In a world being torn apart, a righteous Druid faces a dark Witch in a final battle to determine the fate of the planet. Prophecies have declared that the world cannot survive under the power they each possess, and one of them must die for the sake of humanity. But there is one problem that may complicate matters even more. The Druid and the Witch are ex-lovers. As they exchange magical blows, their old arguments arise, forcing them both to come to terms with how they ended things, and how they really feel about each other. One must die to save the world. But who will triumph? Witness an epic battle of light versus dark, good versus evil, man versus woman, as you've never seen before! *This was an entry into the AdventureCommunity's 'Bad Romance' short story contest: https://www.wattpad.com/206555757-adventure-community-contests-bad-romance

Feared by his enemies and tolerated by his allies, Sedgewick Alverdyne, the cynical Minister of Magic, was content with living an attachment-free life whilst striking fear into the hearts of witches, sorceresses, and wizards everywhere. And after several hundred years of faithfully serving the royal family, he's become very comfortable in his position-including his indispensability. But when a mysterious curse starts wreaking havoc on his powers, his stable existence is pulled out from under him. Facing old and new enemies on one side and his own department on the other, Sedgewick finds himself stranded with little magic and less help. With time of the essence, his reputation on the line, and no one willing to help but Feyla, his meddling-yet surprisingly devoted-assistant, he's forced to confront one of the few challenges he hasn't prepared for. Because a mage without magic isn't a mage at all... A Wattpad Featured Story Published August 12th, 2016. Completed August 20th, 2017. Amazing cover by the equally amazing mahana258 ! 2nd place winner of Edit Review Club's fantasy contest. 1st place winner of The Midnight Awards 2nd place winner of The Fae Folk's Clash of Swords Ranked #486 in Fantasy on 12/20/16 Ranked #407 in Fantasy on 6/14/17 Ranked #401 in Fantasy on 6/15/17 Ranked #356 in Fantasy on 10/1/17 Ranked #290 in Fantasy on 10/27/17 Ranked #219 in Fantasy on 11/15/17 Ranked #198 in Fantasy on 11/18/17 Ranked #180 in Fantasy on 1/3/18

They weren't exactly the crew the President had in mind when he announced his plan to build a permanent base on the moon so the Chinese wouldn't do it first, but there they were, a boring collection of peaceful, happy settlers who couldn't even get a decent reality TV show rating. Life was perfectly dull until the new guy arrived. Now if they could only find out who he was and where he'd come from

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

The ruthless Queen Maeve of Connaught declares war on Ulster. Her younger sister, Eirainna, falls in love with her rival: leader of Ulster's army Sir Connor mac Nessa. Bound by royal blood but drawn to her enemy lover, the princess must choose where her true loyalties lie...and fight to hide her treason from her vengeful sister. An epic story of a war that spans decades, the forbidden romance that grows within it, and the dangerous secret that is born in its midst. *A fictional retelling of Irish legend, mythology, and history.* ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

When a knight-in-training sets out on a dragonquest to win the hand of a fair princess, he expects to return in time for a pavilion wedding in the fall. But after fifty years of tracking his quarry across godforsaken hinterlands, he is starting to wonder if he has the stamina to finish the job.

A sea of sky, a world of broken islands and shattered history, and flying ships ride the winds. Clarissa, a girl with no last name and no claim to anything beneath the endless blue, is sent to accompany a mysterious cargo aboard a ship of scoundrels. Flying beneath the lift bag of the Ravens' Child, accompanying the band of misfits and rogues that crew her, Clarissa begins to learn that the most profound mystery of her voyage is the one she takes with her. My NaNoWriMo 2019 project, an odd skypunk tale and something a little different from anything I've ever come across, like any good worldbuilding tale should be. If you happen to take a chance, let me know what you think.

WATTPAD ORIGINAL EDITION Island princess Yenni is searching for a way to save her father's life, but a handsome yet infuriating shapeshifting dragon becomes an unexpected distraction. ***** As a princess of the Moonrise Isles, Yenni is all-but-engaged to the prince of a neighbouring tribe. She knows it's her duty to ensure peace for her people, but as her father's illness steadily worsens, she sets out on a sacred journey to the empire of Cresh, determined to find a way to save him at any cost, even though failure could mean the wrath of her gods and ruin for her people. One further complication? On the day she arrives at the Prevan Academy for Battle and Magical Arts, she meets an arrogant dragon shifter who claims she's his "Given", or destined mate. Muscular, beautiful (and completely infuriating), he's exactly the kind of distraction Yenni can't afford while her father's life hangs in the balance. But by rejecting him, is she fighting her feelings -- or her fate?

One soul. Two lives. One destiny. ***** Torn apart by the gods, twin sisters, Sheala and Cassandra, are each anointed by the Fates to end the war raging upon Geiha. The sisters, one of the light and one of the dark, find themselves on the opposite sides of the conflict between the remnants of the ancient Kingdom of Hitithe and the evil empire of a vampiric Blood Lord. Their separate paths set them on a course where facing their destiny means ultimately facing each other. While one runs from this inevitability, the other has embraced it. And the fate of the world will depend upon which one shall ultimately claim it. Cover designed by Ray Gardener

Nefri is a princess of Khemtesh, the prosperous empire of dark, fertile land that follows the great River. Despite the apparent perfection of palace life, Nefri's family is not at peace. One of her brothers is a reclusive sorcerer who has cut himself off from most human contact. Nefri is one of the few people who can speak to him, and she's afraid to do so. Nefri's other older brother is charming, well-liked, and in line for the throne-but his uncle the Emperor has the final say on inheritance, and he hasn't yet spoken. Tensions are on the rise. A catastrophe, a death, and Nefri's world is changed. Somewhere, there is something evil stalking Nefri's family. She will have to work out who and what it is if she wants to save herself, her family, and her Empire. But first she has to figure out who she can really trust. This story will update on Tuesday and Friday until finished. Warnings for animal abuse (although not animal death) and an abusive situation involving human characters.