There's nothing you're forced to trust more than your own mind. You're dependent on it, it stores the memories that make up your world. But what if it could be stolen from you? Aspen's world is growing, from the boundaries of her country farm to the edges of the city. Her first year of university. It's supposed to be full of independence and new beginnings, and Aspen's is filled with new friends and the prospect of romance. Until she finds out her best friends are killing people. A YA thriller swimming with mystery, romance, and a seething danger that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Highest rank: #10 in Mystery/Thriller Cover by @supernovass © 2016 AUTHERAS, All rights reserved

At ten years old Rylee Evans goes missing. Her brothers stop the search for their sister after two years. What will they do when the youngest Evan sibling comes knocking at their door five years later?

Marci Daniels, adopted daughter of Shane Walsh never quite fit in anywhere . Her battle with life itself has been hard and the apocalypse has made her cold and hard for such a young girl .She will meet a man who doesn't really admit to feeling anything and who sees little in himself. The two most unlikely of people at the end of the world will create something like no other and fight to keep it safe and together in the hell they call life. * Script formatted writing

Quotes and little sayings for bad days or good days. [All images and quotes belong to their rightful owners. I take no credit for either.]

Que feriez-vous s'il ne vous restait que 24 heures ? Ana n'a que seize ans lorsque les autorités annoncent l'approche d'un astéroïde immense en direction de la Terre. Il la heurtera 24 heures plus tard. 24 heures. 24 heures pour se préparer à sa mort. Sauf qu'Ana ne veut pas mourir sans avoir lâché tout ce qu'elle a sur le cœur. 24 heures. 24 heures, c'est assez pour se venger de ce qu'elle a subi pendant sa vie. Mais quand elle s'aperçoit que ça ne sert à rien... Elle est perdue. Peut-être que le secours de Max rendra ses dernières heures plus douces. Cette nouvelle est écrite sous la forme d'une pièce de théâtre. Je n'ai jamais écrit sous cette forme, j'espère que ça sera conforme et que ça vous plaira !

**Wattys 2016 Winner!** Fifteen-year-old Emmeline Jefferson doesn't have time away from the Demons. Not a minute to say goodbye to her family, not a moment to wonder "Why me?" Every second she's not possessed is spent begging stranger after stranger for help. But no one believes a sporadic girl who claims Demons have spent more time in her body than she has. No one until she finds Dumaine. Dumaine Chartres's whole life fits in his accordion case, his friends are nonexistent, and this fascinating girl is telling him Demons exist. These things all make perfect sense. What he doesn't understand is why humans have such outrageous issues with murder. Death is natural. If he wasn't supposed to kill anyone, they wouldn't have died. Nobody even noticed the bodies anyway. In return for a break from his internal demons, Dumaine offers Emmeline help, and she's willing to receive it from anyone. Maybe this boy can finally be the keeper she needs. Maybe chasing these Demons can explain why he's so different from everyone else. Maybe this friendship can work. With a wise but demented old man, and enough determination to perturb the Demons, Emmeline and Dumaine concoct a plan to unriddle their lives. The first step is to confront the Demon's creator. But something else seems to have found the creator first. And it only looks like an Angel. Human Spines is part one of a YA dark Urban Fantasy written in a style similar to Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me and Elana Johnson's Possession. It's the first of a series and told from the viewpoints of Emmeline, Dumaine, and their rambling but wise navigator, Hans. Through a diverse cast, it explores themes of learned distrust, fear of the unknown, and the battle against the evil inside us all, in a way similar to a Studio Ghibli film. Cover by ecclesia-

One of the most *frequently asked questions* I get from readers of my published novels: "Was Dear Martin the first book you ever wrote?" The answer is no. Dear Martin was the third. The second (at long last!) will be published in Spring 2022, but the first will never see the light of day... Or so I used to say. *Used to* because we are currently in the thick of a literal global pandemic. And we're bored. And trying to stay motivated/encouraged/hopeful, etc. etc. So here it is. Nic Stone's first EVER novel that wasn't supposed to see the light of day. Starting today, April 1st, 2020, I'll post a chapter a day for the next 50 days (you read that right; this joint is LONG) and will leave it up indefinitely. You will laugh--AT me, but also occasionally with me. You will roll your eyes. You will have moments when you wonder if *The Nic Stone* actually wrote this long and intensely tropey and cliche book. About a 16-year-old biracial girl who sometimes glows in the dark, and after the death of her mother, discovers not only some latent supernatural abilities, but a prophesied mission she'll need them for. It is not professionally edited and is likely full of typos (though this was like the twelfth draft). It hasn't been beta-read and probably has some problematic rep in it. But my hope is that by posting it as-is, someone out there who doesn't feel *good enough* will see THIS starting point of a #1 New York Times bestseller and will be encouraged to get the story nagging at them down on paper. Even if it's never "published," there's no telling where it could lead. I hope you enjoy (or at least get a good laugh). Thanks for reading! Nic Stone

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