Of all the things on Taylor Buckley's agenda, developing superpowers was not one of them. One day she was a normal kid in school with a big secret and the next she was whisked away to a place called Supernatural Abilities that specializes in training people with powers just like her. She is thrown into a world filled with fighting, betrayal, and pain and despite the war going on between her kind and their enemy, a greater secret and power lies in the hands of six Supernaturals. This is the story of Taylor Buckley, the girl who had no idea what she had gotten herself into. BOOK ONE OF THE SUPERNATURAL ABILITIES TRILOGY Reached #2 for fantasy!!

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

"His mother's screams remained etched in his mind. He promised himself that night he would never again stand by as people he cared for suffered, and he would one day kill Volcseck. He intended to keep those promises." Falcon Hyatt has a problem. For reasons unknown to him he can wield all the elements, not only basics like fire and water, but also those more advanced, like space and poison. And now the chaos element, the same one his parents' killer Shal-Volcseck wields, has awakened within him, with catastrophic results. To complicate matters, the Suteckh Empire has declared war on the capital cities of Va'siel. Now he must venture out into the world with his friends Lao, Faith, and Aya on a mission to stop the Suteckh from taking over Va'siel, and find his parents killer, as all the while he struggles to suppress his newfound abilities. In his quest Falcon is forced to question what he's really fighting for, where his loyalties lie, and his own character. Is he truly a good person, or an even more dangerous menace than the dreaded Shal-Volcseck? Element Wielder is the story of faith, love, and a young man's struggle to continue on his quest, when surrendering to his emotions and giving up is so much easier.

Anna is a 17 year old girl living on the streets. She knows little of her past but has visions of what they were or was. Anna has powers and in a rebellion people with powers are considered a good chess piece in a game of war. But will her past intervene with what she wants to achieve? Will the lies break her down or lift her up? What will her past tell the truth of her and the ones around her? *This is my first book on wattpad*

Madness can only be written in blood. //#1 in Horror, #1 in Action, #34 in Humour and WATTY AWARD WINNER: One of the Most Addictive Stories of 2014 and Featured Story//A Horror Comedy by 8tracks// You can't spell 'manslaughter' without 'laughter'. An adventure in which she takes great pleasure in seeing a whole lot of blood. CAUTION: Contains sick humour and terrifying insanity. Thus, no lighthearted readers allowed. // Are you ready? Because "some say to survive, you have to be Mad As A Hatter." Cover by @xHeyItsAnnax amazing trailer by @carpe-di3m

On her seventeenth birthday, Kami receives a mysterious artifact and a ticket to visit her estranged grandparents in Egypt. When she arrives, no one is there to meet her. Alone in an unfamiliar country, she discovers their disappearance is only part of a greater threat. Whispers of strange creatures made of a shadowy substance can be heard among the nomads of the desert. A new queen has quietly come to power, given strength by a powerful evil unleashed when she opens an ancient jar. Kami must rely on a band of misfit friends she makes along the way to save her grandparents and stop the queen. But does the handsome boy she just met have the answers, or is he part of the reason for her grandparents' disappearance? Born of Shadow is the first book in the Shadow Wars Series and is a featured story on Wattpad. It has hit top 10 rankings in adventure, fantasy and paranormal hotlists. It was chosen by the hit TV show ONCE UPON A TIME for Best Heroes & Villains and is now available to buy on Amazon! © Copyright 2014, All rights reserved

"Close your eyes." he croaked, I did as I was told without any disobedience. "Have you any idea how badly I want to kiss you right now?" I shook my head in reply. "Badly, so fucking badly." he whispered as his harsh breath fanned across my cheek. Dark haired and tattooed, Xavier looked like the ultimate bad boy...but weren't bad boys meant to have that boyish charm? The thing is, Xavier was extremely guarded, hot headed and quite frankly, scary. In fact, Xavier was many things but romantic and loving wasn't two of them. He was a building half built, a puzzle with half of the pieces missing... Until he met me. Warning: Bad language (lots of). A possessive delinquent that is guaranteed to make you smile (or cry.)

