Book One: Rae Wilder has problems. Supernatural creatures swarm earth, and humanity is on the brink of extinction. Stalked by a handsome fairy who claims she is like him, demonkind, she thinks maybe it was a mistake breaking the rules by going over the Wall into demon territory. Plunged into a world of dark magics, fierce creatures, and ritual sacrifice, she is charged with a guarding a magical amulet. The changes to her mind and body are startling, but rather than accept her purpose she struggles against who she is destined to be. Throw in a big lust for a vampire who can't keep his hands off her, and life starts to get complicated. Rae is forced to make the ultimate choice: to live and die human, or embrace her birth-right and wield magics that could turn her into something wicked, a force of nature nothing can control. (Previously titled Demon Girl).

They're better than you, but they struggle too. In the posh city of Beverly Hills lies some of the richest teens in the state and where money lurks so does trouble. Damon Felix, the school's Lacrosse star - and certified hottie - is learning the hard way that money can't buy you out of everything even when you're the heir to millions. Jacqueline Lexington's life is falling apart at the seams but it only takes a tear through the middle to break a dollar bill - and a family. Erika Felix, queen of Alabaster Preparatory School's social scene, thinks she's swimming in diamonds but soon she finds herself wondering if they're even real. Although money isn't a problem, you've got ninety-nine more when you're a rich kid. (Wattpad Featured) COVER MADE BY aurion-

Reading has never been more unpredictable.

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

When fifteen year old Drake was born, they called him boneless. Destined to die for what his clan called an abnormality, the love of his mother saved him. But growing up with a weak bone disease meant he cannot fight, hunt, joust, or draw a blood-sigil that has become a custom for every kid. Considered a weakling by many including his family, Drake knows his only chance to succeed is to learn faster and work twice harder than the other boys, but he lacks the very thing that defines greatness amongst his clan; the ability to wield a blood bonded magic. When a failed assassination attempt leaves him lost in the woods, a chance encounter sets him upon a strange creature with secrets that could change his life or destroy him. In the prominent cities of the Nine Worlds, an assassin strikes fear in the hearts of Kings. People whisper of the Black Fury, a goddess of vengeance, but Zelos Shadowstealer is just a girl burdened by a great power, whose identity, happiness, and future have been enslaved to serve the greed of her masters. Kingdoms have fallen, wars ignited, and great names extinguished at the edge of her blade, but when she is set upon a young prince doomed to die by her hand, she begins to entertain questions that leaves her with two choices- smother the affection that had sprouted in her cold heart or be hunted by the murderers she had once served. In a world where a strong arm and a cold heart rules, the two begin to realize that the line between withering and surviving is truly thin.

An Oath Sworn. A Struggle Engaged. A Sacrifice Required. When Mara, a trained Oathtaker, is drawn by the scent of the Select to battle underworld beasts summoned by powers of evil to destroy the guardians of life, she swears a life oath for the protection of her charge. Armed with a unique weapon and her attendant magic and with the aid of her Oathtaker cohorts, two ancients and a spymaster, Mara seeks safety for her charge from one who would end Oosa's rightful line of rule and from assassins who endeavor to bring ruin to the land. As Mara puzzles to decipher ancient prophecy concerning her charge, as she is haunted with memories of her own past failings, she discovers the price her oath will exact. To renounce her word would be treasonous; to fail, ruinous; to persevere, tortuous. Abiding by an oath requires sacrifice.

'Prince William shall go' I wasn't about to walk into the castle and demand William join me on a quest. 'Wate shall go.' Wate shan't go, I thought to my self. 'Your eldest and twin will accompany you.' I would bring my brothers and that was enough. Saoirse has a quest. She has to save the last dragon eggs before it is too late. Because deep in the shadows the darkest of monsters lurk... So as she runs for her life and her friends the future of dragons sits on her shoulders... Seems a heavier load then she first thought.

❖ QUEENKILLER, KINGMAKER Book 1 ❖ Feudal Southeast-Asia filled with magic, daemons, and a royal conspiracy. This is Isla's quest for the truth, and her slow spiral into becoming her very own worst nightmare. When the gods ascended thousands of years ago, they left behind the divine gift of theurgy. Its powers still echo amongst men, but run fiercer yet in the blood of kings and queens. And one of them will stop at nothing before Isla is dead. A betrayal lures her out of refuge and into her journey home, where she must unmask her enemies before they unmask her. The theurgy that she has had to keep hidden for many years can be her greatest ally or her most lethal foil. Only her wits can guide her through the dangerous politics of the Surikh court. But amidst the plots and schemes bubbling around her, she uncovers something far more sinister than the identity of her enemies. Something that can change her entire life; indeed, entire kingdoms. ↝ this work contains violence, profanity, and sexual references ↜ ↝ Winner of Wattys 2016 HQ Love Award ↝ Winner of FANTASCI's first season Chosen One awards ↝ Winner of The Cryptic Awards 2018 ↝ Featured in Fantasy as of 18-01-2017 ↝ Wattpad Editor's Pick January 2021