************************************************************************************** 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.

ALL IS SILENCE finished #37 of 151 for Wattpad's Story of the Year! Also a WATTYS 2015 - Dream Collections Winner! Thanks to everyone who added me to their collections! You made my year! The sequel, STRAIGHT INTO DARKNESS, is available in print and e-book on all major ebook sites. If you are interested in hearing about special deals on this or any other works, please sign up for my monthly newsletter at www.desertedlands.com. #1 in Science Fiction - 57 days so far! Thank you, readers! PG-15: [Yes, you read that right. I would recommend teens not read it until they are 16!] Profanity, violence and sexual situations. Warning: There is talk of cutting and suicide. If any of these are triggers for you, please consider that when reading. Take care. Rob What if death forgot you? In a future that could be ours, Lizzie, a suicidal teen-age girl, barely navigates her own life. Then everything falls apart. In an apocalyptic land nearly deserted by disease, she lacks reasons to live until a shocking turn of events reveals a phone number. Her call pulls her dangerously cross-country to meet a stranger she thought was dead. In a world where there is plenty of food, plenty of gas, plenty of space... fear, anger and a lust for power still control the patterns of human life. This coming of age, edgy young adult novel is the debut of a former alternative high school teacher. If you like this, try Toils and Snares, a Deserted Lands novella, sampled on Wattpad.

Seventeen year-old spirit medium Emily Chambers has a problem. Actually, she has several. As if seeing dead people isn't a big enough social disadvantage, she also has to contend with an escaped demon and a handsome ghost with a secret past. And then there's the question of her parentage. Being born an entire year after her father's death (yes, a year) and without the pale skin of other respectable English ladies, Emily is as much a mystery as the dead boy assigned to her. Jacob Beaufort's spirit has been unable to crossover since his death several months ago. It might have something to do with the fact he was murdered. Or it might not. All he knows is, he has been assigned by the Otherworld's administrators to a girl named Emily. A girl who can see and touch him. A girl who released a shape-shifting demon into the mortal realm. Together they must send the demon back before it wreaks havoc on London. It should be a simple assignment, but they soon learn there's nothing simple when a live girl and a dead boy fall in love. THE MEDIUM is the first book in the Emily Chambers Spirit Medium trilogy. Yes, that's *trilogy* - meaning not everything will be wrapped up nicely at the end of The Medium. There are 2 more books after it, both of which are published. Check out my website for details.

I am not Alex Godfrey. But that's who I have to be, because being an agent of the Drug Enforcement Agency doesn't get you very far when you're working as an insider in the world's largest drug cartel. I'm not just working for the government, though. This time I'm out for more than justice. I'm out for revenge. I expected the danger. I expected the immorality. I expected the pain. What I didn't expect was falling in love with the cartel boss's daughter, unable to control myself even under the threat of death. And I definitely didn't expect to uncover a powerful conspiracy marching toward its mysterious plan.

Jace and Knox go backpacking in the Canadian mountains for what they plan to be only for a week. But when their harmless vacation becomes a two month fight for survival, their only hope may lie in the guidance of a wild dog. ___________ 2015 FEATURED STORY ON WATTPAD #31 in Adventure EKS 2014

Here's the deal: Giovanna (please call her Gia) Marino, a dyslexic gymnast, has been queen of the little (but big) ice cream shop located in sunny Southern California. Here's the dilemma: Alec Davidson is looking to change that. But things won't be different, not if Gia has her way. [humor #862 7.26.14] 2014 © all rights reserved

With summer just around the corner, Coraline's prepared for another busy tourist season at her family's hotel. What she's not expecting, however, is England's hottest up-and-coming music sensation, Leon McCarthy, showing up at the check-in desk.

Humanity’s desire to be immortal is finally fulfilled when Stuart and Nick, two mischievous yet brilliant young men, figure out a way to reverse age. Over the next few years, they sell life to the aging population and build Phoenix Corporation: one of the biggest companies in the world. With Life Centers across the globe, people can prolong life but death still remains unconquered. When an accident at a Life Center throws the city of Hamilton into chaos, nothing stops the spreading death and madness. Stuart and Nick struggle to find the real reason behind the mysterious phenomenon. Will humanity pay the ultimate price for evading death?

"Rule number one," He whispers, pulling back to look me right in the eye, "Never let your guard down." He flashes me a cunning smirk as I stare at him, stunned at what he had just done. Only, he makes a mistake of turning to see what everyone else ahead of the bleachers is doing. I smirk and take a step back forcefully. Just as he turns his head back to face me, I swing my arm at his face. "No. That's rule two," I snap, "Rule one is never turn your back to your opponent." Faye Williams is not the type of girl who would call for the attention. However, she calls things as she sees them. Faye's not afraid to use her fist, for that's all she's ever known. Some call her a good girl while others call her a rebel. What most people don't know is that she's witnessed things that not many people get to witness. With an unstable mother who blames her for a needed divorce, she's seen, heard, and knows plenty. It's not until she moves to Miami, Florida with her dad, that trouble arises. Let's just say that the odds are not in her favor, especially when it comes to that notorious 'bad kid' Travis. Yet, for some reason, she feels that fixing the bad boy will mend herself. When a powerful gang leader, a notorious bad boy, vengeful mother, and two faced acquaintances enter the equation, Faye knows there's nothing to save her now. *Copyright © 2013* All rights reserved.

Serena Davidson leads two lives. At school, she's a morbidly obese, stupid, nerdy, bitchy, slutty, and a teacher's pet. But at home she's the scrawny vegetarian pushover. What would possess someone to wear a fat suit every day? And what happens when someone finds out?