The countdown begins. Tomorrow is the day our house construction is supposed to start. Last week, First Reader, Best Riding Buddy, and I took a motorcycle ride up to see our new home one more time and pinch ourselves again to make it feel real. (C) 2022, JJ ShaunFirst Reader by the front half of … Continue reading Rebuilding the Dream, Pt 104
“Somebody, please!” the old man burst into the common room as Skrie and Malusk ate breakfast and discussed what to do with their day. “Those bandits took my Precious, please someone, help me.” He traveled from table to table, imploring the diners. The pair looked at each other, and Skrie shrugged at her friend. Her … Continue reading Precious
This week we spent part of a day on the property getting the last of the repairs done to our water system. The output valve had wholly melted away in the fire, along with about a foot of piping. (C) 2022, JJ ShaunThe outlet from our water cistern. Unfortunately, the original outlet was threaded PVC … Continue reading Rebuilding the Dream, Pt 103
In June of 2021, my long-distance gamer buddies and I teamed up for an online Dungeons & Dragons game. The adventure started with three of us. Two of us created our characters, and one made the world we are playing in. I decided to take a little side-step with my creation and play a healer … Continue reading Exploring Everine
Even though we have our building permit in hand, it seems like nothing has really changed. Our next hill will be work crews, materials, and additional equipment as we compete with others rebuilding from recent fires and floods. With our project about to ramp up, we’ve been a little busier than usual with clean-up activities … Continue reading Rebuilding the Dream, Pt 102
(C) 2022, JJ ShaunApril's change of scenery. The last three years have been incredibly stressful. And not just for First Reader and me, but for almost everyone I know. (Although, I could say that the last six years have been a bit tense, especially after I realized nothing would save my career when the new … Continue reading Change the Scenery
One of the last stories I wrote about Lyryk found her camped on the outskirts of the city of Irewick. Biscuit, her companion through the mountains, had left her side some days before, and she was pining for company. This was one of those flash stories that turned out extra short only because that moment … Continue reading Spring Luck
Tuesday morning, two months and twenty-six days after filing our application, we received word that our building permit was approved. It was entering the final stage of issuance—processing the last of the paperwork by dotting all the ‘t’s and crossing all the ‘i’s, then printing out the official piece of paper. By noon, I was … Continue reading Rebuilding the Dream, Pt 101
The quiet firing began three years before I was laid off from my career. Let me start from the beginning—the beginning of the end. Once upon a time, I worked for a small, international semiconductor company that designed computer storage and the associated software to make it work. Through the years, the company earned quite … Continue reading Quiet Firing Happens
I wrote this piece during the winter when I could call on the weather experience of the day. Writing about the bone-numbing cold is challenging when it’s pushing triple-digit temps outside. I found editing this piece in the heat interesting because it took me back to those much cooler days, making me feel the ambient … Continue reading Braving the Blizzard
Tavern Tales
Poetry BLOG By Edge of Humanity Magazine
New Writing Engaging with the Sacred
50,000 Monkeys at 50,000 Typewriters Can't Be Wrong
J.J. Shaun 