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

As a Dark Sorceress who has lived a lie her entire life, Kenna will have to decide whether the world she is desperately trying to save hasn't been doomed all along. *** Kenna has lived in the Monastery for as long as she can remember. Raised by the White Sisters as one of their own, she has always assumed she would eventually become a Sister herself. However, a few days before Kenna's eighteenth birthday, the Head Sister tells her that she is in fact a Dark Sorceress: a witch with the unusual ability to control Darkness and Death. Despite the nature of her own powers, Kenna discovers that she is destined to defeat the Darkness which is taking over her world, a destiny that sets her on a quest to find out who she is and what she's capable of. Accompanied by a charming bodyguard, she embarks on a journey that makes her question everything she has ever believed in. As the Darkness is growing inside her, Kenna will have to make a choice. Will she deny her true identity and continue down the path of the Light? Or will she fulfill another, darker part of her destiny that no one dares to talk about? /COMPLETED/ ----- #2nd in Fantasy - The Winner Awards 2020 FEATURED ON @adventure Fantastical Adventures reading list FEATURED ON @StoriesUndiscovered Explore The Stars reading list FEATURED ON @TheWarriorGoddess Fantastical Warriors reading list FEATURED ON @YAFantasy Dark Fantasy reading list FEATURED ON @WattWitches The Young and The Wicked reading list REVIEWS "Inheritance is a gripping and beautiful tale of magic, responsibility, and action. A truly fantastic story filled to the brim with action, a completely unique and entertaining plot, and relatable characters." @InHaze

Don't even think about coming here unless you've read book one. Book one is called Obsidian Awakening, posted on my profile. Rated mature for everything imaginable (and unimaginable) one would call mature.

[12 Chapter Preview of 2019 Edition-2025 Edition Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble] When an army of darkness falls from the sky, Alex Kingsley enlists the help of her male peers and ventures into spirit-infested lands to save humanity. ***** She's an outcast cursed to consume the memories of anything she touches. A woman fated to repopulate the nation's army. A breeder barred from the sword. And she's desperate for a taste of freedom. So when a tournament is held to recruit the army's best candidates, Alex Kingsley does what she does best: she intervenes. But it's only after dark forces are unleashed upon humanity that Alex finally has the chance to prove herself -- and put her curse to good use. ***** 2020 Watty Award Winner: Fantasy 1st Place Admiration Awards 2020: Fantasy

Some things are deadly when broken... Sold for the price of a pig, trained into the most expensive male escort in the peninsula, Hasheem, the Silver Sparrow of Azalea, finds himself running from his hard-earned life of privilege when a woman decides to die in his room. Forced to escape through hostile territories belonging to desert warriors, Hasheem runs into Djari, the immovable daughter of a tribal chieftain who offers him protection in exchange for an oath of lifetime servitude. Prophesied by her oracle brother as the one born to end the centuries-long war between her people and an empire, Djari's precarious destiny plunges them both into the blood sport of power, politics, and warfare that exacts heartbreaking sacrifices in exchange for peace. CONTAINS VIOLENCE, STRONG LANGUAGE AND SEXUAL CONTENT Amazon Bestseller #1 in Fantasy Anthologies #1 in War Fiction #1 in Asian Myth and Legend #1 in Asian Literature Wattpad contests: #Fantasy Winner - Aesthete Awards 2020 #1st in Fantasy - Chaos Awards 8 2020 #1st in Fantasy - Majestic Wings Awards 2019 #1st in Adventure- Ace Awards 2020 #2nd in Fantasy - Gothica Awards 2020 #2nd in Fantasy - The Ruby Awards 2019 #2nd in fantasy - Majestic Awards 2019 #3rd in fantasy - The Wolf Awards 2020 #3rd in fantasy - Fabulous Awards 2019 #3rd in Fantasy - Genre Awards 2019 # Honorable mention (all genre) - The Genre Contest 2019 # Top ten finalists (all genre) - The High Tide Awards 2019 FEATURED ON @fantasy profile reading list FEATURED ON @adventure profile reading list. FEATURED ON @newlywrittenbooks profile reading list. FEATURED ON @storiesundiscovered Garnet reading list 2019 FEATURED ON @ultimatewriters Wanderlust & Ventures reading list FEATURED ON @psychologicalnovel reading list FEATURED ON @badassreads reading list FEATURED ON @wattpaddarkfantasy reading list

