Michael Jasper's Blog, page 3

Finders, Keepers

I wrote the first draft of this story while I was at a two-week writing workshop on the Oregon Coast, and I was missing my family pretty badly. So I put an alternate-world version of my two boys, years into the future, into this story. I also had a blast writing about the coast and the beach.

This story was first published as part of Free Fiction Friday, UnWrecked Press, December 2011. It was reprinted in UnWrecked Tales, July 2018.  

Finders, Keepers

As far as Mark Rasmussen was concerned, the...

Heart and Map, Ink and Blade

I wanted to do a fantasy story with a female protagonist, and Juliana presented herself almost immediately. Of course, I couldn’t help but add some maps and other fantasy tricks along the way.

This story was first published as part of Free Fiction Friday, UnWrecked Press, July 2011. It was reprinted in UnWrecked Tales, July 2018.  

Heart and Map, Ink and Blade

“Curse you, Oldfather,” Juliana whispered, crouched next to a fresh mound of dirt, three fingers dripping fresh blood. Oldfather’s tooth...

The Rise and Fall of Basskick

This story was an attempt to really let one character’s voice take over the story, like a guy in a bar, telling you his life story over a couple of beers. It’s funny and sad and way too realistic…

This story was first published here as part of Free Fiction Friday, UnWrecked Press, October 2011. It was reprinted in UnWrecked Tales, July 2018, and it’s related to the setting and characters in my first novel, The Prodigal Sons.

The Rise and Fall of Basskick

The year I turned forty was the year it ...

The Rise and Fall of Basskick (excerpt)

This story was an attempt to really let one character’s voice take over the story, like a guy in a bar, telling you his life story over a couple of beers. It’s funny and sad and way too realistic…

This story was first published here as part of Free Fiction Friday, UnWrecked Press, October 2011. It was reprinted in UnWrecked Tales, July 2018, and it’s related to the setting and characters in my first novel, The Prodigal Sons.

The Rise and Fall of Basskick

The year I turned forty was the year it ...

Finder

Sometimes I have to write a short story to try it out and see if it could work as a novel. This is one of those attempts, and it’s a little bit different from the novel version, in a very obvious (and gross) way.

This story was first published here by UnWrecked Press in August 2014. It was reprinted in UnWrecked Tales, July 2018. And it is very much related to the opening chapters of my novel Finders, Inc.

Finder

Wedged into the unforgiving passenger seat of a twelve-year-old Ford Escort, I too...

A Ghost in Her Heart

This short story, which also takes place in the same setting as my novel Heart’s Revenge, was first published in UnWrecked Tales, July 2018.

Enjoy the excerpt!

A Ghost in Her Heart

“Mom,” Melissa called out the moment she walked into the cold pottery studio set up behind her house. She flicked on the lights and blinked her eyes as the gray-bricked kiln, the spinning wheel, and the wrapped packages of reddish-brown clay appeared out of the darkness. “You are not going to believe what this guy at...

Hello again!

Hey, I think I remember how to use this thing…

It’s been a few, I know. Years, actually. I thought I’d drop a quick line here to make sure things still work, and give a quick update. It’s been two years since my last post… Wow.

I’ve been busy with work, life, moving to a farm, raising two teenagers(!), and I have barely been reading anything other than the occasional article here and there. As for actually writing anything not work-related, well, forget about it.

But I’ve bee wanting to...

D&D Dad: “Storm King’s Thunder” and “Forge of Fury”

For sessions 8-13 of our “Storm King’s Thunder” campaign, the party took a trip to the classic D&D adventure “Forge of Fury” from Tales from the Yawning Portal. We had a blast.

Forge of Fury!!

Here’s the Adventure Report:

Session F1: To the Forge! (11/3/19)

The day after the Battle for Triboar, our heroes Sir Frost Breaker, Mavthos, and Ikkibirel are enjoying some ale and other refreshments in the Triboar Arms tavern. Everyone thanks them for their heroism in defeating the Fire Gian...

So yeah, it’s happening…!

I finally hit the DELETE button!

After over 14 years on Facebook, I’ve had enough. I deactivated my account, but like any smart supplier to addicted people, Facebook gives you a month to think about saving your account before they actually blow it up.

This has been a long time coming — I hate that Facebook is constantly tweaking its site to try and sell me more stuff and change my behavior and thinking — but after watching “The Social Dilemma” on Netflix and reading Jaron Lanier’s book abo...

Man vs Chicken

I didn’t realize my wife was taking my photo while I was wrapping up work on the addition to our chicken coop. I think Tulip the chicken got the last word here…