I write stories to shine a light in the darkness.
Not to pretend the darkness isn't there-but to follow my characters into it, and see what survives. I've always been drawn to stories that take suffering, the supernatural, and the unknown seriously, but refuse to surrender to nihilism. I believe even in broken worlds, grace can still happen.
My psychological paranormal thriller Devil's Lake reached the top 3 on Wattpad's Paranormal Hotlist in 2016, and that experience showed me how powerful shared storytelling can be.
Right now, I'm serializing Among Sinners, a mosaic novel set after a technological and economic collapse, where scattered survivors carry fragments of old stories and struggle to find meaning in what remains. New chapters post here every Friday. If you find yourself wanting to continue further ahead, you can read additional chapters over on my Substack.
My influences include L. J. Smith, J. K. Rowling, Flannery O'Connor, and Sharon Shinn-writers who understood that the supernatural isn't just spectacle, but a way of revealing what's most human, and most at stake.
If you're drawn to dark stories but long for hopeful, non-nihilistic endings-stories where the light hasn't gone out completely-you're in the right place.
- Wisconsin
- JoinedFebruary 20, 2026
- website: www.angela-merlo-book.com
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Story by Angela Merlo
- 1 Published Story
Among Sinners
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After the years they came to call the Scarcity, the world did not end. It only grew quieter.
In the valley of...