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

Hey, Wattpad! I"M GIVING AWAY 10 DAYS OF TRUE BORN! Since you are the reason True Born has gone from a tiny novella to a full-length novel in a trilogy, it seems only fitting that I give back to you with a special sneak peak! True Born is hitting stores May 3rd, but I wanted to give you all a chance to see how the material has evolved during the publication process. (The first chapter in particular is a bit different - and there is at least one important scene in the novel that has changed - you'll just have to keep reading to see what!) And so: without further ado! Every day (April 21 - April 30, 2016) for the next 10 days I will be posting a new chapter of True Born. That's right - you heard me - 10 chapters over 10 days! And if you'd like to read a little more about the reasons I'm doing this, feel free to check out my #LovelettertoWattpad on my website: www.le-sterling.com. With special thanks to my publishers, Entangled Teen, who are letting me do this crazy thing! L. E. Sterling ---- After the great Plague descended, the world population was decimated...and their genetics damaged beyond repair. The Lasters wait hopelessly for their genes to self-destruct. The Splicers pay for expensive treatments that might prolong their life. The plague-resistant True Borns are as mysterious as they are feared... And then there's Lucy Fox and her identical twin sister, Margot. After endless tests, no one wants to reveal what they are. When Margot disappears, a desperate Lucy has no choice but to put her faith in the True Borns, led by the charismatic Nolan Storm and the beautiful but deadly Jared Price. As Lucy and the True Borns set out to rescue her sister, they stumble upon a vast conspiracy stretching from Dominion's street preachers to shady Russian tycoons. But why target the Fox sisters? As they say in Dominion, it's in the blood.

Andie dies in a lightning strike and is miraculously healed and brought back to life. But now she’s sharing her body with an alien—the same alien who rode the lightning bolt that killed her. (Third place, Utah Romance Writers Heart of the West award, paranormal category; Highly Commended, RWNZ Clendon Award for full-length romantic manuscript.) For more information about this book, please go to: http://www.mareeanderson.com or, http://www.lightningriderbook.com

Sephora and Aris are just about to finish college. With their degrees and new lives awaiting, they are excited to start. But in some ways, Sephora feels like maybe she isn't really ever going to accomplish anything worth mentioning throughout her life. Suddenly, one day after classes, an old woman offers the two girls an apartment to rent. Little do they know, that taking the offer would change their lives forever; sending them into a completely new world. "I woke early in the morning energetic and filled with adrenaline. Realizing I was actually looking forward to the day ahead surprised me. At home school seemed to drag on for so long that I got in the habit of having to drag myself out of bed in the morning."

Julie has always been the shy type. Her world changes when she finds wattpad, a very popular ebook community. She becomes addicted to it and even starts posting her own stories. But are friends, fans and votes all she will get from this site? Or is it possible to find love as well?