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Brief insights into my writing world. |
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I started my blog in June 2016, intending to have a place to get my stories in the hands of readers. I started with one follower -- my wife. I post a daily quote, as well as short stories and vignettes. Alas, current events pull my attention and I've added current events to the mix. You can find my Tavern Tales at: https://jjshaun.com/ Enjoy! |
| Several weeks ago, an advertisement for a writing conference kept popping up on my social media feed. I sat with the idea for a few days and decided, Why not? Why not step outside my comfort zone and see what kind of reception my writing received? So, I signed up; then dusted off my printer, logged into my printing app, and whipped up a couple of sheets of contact cards. ~~~ Read the post at https://jjshaun.com/2025/08/17/writers-and-workshops-and-books-oh-my/ |
| I frequently turn to a site that offers daily writing contests—writing.com. I wrote this story according to the following prompt: Write a Thriller/Suspense story (or poem) about a fortune teller who comes to a small village and changes things forever. ~~~ Read the story at https://jjshaun.com/2025/08/10/the-oracle/ |
| I have a small set of Story Engine cards I picked up at a Free RPG Day a couple of years ago. From time to time, I use them to help prompt a story. For this offering, I drew up “a model wants to gain freedom from a seductive poison, but it means giving up their dream.” ~~~ Read the story at https://jjshaun.com/2025/08/03/canceled/ |
| I woke to the sound of the soft hum of the clock on the nightstand, a sound I’d grown used to over the years. It had always been a constant in my life—tick-tock, tick-tock. But this morning, it felt different. The hum sounded louder, more urgent. More like a countdown. ~~~ Read the story at https://jjshaun.com/2025/07/27/expired/ |
| Rain slicked the stones of the path like old glass, turning it into a treacherous trail toward the Frost Tower. Lash moved with practiced ease, boots steady on the slick surface. She’d tracked the horned beasts across frozen ridges and slept in hollow trees to escape the cold bite of death. But today, she wasn’t hunting prey—today she hunted fame. ~~~ Read the full story at https://jjshaun.com/2025/07/20/the-frost-tower/ |
| The ship descended like a tear from the sky, green fire trailing behind as it tore through the Earth’s upper atmosphere. For a full thirty seconds, it lit up the evening sky over Colorado—a falling star too large, too slow, too deliberate. Then came the sound, rolling like thunder across the eastern plains. ~~~ Read the full story at https://jjshaun.com/2025/07/06/the-green-of-the-elvar/ |
| Adrah had never felt truly at home in the village, where people called her “Wanderer,” though no one knew exactly where she’d wandered from. They whispered as she passed, casting quick glances at her face, hoping to glimpse whatever secrets she carried. She’d grown used to their stares, but it was the mirror that made her uneasy. The reflection was one she never recognized. ~~~ Read the story at https://jjshaun.com/2025/06/29/reflections/ |
| The sun rose early over the Dragonspine Mountains, casting its golden light across the forested valleys below. Birds screamed, warnings piercing the trees. Dry wind twisted through the cedars. The sky stretched cloudless. ~~~ Read the story at https://jjshaun.com/2025/06/22/the-longest-day/ |
| Once more, First Reader and I took to the streets to protest against the insanity happening across the United States. Like the last few protests, we stayed local once again. Unlike the Hands Off march in early April, we certainly didn’t have to bundle up for the cold. The weather was quite the opposite, in fact. By the time we left the rally, temperatures had crept into the low 90s F. We broke out sunscreen instead of layers. ~~~ Read the full post and see the pictures at https://jjshaun.com/2025/06/15/no-kings-2/ |
| Smoke curled from the vendor stalls, thick with the of charred meat and burned spices. The market pulsed with activity—flickering hands, quick bargains, laughter too sharp and sudden. Beneath it all, beat a different rhythm. It was the beat of watching eyes. Of footsteps that didn’t belong. ~~~ Read the story at https://jjshaun.com/2025/06/08/dont-look-now/ |
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, but my laptop's running 10. I suppose I should do something about it... but I didn't earn those Procrastination MBs by taking the bull by the horns (which, to be honest, sounds more than a little dangerous). 