Seventeen-year-old Gavin Hillstone is resigned to being miserable for the rest of his life. Left alone in the world after his parents died in a fire when he was four, he was placed in foster care, which for him meant ending up in an abusive home with an alcoholic adoptive father. Gavin’s only escape is in taking and creating images. His camera is his refuge from the unending torture and isolation of daily life in his “family.” Until he learns by accident that he isn’t alone in the world after all. His father’s parents are still alive and living in Washington DC. When he takes the plunge and travels 3,000 miles to find his grandparents, he learns that they—and he—are part of something much bigger, and more dangerous, than he could ever have imagined. Something that has always put his family at risk and that will now threaten his own life, while forever changing it. He learns that he is one of the last descendants of a small group of Photo Travelers—people who can travel through time and space through images. But his initial excitement turns to fear, when he soon discovers that he and his grandparents are being pursued by the fierce remnants of a radical European Photo Traveler cult, the Peace Hunters. What Gavin has, they want! His adventure will take him to past eras, like The Great Depression and the Salem Witch Trials. Gavin will have to discover who he really is and must make choices that spell the difference between life and death for himself, for the relatives he now knows and loves, and for the girl he will come to love. For Gavin, life will never be the same.

Emerson knows high school can be messy, but nothing could prepare her for Oliver Remmer's return. Dangerous, mysterious, and rumored to be a psychopath, he's the kind of boy everyone fears... and everyone watches. Yet Emerson isn't everyone. She sees the layers beneath his intense exterior-the boy shaped by a troubled past, moments of tenderness hidden under bursts of anger, and a vulnerability most people would never notice. Between the gossip, the chaos, and the adrenaline-charged tension, Emerson can't help but be drawn in. Oliver is unpredictable, and being near him is thrilling-and maybe a little bit reckless. Standing her ground almost feels like a dare. But some loves are worth the risk. Some loves are easy. Back Cover Copy: "Write down one word that describes you." Oliver didn't hesitate. Psychopath. Everyone expects me to run. To stay away. To be careful. But I didn't. Because there's something behind the intensity, the walls, the mystery. Something only I get to see. Because sometimes the thrill of the unknown is exactly what your heart has been waiting for. Set in North Carolina, Open is a teen romance about taking risks, discovering who someone really is, and finding that love can feel mysterious, dangerous... and irresistible. C O V E R B Y @ZiaDavis

#WATTYS2014 HQ LOVE AWARD! There's a darkness that lurks in the City of Light Seventeen-year-old Connor Lewis is chased by a memory. On his first day of kindergarten he bit a boy hard enough to scar the kid for life. Since then he's been a social outcast at a New York private school. Through an unexpected turn of good fortune, he lands a scholarship to study in Paris, where everything starts to look up. On the first day he befriends two military brats, and he may finally get a taste of what it's like to be a normal teenager. It doesn't last. His host family - an alluring young tattoo artist and her moody, handsome boyfriend - inadvertently introduce him to the underworld of werewolves where there are two types: the born and the bitten. Those born to it take the form of elegant wolves, while the latter are cursed to transform into the half-man, half-beast creatures of horror movies. The bitten rarely survive. Unfortunately, Connor is on the wanted list of a four hundred-year-old bitten human who's searching for both a cure and a means of wiping out werewolves for good. Connor's loyalties are tested as he becomes embroiled in a conflict where werewolves, mad science and teen angst collide. POSTING ON TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS! Originally published by Fierce Ink Press and in translation from Random House Germany. My books are available in print and as ebooks on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Chapters Indigo and other retailers. The paperbacks are Collectors Editions that come with extras like a signed bookplate and extra content from me. You can also visit my English language publisher to pick up the entire box set at a discount: http://fierceinkpress.storenvy.com/collections/267139-the-magdeburg-trilogy *** If you enjoy the chapters, likes and comments are appreciated ***