Long ago stood the kingdom of Requiem, a land of men who could grow wings and scales, breathe fire, and take flight as dragons. Requiem ruled the sky. But Dies Irae, a tyrant leading an army of griffins, hunted Requiem's people, burned their forests, and shattered their temples. Requiem fell. This ancient land now lies in ruin, its halls crumbled, its cries silenced, its skeletons littering the burned earth. In the wilderness, a scattering of survivors lives in hiding. The griffins still hunt them, and every day promises death. Will Requiem's last children perish in exile... or once more become dragons and fly to 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.

Anakin Skywalker will not become Darth Vader. Not yet, anyway. Padmé saved him from a lifetime of regret by pulling him out of the fateful battle between Mace Windu and Chancellor Palpatine. But at some point, he still has to decide if his heart lies with the Jedi or the Sith. Palpatine, undeterred by the loss of his potential apprentice, still devises a way to create the Empire and wipe out the vast majority of the Jedi. He sends various threats directly to Anakin and Padmé to convince them that they and their newborn children are in danger. Fearing for their safety, they split. For years, Anakin and Leia wander throughout the galaxy, dodging the Empire and searching for a greater purpose. Meanwhile, Padmé raises Luke while working with Bail Organa and Mon Mothma to lead the fight against the oppressive Galactic Empire. Anakin is constantly tempted by the Dark Side. Padmé struggles to help the Rebels succeed. Their children mean everything to both of them. The story also features other characters we all know and love, such as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Han Solo, and Boba Fett. Most of the story takes place 7 years after Revenge of the Sith. Please note that I would never change the canon; this story is intended to explore what could have happened, not what should have happened. OCs are used very sparingly. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to vote and comment- feedback from the readers is the most important thing to me about Wattpad! 1st Place in the Prequel Category in The Star Wars Fanfiction Awards

{THREE ONE-SHOTS AND A BONUS FEATURE POSTED EVERY DECEMBER.} It's fast approaching that time of year in a galaxy far, far away... And along with it comes the tradition for all, even Jedi, to give gifts to their closest friends and family. Obi-Wan wants new socks, Anakin is hoping for a more grown-up Jedi outfit and a promotion to Jedi Master, and Ahsoka wants a Shoto lightsaber. Padme wants something far harder to get ahold of: her secret husband, Anakin, home for a few days. But with the war raging on around them, can they all still get what they want? And what new surprises will the Jedi, Sith and bounty hunters we all know and love be faced with as they scramble to find the perfect gift for their loved ones? You'll soon find out! Sit back for cute and funny one-shots about celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah and the New Year!

To be read as the first book in the series. Many people have wondered what happened to Ahsoka Tano, padawan to Anakin Skywalker, after she left the Jedi Order. Over the summer of 2014, I decided to start writing a story that was woven into the plot lines of both the Star Wars movies and the TV series. In the first book in my own ongoing series, I have explored what adventures Ahsoka might have gone on, and what old romantic attractions could have led to. \\ Also in this series: \\ Book One: Search Book Two: Disturbance Book Three: Empire Book Four: Journey Book Five: Master Book Six: Return Book Seven: Ascension Book Eight: Reborn Book Nine: Dissent Book Ten: Eventide Vode An || A UAAT Story Transcending Bonds (COMING SOON) Untitled sequel trilogy (COMING SOON)

"The story you are about to read isn't a romance story, filled with hearts and love and perfection. This is a story of a girl, a girl who has a traumatic past, and may never be able to move on from it. That girl is me." Meet Elody Jiles. Outwardly, she seems like a normal girl, with a normal life. However, that is not the case. Upon meeting her, you may assume she is just extremely introverted, and doesn't like being around people. But in reality, she is simply afraid of human touch. This is a result of her broken past. No one really understands what happened, or why she is the way she is. For now. Her family got sick of her hiding in her room, seemingly scared of living her life. So without her consent, she is sent off to a horse ranch in the middle of nowhere, where she is to work for the summer. She has no choice but to oblige, so as to avoid being thrown out. What will happen when she discovers she is to live and work closely alongside another person? And what will happen when she discovers that other person is a guy?