Mirabel Bendithio thought the most dangerous of her problems ended with the war. Her husband became King, making her Queen of a foreign country. In other words, she would finally get her chance to travel where ever she wanted. Instead, financial troubles have her stuck in the palace with a rogue assassin methodically removing all of King Garen's supporters, not to mention a group of purists who aren't too happy having a foreign queen from the untamed wood. With each death, Mirabel's position in court grows more and more uncertain. Can one Queen of circumstance save the people she's come to love?

The temperature dropped, and, shivering, Story stood and turned slowly around. A massive polar bear towered over her, his mouth twisted into an animalistic grin. “You’re sick, Geamhradann.” “I’m so glad you remember me.” The Winter King sat down on his haunches and licked one of his dinner plate sized paws clean of drying silver blood. “And I’m feeling quite well, thank you very much.” Story rubbed her hands over her arms against the freezing wind. She couldn’t feel her feet any longer, and though her head told her to run, she knew it was no good. Geamhradann would catch her as soon as she moved. She looked around for a weapon, a rock, a chunk of ice, anything to throw at him to force him to break his concentration and therefore loosen his hold on her in the dreamscape, so she could wake up. “You should know better, half-blood. You can’t hurt me here.” Story must face an evil greater than any she’s encountered before. As darkness looms over Ailionora, Story, her companions, and all of the races of Ailionora band together to fight for their very survival. “Spendlove acknowledges authors Michael Stackpole and Aaron Allston in her book. Her writing style mirrors the easy readability of those two master wordsmiths, where the words flow and the characters don’t make you stop and wonder why they are doing something. The tale just feels believable and the characters relatable.” -Tricia Barr, FANgirl Blog

This book will be taken down on the 1st March 2017 due to being published on Amazon and will only have the first part sampled here. Beyond Fear there is Courage. In a world ruled by The Elements and torn apart by darkness, a new evil has arisen, to take the throne of Kaimeara. Trapped within their prison, the once great Elders of Valista hang onto their last glimmer of hope, a hero prophecized to save them all. Dragged into their treacherous world, 16 year old Lizzie Somers finds herself on a terrifying journey across an unknown land in search of the legendary Winged Horses of Air and her only possible way of returning home. Helped throughout by an unlikely ally and hunted at every turn by a deadly enemy she must fight for survival. But as Lizzie's quest spirals out of control, can she find the strength inside to face her fears and defeat the evil or will she lose everything forever, including herself? Beyond Fear © Stephanie Olivia Hanlon Cover Design © Carly Chapman

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

Emma Newfound had always grown up near the ocean. She loved the crystal clear water of Florida's coast. Emma's life had not been the best. She was always bullied in school, her mom was still recovering from a heartbreaking divorce, and she was self conscious beyond belief. The ocean has always been, and will always be, her escape. One day, the ocean, would change her life forever.

When my brother and I were very little, our parents left us to the care of our aunt and uncle and seemed to disappear off the face of the earth. For nine years we've lived in this mansion, and every day is the same-school, chores, and trying to find something to occupy us. Until he comes along. In just one afternoon my whole world changes. This boy is hiding something and I'm determined to find out what it is, even if it kills me.

NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestseller Top #10 Amazon Bestseller #1 Barnes & Noble Bestseller Top #10 Bestseller on iTunes, and Kobo "Move over Twilight! Here comes Aaron Patterson!" --Joshua Graham, bestselling author of Beyond Justice and Darkroom "I was surprised by how much I really, really liked this book. I have not jumped on the whole "fallen angel" bandwagon, just as I didn't jump on all of the vampire stories that came out after Twilight. This is not your typical fallen angel story. It is one that has left me breathlessly waiting for the next one in the series. Hurry up please!!!" --Sandra Stiles BOOK DESCRIPTION: All Airel wanted was to be normal... She seems like an average 17-year-old in the anonymous little city of Boise, Idaho: Airel. But those untroubled days are soon to end, and the change she undergoes will be so radical she will wonder if it wasn't all an illusion to begin with. Pursued ferociously, relentlessly by an ancient enemy in the deepest darkness, now she will have to learn how to fight for her life. And all because of who she is, because of her lineage. Because of this she will never have what she wants most: she will never be normal.

Cedric is the servant of the much hated king, whose popularity is slipping fast while the country seems on the verge of revolution. However, when Cedric breaks one of the most sacred rules in the castle and discovers that the king and those behind the king are much more powerful than anyone could have imagined, Cedric learns that he is also part of that hidden secret.

"Mom? MOM?? Where are you? Please help me! I don't know what's happening to me! Please!" Tru was a normal girl with a normal life. But isn't that how every story starts? You can be as normal as you want but when the truth comes out, nothing is as normal as it seems to be. And that's when everything 'shifts'.

“Spring has something of mine; he knows what it is.” She smiled coldly. “I need you to bring it to me.” “And why would I do that?” Story folded her arms over her chest. A branch from the sidhe’s hair glided out in front of her, bearing a single, small acorn. “Because I poisoned Eírnin.” One of the tattoos on her shoulder coalesced into a live oak leaf, and she plucked it before standing up and holding it out toward Story. “And if you want the antidote, you will bring me what I seek.” Story lunged for the leaf, but the Autumn Princess was too quick and crushed it in her hand. “You have until winter’s first frost reaches him. Then, he dies.” Without waiting for a response, Metirreonn disappeared in a scattering of red-gold leaves and sparks. * * * * * Six months after arriving in the world of Ailionora, Story finds herself once again on a quest; only this time it is not to save a dying race but the life of the elf she loves. Along the way, she must face the consequences of her previous choices and battle with enemies both old and new while she races against time. “Engagingly demonstrates that readers of all ages can get drawn into a world of magic and adventure.” — Karen Lyon, The Hill Rag