A holiday fantasy story told in two parts. Book I: An empath teenager discovers a magical world beneath her family hotel and new friends who just might make life worth living again. That is, if the mad man who is twisting her mind in knots, doesn't get to her first. Fall into the world of secrets, Empaths, morphlings and fair folk with Isabella Foxworthy and her friends: Seth Logan, the guitar-playing jock who just can't leave her alone, his brother Micah, and the overly indulged but genius twins, Cleo and Xander. Please note: this is the first draft. The fully proofread draft was published. I'll try to post it someday soon. The Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FNlcp-ADqQ Happy reading!

Gentle ripples passed over her, a watery caress that contrasted with her growing unease. Blinking slowly, Eliza tried to make sense of her situation. She found herself submerged, an unexpected aquatic world unfolding around her. Panic crept in as her ankles remained bound, immobilized as if by an unseen force. An attempt to move her arms yielded no results - they were ensnared in an unyielding grip. Seaweed, sinuous and trailing, wrapped itself around her legs with an almost possessive hold. Every movement was thwarted by the constricting tendrils, her struggles mirrored by the rippling sea plants. An urgency to breathe set in, her chest tightening in a desperate plea for air. But the very element that should sustain her had become a stifling barrier. A strand of slimy seaweed clung to her lips, smothering her mouth and nose. It seemed as if the water itself had turned against her, a sinister transformation that threatened to consume her.

"La mia anima gemella." He uttered in a voice that sent shivers throughout my body. There was a pause. My legs started wobbling and I struggled to catch my balance. "W-what?" I breathlessly whispered, but it was barely audible. He seemed to hear it and moaned at the sound of my voice. "La mia anima gemella," He softly repeated, getting up from the ground, "Mate." ** Luna's mellow life takes a sharp turn when a mysterious black-winged man, previously injured, shows up in an alley and tells her that she's his long lost mate, Katarina. Not only does Luna now question her sanity as well as her identity, but she gain feelings for this winged stranger. That's pretty hard to do when your heart is literally made of ice.

Updating Fridays and Sundays, Kingdom's Fall is a fantasy adventure set in a world where heroes find themselves pitted against an ancient and powerful magic. Kara has lived her whole life trapped under the roof of her father's inn. She longs for adventure, but there is little to be found in a backwater village: at least until Aiden Baird arrives. Noble, rogue, and spy - Aiden Baird is the most notorious man in the Kingdom. Or he would be, if he could remember who he is... Cuan has lived his entire life as the garrison brat, surrounded by soldiers. Unwanted and ignored, he travels north in the service of the one man he looks up to: Gray, the garrison captain. But Captain Gray has concerns of his own. It has been fifteen years since he last saw the King, and they did not part on good terms. Something dark is growing in the Kingdom. Trade from the south has choked to a standstill, and the air over the marshes hangs heavy with the threat of war. In the north the sea-wall, the ancient defence that protects the coastline, is crumbling. The people look to their lords for guidance, and the lords look to their King. King Varion has little time for their concerns. His daughter has been kidnapped by a priest-cult who intend to sacrifice her and summon an ancient power into the world. Faced with an enemy beyond human understanding, there is only one conclusion. In order to save their people, the Kingdom must fall.

A contagious disease decimates humanity in an event known as the Reckoning. A telekinetic assassin and a nomadic healer fight for survival in the post-apocalyptic aftermath. *** The first story I ever wrote.

SAMPLE OF PUBLISHED BOOK THAT WAS FIRST WRITTEN ON WATTPAD. Fletcher was nothing more than a humble blacksmith's apprentice, when a chance encounter leads to the discovery that he has the ability to summon demons from another world. Chased from his village for a crime he did not commit, he must travel with his demon to the Vocans Academy, where the gifted are trained in the art of summoning. The academy will put Fletcher through a gauntlet of gruelling lessons, training him as a battlemage to fight in the Hominum Empire's war against the savage orcs. Rubbing shoulders with the children of the most powerful nobles in the land, Fletcher must tread carefully. The power hungry Forsyth twins lurk in the shadows, plotting to further their family's interests. Then there is Sylva, an elf who will do anything she can to forge an alliance between her people and Hominum, even if it means betraying her friends. Othello is the first ever dwarf at the academy, and his people have long been oppressed by Hominum's rulers, which provokes tension amongst those he studies alongside. Fletcher will find himself caught in the middle of powerful forces, with nothing but his demon Ignatius to help him. As the pieces on the board manoeuvre for supremacy, Fletcher must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands ... Did you know that the Wattpad version of Summoner: The Novice is just a large sample of the first draft? The professionally published version is longer and 100% completed, with more demons, more lessons and more action! You can buy it now in all good bookstores and online, including Barnes and Noble, Waterstones, Amazon, Kindle, iBooks, Google Play, Kobo and Nook. Please vote, follow and add my book to your reading list if you like my writing :) The cover is by Małgorzata Gruszka, one of my favourite artists: This book is represented by Juliet Mushens at The Agency Group.

Eighteen-year-old Rose Davies is a fresher at the prestigious Cambridge University. She dreams of punting on the river, reading Shakespeare in the famous library, and getting to know a town steeped in history. But Trinity College's newest professor, Christian Howard, is a dream of a very different kind - and, impossibly, the image of the man who saved her life when she was only six years old. Soon, Rose is swept into a world she never expected to find; filled with angels and demons, a war raging eons, and a discovery that will change her life forever... She is the key to ending the Eternal War, but Heaven & Hell will do whatever it takes to ensure the other can't have her...

A cursed prince. A vain beauty. Glory is the seventh daughter of Balthazar, High King of the Twelve Kingdoms. Glory hopes that - of all her sisters - she can escape the fate of a loveless marriage. But on the night she plans to elope with the royal falconer, her world comes crashing down: Her father announces Glory's betrothal to Eoghan of the Blood Realm - a prince no one has ever seen. The prince is said to be a recluse, cursed and deformed by the gods for the sins of his power-hungry father. Yet when Glory is trapped in Blackthorn Keep she discovers that not everything is what she expected. An insulting gryphon, a persistent ghost, and a secret plan to usurp the prince keep Glory reeling. Can she overcome her vanity to learn that what you want isn't necessarily what you need-and save the cursed prince?

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