© J. J. Hanna 2024 “This store is chaos,” Annie said into the phone as she frantically tried to maneuver her cart out of the aisle she’d been blocked into. “That’s what you get for leaving your shopping to the last minute,” Rachel quipped. “Have you found anything good?” “Legos for my nephew, a newContinue reading “Christmas Chaos: a Slice of Life Short Story”
Author Archives: Jori (J.J.) Hanna
Off the Path: a Halloween Story
J. J. Hanna © 2024 It was the time of year when forests always seemed to beckon visitors off the path. Most of the time, trees are what they seem: strong, stoic plants that guard the wild spaces. They are wood and greenery, alive yet locked in place and limited to wherever their roots areContinue reading “Off the Path: a Halloween Story”
Be Who You Are, Not Who Others Think You Should Be
Author Profile: E.M. Goldsmith In the quiet morning, you may rush through your breakfast, and your coffee, and quickly head off to work. But for author E.M. Goldsmith, the quiet mornings before her 9-5 job are when she carves out the time to work on her craft. Warming up her mind at 5 a.m. withContinue reading “Be Who You Are, Not Who Others Think You Should Be”
Book Review: Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
🖋 🖋🖋🖋🖋 This book is expertly written and I enjoyed every part of it—the humor, the foreshadowing, the red herrings, the playing on and pulling on expectations to subvert them. This is a master class in gritty comedy, and a beautiful example of how to use a genre to pull off one of the mostContinue reading “Book Review: Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson”
Humanity At Home
J. J. Hanna © 2023 The older I’ve gotten, the more at home I feel in coffee shops and cafes. There’s something distinctly comforting about the constant hums of machinery, the smells of freshly ground and brewed coffee beans, and the atmosphere of groups of strangers sharing intimate moments. The environment itself is welcoming, theContinue reading “Humanity At Home”
Short Story: A Very Pembrook Christmas
J. J. Hanna © 2021 Betty pushed through the front door, and I pushed my laptop off of my lap and ran to help her. Her arms were full of bags banging against the glass. “What did you do? Buy the whole store?” She smiled at him, her bright pink hair peeking out from underContinue reading “Short Story: A Very Pembrook Christmas”
Tales of Turedor: The Telekinetic (Part 3)
Amber perched on the pillows covering the ground in her tent. Camelia had promised to return in a few months, giving Amber time to practice and learn and grow in confidence with the magicians in the Cirque. There was one magician in particular who caught Amber’s eye. They seemed nothing alike, but the way theContinue reading “Tales of Turedor: The Telekinetic (Part 3)”
Short Story: An Evening Chat
J. J. Hanna © 2021 I’ll admit it. It was a lot harder to be a vampire back before there was modern medicine and modern conveniences, in large part because I couldn’t blend in nearly as well. Mirrors used to have silver backing, and if you’ve ever tried to style your hair without a mirrorContinue reading “Short Story: An Evening Chat”
Short Story: A Million Little Futures
J. J. Hanna © 2021 It was a beautiful day. The sun peeked out from behind fluffy gray clouds every once in a while, an autumn breeze tugged at the brim of my hat, and I was wearing one of my favorite outfits—a black sleeveless dress with a white Peter Pan collar, gray knit tights,Continue reading “Short Story: A Million Little Futures”
Short Story: After it All
J. J. Hanna © 2021 This story is a sequel to Live Another Day. Folks tend to have apocalypse plans. Especially the doomsday bunker-in-the-basement, shotgun-in-the-closet types of folks. Me? I’d never even come close to assuming I’d survive at all when the day finally came. So you can imagine my surprise when I woke upContinue reading “Short Story: After it All”