❖ QUEENKILLER, KINGMAKER Book 2 ❖ A year has passed since Isla rescued Tam Mai from the dungeons, but her sister's mind is still trapped and broken. There is only one person Isla knows can help her. Meanwhile across the sea, a prince seeks justice for the murder of his mother. Their search may soon be over, but their war is yet to begin. Now they must work together to bring a new age to the realms and put a new king on the throne. But how long can their alliance hold, when one is keeping a vital secret from the other? ↝ this work contains violence, coarse language, and sexual references. content warnings also apply for ableism -- please see the opening author's note for details ↜ ↝ Wattys 2023 Ongoing Stories shortlist

Warning! This is a book for the open-minded only! If you feel that you already know all about the mysteries of our existence, your view of life is set and you would like to keep it this way, then this book is not meant for you. Don't bother reading it, you will only get upset. If, on the other hand, you are one of those people who have always felt that there is more to being human than what meets the eye, one of those who have always been intrigued by new ideas or discoveries, then go ahead. Read the book. You might find some tidbits to inspire you or simply make you ponder. Know that the following story is a true one. It is the story of my life and how I came to live in a way very unlike almost everybody else. My path has led me through every day and unusual experiences. Through darkness and light. Therefore, please don't judge my actions or thoughts until you find out how they were to form and shape me in the end. How everything I experienced was nothing but a stepping-stone towards a greater goal and necessary for me in order to learn what I had to. Having digested all of this, if you are still interested in reading my story, then I am more than happy to offer it to you. Enjoy and take from it what you need for your own personal growth and development. With love and joy, The author. #spirituality, #discoveringyourself, #mystery, #romance, #happiness, #newage

[Completed] Every Wolf Moon, humans are selected from each village to be sacrificed to the werewolves; creatures worshipped by humans as godlike figures. In a twist of fate, seventeen year old Mila Young is selected to be the annual sacrifice for the Trinity pack, the most powerful pack ruled by King Alpha Roman Stone. Alpha Roman and all werewolves under his rule are cursed. His hatred for the humans and his war on the deity Moon Goddesses has caused his kind to lose the favor of their blessings. However, when Mila reveals herself to have a connection to the werewolves unlike anything a human has ever had before, it becomes apparent that she may be the key to ending the suffering of Roman and his wolves... if only he can overcome the lifelong hatred that clouds his mind and darkens his heart. Excerpt: "You smell like wolf," The King Alpha declared, his voice low and angry. "I killed one," I both explained the smell and threatened at the same time. "And you think you can kill me? You think you can take my pack?" I glanced around at all the lycans still in their wolf forms, bowing obediently towards me. Could I take all of them on? I doubted it. I didn't even think I'd get this far. I didn't even know what was going on. When I turned back to the King Alpha, he was significantly closer. "Stay back!" I cried out in fear. The power flared within me once more, lifting whimpers from around me. The King Alpha hesitated again, his eyes skating over me with confusion. He took a deep breath, sniffing the air around me as he hadn't yet gotten any closer. "You smell like... my mate." {{Warning: Some scenes may be unsuitable for audiences below the age of 15 and offensive to those of all ages. Read at your own risk.}} Rankings: #1 in Lycans #1 in wolf

In a cityscape populated by individuals with magically inclined abilities powered by Colour, Athira is a hunter. Known only as the Owl, a notorious criminal with allegiances to none but herself, she searches for answers from the worst the city has to offer. No one is above her notice, and once noticed, there is no escape. When her search leads to a series of magical disturbances and a girl who was supposed to be dead, Athira's world of solitude shatters. Predictions from the lost Colour mark her friend a saviour, and as an ancient horror begins to rise, Athira starts to wonder who she should have been hunting all these years.