I was named after the little mermaid, thought to be strong and brave. A name worthy of a princess, my mum used to say. But I didn't trade my voice for the handsome prince; I just never had it. I've always been the shy youngest sister, too afraid to raise her voice and make herself heard. I don't have the tail and I don't have the personality. I can sing, but no one ever hears me. I guess I only I have the red hair although it's not even naturally red. So how can I be part of his world when I can't even tell him my name? I better never meet the handsome prince, it'd be doomed to fail. So no, I'm not like the little mermaid, I'm just little shy Ariel. -:-:-:- BOOK #2 in the Aware Princess Series flower: Daisy, it symbolises "Innocence, loyal love, simplicity."

Collection of one shots, deleted scenes and extra material related to the Aware Princess Series. flower: Cherry blossoms, it symbolises "Transience of life, gentleness, kindness (in Japan)."

Yes, I lost my father and he was the best man in the whole world. Yes, I have a stepmother who is a witch and whom I hate most passionately. Yes, I have two stepsisters that are a pain in my arse and who lost their brains when they were little. Yes, my life is like a cliché from a bloody fairy tale, but you know what is missing? The fucking Prince Charming! And where is he? Nowhere to be found! Probably he's dancing in his palace with a stupid and empty-headed Barbie. Arsehole. Who needs him, anyways? Certainly, not me. I'm almost Cinderella, but you can call me Ella. BOOK #1 in the Aware Princess Series flower: Gladiolus, t symbolises "Strength of character, honour, conviction."

Let's get the facts straight. I am no heroine and I will never bring pride to my family. I am what you could call a failure. My grades? Average. My social life? Average. Talents? Hmm... well, I think I have none. I'm not exceptional in any way and I know I'm a disappointment for my father. And in this day and age there's no way I could just take my father's place to save him from a horrible fate.  There is a huge weight on my shoulders but I can't carry it no matter how hard I try. I have no idea what I can do, I only know what I can't do. Yet I still would try anything to make my father proud, even just once. Oh right, I forgot to tell you whom I was name after. Yes, I was named after Mulan, that bright heroine who saved China and brought pride to her family. Talk about big expectations. But Mulan doesn't suit me, so it's just Ann. -:-:- BOOK #4 in the Aware Princess Series flower: Peony, it symbolises "Prosperity, honor (in China)."

I've always been a different kind of girl. That girl whose best friends were books but never kids her age, and who was too smart for her own sake but who would never let some step on her. My father is a dreamer, someone who aims too high and I love him very dearly, but sometimes he gets himself in problems... and drags me along the way. I lost my mother when I was barely a teenager but she taught me many things. She always called me her little beauty, saying I was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen, telling me how much I reminded her of that princess in The Beauty and The Beast. Her favourite fairy tale yet my least favourite one. I never thought I was going to have to deal with a beast, a total jerk for my father's sake. Karma got me because here I am, in the middle of a pretty similar situation to my least favourite fairy tale. But I'm not only the beauty to this beast, I'm more than that. I'm brave, I'm bold... I'm Belle. -:-:- BOOK #3 in the Aware Princess Series flower: Amaryllis, it symbolises "pride."

They walk among us. All three, living normal mortal lives. Cloe is graduating college; Lacey is getting married; Atria is bar-hopping and breaking hearts. Today, they are human. But they are also the three Fates—the all-powerful directors of human destiny. And they don't even know it. Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos did not always take mortal form. They dwelt in the Cave, working the Loom, till something happened on Olympus that changed everything one day. Since then, they've roamed the earth and led thousands of lives throughout its history. The Fates may not remember who they are, for now... but their legacy is not to be forgotten. And their story is just begging to be told. *A Wattpad Featured story* *Winner of 2014 Watty Award – Best of Interactive Storytelling* [PG-13 for adult language, non-graphic sexual content, mature themes]

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

Book Two in the A Pirate's Kiss Trilogy (Original Title - A Pirate's Kiss: Sunken Treasures) Circe is back and she is up in the air. Literally. She is a guest at the Royal Air Temples and with Nathaniel back by her side, she suddenly feels as though she can take on the world. But the world might be slightly bigger than Circe has expected. What is she to make of the Queen of the Air, who seems to hold all the answers to Circe's questions in the palm of her hand, both those she has asked, and those which she is still to ask? And what of Prince Zalas, the white eyed boy who radiates an untamed and mysterious power from every pore? Meanwhile the dark and dangerous Obsidian Bones waits for her just outside the Kingdom walls with perhaps the biggest secret of them all ... Everything has changed from that fateful day that Circe was snatched in the night. Her questions begin to outweigh the answers she is receiving and when a shocking truth is revealed, will her priorities change in order to protect the one that she loves most? Or will she find the strength to let him go?

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

Misunderstood and overmedicated, twelve-year-old Lilith Bloom finds the prospect of a grand family reunion decidedly dull... That is, until she discovers that the rose garden surrounding her grandfather's Berlin mansion is, well, completely and utterly carnivorous. Armed with Panther, her talking pet whippet, and the help of the mute boy next door, Lilith must unravel the secrets behind the mysterious estate, all while her family remains gloriously unaware that they are about to be devoured.