Meet The Author

Smiling woman with curly hair wearing a black and white patterned shirt.

C.L. Merklinger, the author of Baker’s Dozen, the Realms and Realities series, The Verge, and her intro Horror piece - Sated - grew up with an insatiable appetite for reading and all things scary. Inspired by horror authors such as Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Edgar Allan Poe, she was also deeply influenced by great mystery writers like Lawrence Sanders, Agatha Christie, and Mary Higgins Clark.

A major departure from her prior work, Sated was inspired by a writing challenge from her local Horror Writer’s Association. C.L. resides in San Antonio, TX, where she dabbles in photography, immerses herself in true crime, and explores all things spooky.


Current Releases

A LOST SOUL

After suffering an untimely and violent death, young Astrid ascends to the Seventh Realm where souls of good and evil are separated. Chosen to learn the ways of the Master, no longer bound to the Earthly confines of the living, she is trained to be of service to humankind. Soon she finds herself envying the person she is set to serve and protect.

AN UNWITTING HOST

A southern beauty, raised in a strict religious household, finds comfort and friendship in her imaginary friend. Sharing her life and experiences, she eventually senses something is off. Her friend and confidant is now her nemesis.

A GRIEVING DAUGHTER

Grieving the loss of her mother taken too soon, she questions the experts who deem it a natural death. Through her mother's journals, she sets forth to solve the mystery and find the truth. The spirit sent to be her mother's friend and protector is, in reality, a sinister entity determined to take over her mother's life force.

THREE WOMEN INTERTWINED BY FATE AND DESIRES.

INTERLOPER URGES YOU TO CONTEMPLATE WHO WOULD YOU KILL TO LIVE AGAIN?

Cover of a book titled "Gäst" with a subtitle "Book 2 Realms and Realities Series". The cover features a dark, spooky house with glowing red windows, a woman with long black hair and pale skin standing in front, and a starry night sky with purple and pink clouds in the background.

WHEN THE GATES TO OTHER REALMS HAVE BEEN OPENED, CAN YOU EVER BE SURE THEY ARE CLOSED?

Whirling from the recent death of her mother, Charlie struggles to come to grips with the realization that other realms and their inhabitants DO exist. Having opened her energy to the other side, Charlie is now a beacon for forces both dark and light.

Having defeated the sinister being that threatened both her and her family, Charlie longs to heal from the events of the prior year. In an attempt to put distance between her and the source she ventures on a summer of fun and relaxation. 

A harmless gesture from a new acquaintance, Charlie receives a gift which she accepts without a second thought. Making a home for it, she soon begins to experience dark forces.

With the door open, evil seizes opportunity. As seemingly playful things start to plague Charlie, the games turn diabolical. Hoping she can put a stop to the activity, she soon realizes that this entity wants more than to just play.

 It Wants Her.  

A spooky illustrated book cover featuring a haunted red brick building with glowing windows, a dark night sky, and barren trees. The title is 'Baker's Dozen' with the subtitle 'Rooted in Evil.' Author C.L. Merlinger is displayed, along with the series name 'Murder & Mayhem Series.'

Every family recipe has its secrets. Hers are lethal...

Harmony Hollow thinks it knows Riley Baker. Dutiful daughter. Skilled baker. A woman grieving the sudden death of her mother, Paulina.

But Riley knows the truth. Paulina wasn't the sainted matriarch everyone adored - she was a predator. A master of control who shaped her daughter in silence and shadows. Now the bakery, and everything it conceals, belongs to Riley. And with it comes the crushing weight of choice: bury her mother's legacy, or surrender to it.

As she struggles to maintain her carefully crafted mask, the lessons Paulina drilled into her refuse to fade, echoing like a second heartbeat. And in the quiet corners of town, a presence lingers - someone watching, someone who knows too much, someone ready to tear the mask away.

Baker's Dozen is a descent into inheritance and identity, a story of a woman trapped between who she was made to be and who she dares to become. Dark, relentless, and impossible to put down, it asks a chilling question: when violence is baked into your bloodline, can you ever truly escape it?

Some legacies you escape.

Others are in your blood.

A book cover titled 'Good Boy' with a dark alley background and a dog lying on the ground in front, featuring swirling mist and blue text.

Good Boy

There is a love so pure in this world that no human could replicate it. To the world, he’s just a dog - muddy paws, wagging tail, boundless energy. But to his human, he is something much more. Good Boy gives you a peek into a world where a dog’s love isn’t measured in tricks, treats, or walks in the park. It explores the extraordinary depth of a dog’s loyalty - and the beautiful lengths one faithful heart will go to protect the person it loves most.

AVAILABLE IN PERSON ONLY

PORTION OF ALL PROCEEDS GO

TO LOCAL SHELTERS

A poster with a grungy, reddish-brown background featuring a skull with an ice cream cone on top. The cone appears to be melting and dripping. The word "SAVED" is written above the skull in red, dripping letters, and the name "C. L. MERKLINGER" is written at the bottom in white capital letters. There are multiple skulls in the background, creating a macabre and horror-inspired theme.

SATED

Hunger is evolution.

Flesh is the price.

SATED is a brutal, provocative descent into ambition, consumption, and the price of becoming more than human -where evolution is earned through flesh, and love may be the deadliest weakness of all.

AVAILABLE IN PERSON ONLY

PORTION OF ALL PROCEEDS GO TO SCARES THAT CARE WHERE WE FIGHT THE REAL MONSTERS

SECRETS

Step into a world of lies, deception, mysteries, and... secrets. Every story contained within will lead you, misdirect you, or leave you guessing: What happens next?

Enter the maze.

Discover the secrets.

Unlock the truth.

Featured Authors:
AD Small
Amanda Zamorano
Atlas Creed
CL Merklinger
Des L Gonzalez
Dirk Biesinger
Elise Hoffman
Katharine E Wibell
K Scriven
Megan G Mossgrove
Peter Capozzi
Sam Ruiz
SF Henne
SS Nightshade

A Portion of the Proceeds Goes to The Indie Author Connect Fund to Benefit Independent Authors in Their Passion

The cover of a book titled "A Compendium of Secrets," featuring a circular maze design in white on a dark, abstract background. The book is edited by Negan G. Mossoff.

FUTURE RELEASES

Book cover titled "Baker's Dozen" by C.L. Merklinger, with two women dressed in white coats standing back to back in front of a cracked glass window and red smoky background, part of the Murder and Mayhem Series.
OCTOBER 2026 ---CLICK TO READ A SAMPLE NOW
The cover of a psychological thriller novel titled 'When the Killing Stops' shows a silhouette of a man standing on a textured surface with shadows of other figures. The book is set to be released in 2026 and takes place in San Antonio, authored by C.L. Merklinger.
COMING SOON - - - - - - -
A city street scene at night with vintage cars, horse-drawn carriages, and modern buildings illuminated by streetlights. The title text reads 'Modern Inconveniences,' and additional text states, 'Coming Soon,' with the author's name, C.L. Merklinger, at the bottom.
The cover of a book titled 'Nachtmahr', Book 3, in the 'Realms and Realities Series'. It features a large, eerie, old house with glowing windows, haunted by a supernatural presence. The background shows a stormy sky with lightning, and a giant, semi-visible face of an elderly woman with deep wrinkles, piercing eyes, and an ominous expression, blending into the storm clouds.
Book cover titled "Swipe Right: 12 Tales of Modern Dating as a GenXer" by C.L. Merklinger, featuring a smartphone with a dating app and a physical calendar showing March and February.

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