of life on Earth led most of the world to put aside their altercations and come together to develop a way to save everyone. Of the hundreds of ideas produced, three doomsday solutions - labeled Project Exodus - had gathered the most support, 1) Send most of the population to space to find a new habitable planet. 2) Download everyone's memories into a self-sustaining super-computer and continue "life" in a digital universe. 3) Use still-developing translocational technology to teleport people to a neighboring dimension. The first option was considered too resource-intensive to ever be viable, as there was not enough food or medical supplies to sustain indeterminate space travel for the amount of humans necessary to sustain the human race. The second option was considered too controversial as well as prone to manipulation. There could be no proper failsafes to prevent the machine from becoming sentient. The third option...

"If ever something was lost...Zuri Ayim was the one who could recover it." _____________________________________________________________ Twelve years ago, a meteorite fell among the seven city-states of Kiro, and birthed a new legend. They are called Celestials: normal people given supernatural abilities from the meteorite's impact. Eighteen-year-old Zuri Ayim received the ability to look into people's minds when the meteorite struck, and since then has used her power to make a business for herself, in the hopes of paying off her father's debt before it's too late. But Zuri's life changes quickly when the Queen herself asks Zuri to find something for her: a talented weaver who is said to stitch the future into his tapestries. With the help of four other Celestials, Zuri sets out on a lengthy journey to locate him. Except, complications soon arise when they discover that this man's power isn't so simple. That, and they're not the only ones looking for him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Updates every Saturday. As always, vote and comment if you enjoy!

************************************************************************************** An outcast rogue must break a curse put on his fate, or die on his nineteenth birthday. To survive, he'll need the sword of a maiden, the aid of an immortal, and the power of forbidden magic that could cost him the only girl he ever loved. ************************************************************************************ *** THE JACK OF SOULS won a Silver IPPY this year! *** THE JACK OF SOULS won 1st place in the PNWA Competition in Fantasy! * *** THE JACK OF SOULS won 1st place in the Southwest Writers competition! * *** A "Featured Book" on Wattpad! * *** Now a "Staff Pick" on Kickstarter! * *** Available on Amazon in paper, hardback, and ebook ! * *** My contract with Kindle Select won't allow me to post more than 3 chapters here, but... *** Sign up for my newsletter on stephenmerlino.com for alerts when it's free on Amazon! * MY INSPIRATION I wrote this out of pure love of trickster rogues; I love the wit over brawn motif -- Odysseus over Achilles, Raven over Eagle -- so I like to play with it in my stories. In JOS I set the rogue and con-artist Harric against a foil of warriors in a land threatened by magic and civil war. Whenever possible I turn familiar tropes on their heads: instead of a handsome young Lancelot, I cast a broken-down ex-champion addicted to pain-killing herbs; instead of a dashing Squire Brian, the old knight reluctantly takes an ambitious young woman as squire. Similarly, I re-imagine the standard medieval milieu by infusing aspects of two of my favorite historical periods, Elizabethan England, and The American Frontier. Both eras boast a kind of nationalistic arrogance that borders on hubris, and a magnificent spirit of resourcefulness and re-invention that is fun to play with. SERIES The Jack of Souls is first in a series. I am posting parts of the sequel here now (The Knave of Souls), to help me refine the story.