{Original Story} Phoenix Anderson wants nothing to do with the League of Superheroes. He's not sure why he's avoiding the good guys, but then again, there's a lot he doesn't know. Like the fact that his family history is a lot stranger than it seems. After getting some unexpected news, he realizes that he's more involved than he thought he would be. Events start unfolding one after another, including a house up in flames, a heist, a dangerous city, and a plot that spells trouble for everyone. Welcome to a world of superheroes and villains, of sinister twists and turns, of family who don't know they're family, and of undefined heroism.

SUNDAY UPDATES An arcane rogue witch and an elusive banished vampire team up to take on a Council that wants to control dark magic. * Elvira has never let the rules of magic define her. She's always pushed beyond the boundaries of arcane magic to create forbidden spells. But when her latest hex goes terribly wrong, she's taken to the Night Council -- where she discovers a terrible secret lurking. Determined, but utterly without allies, Elvira makes a blood debt with the one person strong enough to take down the Council. A supernatural declared wanted by the Council themselves, a notorious outlaw and a banished Vampire. Azreal Dryden. She'll break the cuffs holding his magic back -- and in return, he'll take vengeance on the Night Council. No one can stand in the way of this demonic duo, because apart they're powerful but together they'll bring the Council to their knees. *** 🥇 First Place of the Rose Gold Awards 2025 for Vampire/Werewolf

Wattys shortlist 2021 "I'm already loving this story" - _singforjoy_ "You are going to get me what I want," Isla said, calmly. "Or I will kill you." The words hung in the air between them. Raif looked unconcerned. "Is that so?" he said. Born to the captain of a pirate ship, Isla has spent her whole life at sea. Raised among sailors, her father has trained her to fight, command a crew, and, most importantly, the secrets of the ocean currents. When her father is killed in a storm, she is forced to step into his role as captain. Not only does she have to provide for the men on her ship, but she also inherits her father's outstanding debt to Lord Sutherland: the task of stealing the rare Serpent's Eye emerald. After months of failure to locate the emerald, Isla is forced to take extreme measures: she kidnaps Duke Raif Sayers, who knows of the emerald's location. But Raif proves to be more strong willed and stubborn than Isla expected. Matters become even more complicated when Raif's father offers a large reward for his son's rescue and suddenly every cutthroat is looking for Raif and the pirate who kidnapped him. As Isla and her crew are pushed to their limits and race against their deadline, Isla has to face that the one decision she thought would save her crew could be the very thing that destroys them. "Isla is such a kick-ass character that I can't help but to love her." - strawberrytrifles "This amazing book. I found it and fell in love" - sparklingdophlin333 "Isla is amazing, she is so strong willed and brave. I love her so much! She is already becoming one of my favourites 😍❤️" - theaxbank "Amazing. Your writing makes the setting, your characters and their actions leap off the page." - ADesignerofBeautiful "I am definitely seeing the Carter side of her now!😄" - notevenfunny_ A Loria Tale # 2 #1 Teen Fiction

When powerful witch Marithyda Skyelorn becomes a participant of the Royal Exposition, the last thing she expects is to fall in love with the Prince--or to be the cause of his death. ***** Every year, the kingdom of Karvoth hosts the Royal Exposition: a corrupt carnival where a race of citizens who possess powerful magic, known as the Touched, are exploited for the enjoyment of nobles. But when Marithyda Skyelorn's grand performance ends in tragedy and pits her against the deranged King, she must make the impossible choice between remaining in exile and participating again in the dangerous competition that ruined her life--to end it once and for all. (Book One of the Skyelorn Chronicles trilogy) [[2020 Watty's winner, Fantasy]] Content and/or Trigger Warning: Some scenes contain violence that may upset sensitive readers [[Word Count: 50,000-60,000]]

In the mysterious underworld, Italian assassin Luigi Lucheni is forced to relive his murder of Elisabeth, Empress of Austria, whose tragic life he narrates. Free-spirited Sisi's life is utterly changed when she marries her cousin, Franz Joseph, and becomes Empress of Austria. Confined in Vienna's oppressive court, struggling with her weak-willed husband and oppressive mother-in-law, she yearns for her independence-and resists the siren call of her great love, Death, who is never too far... An English fan adaptation of the hit Kunze & Levay musical, Elisabeth (1992).

A book of poems and short stories.

Death really isn't up for debate- until it is. At midnight on her twenty-ninth year of being a Versailles ghost, Nadine suddenly becomes corporal, just in time to solve a royal mystery over 300 years in the making. Her days of tormenting tourists and watching life continue from the sidelines are over, traded for working with the handsome new archivist, William, and the other Versailles ghosts to uncover a long lost secret tied to the theft of the French Crown Jewels. But when a former courtesan returns to the palace with a plot and her sights set on raising Versailles to the ground, Nadine's life after life gets a whole lot more complicated than a budding romance, crown jewels, and her new love of pop music. -- WIP, unedited

To avoid an unwanted marriage, Lady Cordelia Rowley must run away to the Highlands and disguise herself as a servant until her 21st birthday when she comes of legal age and regains control of her destiny. Captain Lachlan Shawe has found success and wealth in the Royal Navy, but he's made a few enemies too. While dodging the efforts of a dangerous assassin, Lachlan must find a capable, sensible wife to run his estate before his leave ends. Even though his childhood sweetheart has renewed her interest in him, Lachlan is drawn to an intriguing chamber maid who stirs something in him he let grow cold in the midst of the grim realities of war.

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

Flash warriors are the protectors of this enchanted world, but they were no match against their biggest adversary yet, the three-headed dragon known as the Devastruction. Their hope? It all lies with sixteen-year-old MaXabiere Berrygrewd, who happens to survive and awaken his powers he never knew he had in the beginning. He must join with the warriors, partake in a prophecy, and slay the dragon once and for all.