• The One Tree

    This story was first published in On the Premise, March 2013. I hope you enjoy it! Today I’m sharing something a little different than you’ve read before. This story is a fantasy story, based in the world I created in my first self-published book. I was fascinated with a story…

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  • Not everyone can play football

    “I’ve never had a team with this record.” I sat across from our school’s Varsity football coach at a student conference meeting, staring dumbstruck at Coach as he tossed those unexpected words onto the table between us. Coach did double duty as Austin’s Strength and Conditioning teacher (the modern-day version…

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  • Band-Aids and Uncle Bill

    Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash A curly blonde girl cradled a metal Band-aid box to her chest, and two tears slid down her cheeks. She peered into the heavy darkness of the small opening of the cave. A good place for a burial. The box was prepared with care,…

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  • Honorable Mention

    Honorable mention. Two words that could mean second place or not good enough for honor roll or even first place. It all depends on your perspective. My mother had fistfuls of purple ribbons from the 4-H fair and several first-place finishes at the state fair. My mother was a top-notch…

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  • Mom and Bugs

    A curly blonde head leaned over the vegetable-patterned fabric, feeding it carefully under the sewing machine foot. The hum of the machine wanting to be let loose, but the girl was too hesitant, having ripped out seam after seam. I gazed up at my mother for approval on the stitch.…

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  • Don’t Let Go

    Sparkles of light like diamonds skim across the still blue water. The sun is impossibly bright and the air unbelievably still. I don’t want to do this. I adjust the red life jacket crowding my face. I want to throw up. I am a pro when it comes to faking…

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I’m Merry

Born and raised in Nebraska, Merry Muhsman is a fantasy writer, a nonfiction writer, and a flash fiction writer. Merry lives on a farm with her husband and son, a dog and lots of cats.

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Recent posts

  • True or False

    10 burning questions about my spider stories Life has been full of holiday activities, challenges and well just life, so my spider stories have taken the seat way in the back of the station wagon (which frankly I always thought was the best seat in the station wagon). Today, I am including some answers to

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  • Size Does Matter

    My husband and I disagree on how to measure the size of a spider… I gripped the glowing jar in my shaking hands. The hum of my car running sheered the still morning air like a freight train. The sky streaked in pinks and golds did little to warm my chilled skin. Why am I

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  • Please enjoy this guest post from Vanessa Finaughty! A considerable portion of the world’s population is drawn to magic, be it in the form of stage magic, wizards and the like in fantasy worlds, or real-world magic such as using affirmations or the Law of Attraction or in spiritual practices, to name but a few.

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  • Vanessa’s Art

    Today, I’m introducing you to Vanessa’s main characters. Are they good? Are they evil? Are they a little bit gray? You have to read the books to decide. Vanessa, tell me about how you created this artwork? It reminds me of classic fantasy when the artwork had depth and meaning and not just a pretty

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  • Read a chapter from her new fantasy book Wizards of Ends: Dark Creature, Chapter 1 I am so excited to share with you the work of a writer friend of mine. Vanessa and I met over a decade ago through a critique group called Critters. She lives halfway across the world in South Africa. She’s

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  • Dancing Queen

    Spider Log: 9.2025.6 I shiver. The sensation trickling down my body into the tips of my legs. I scurry across the ground before the chill freezes me into place, my legs fold up and I flop over like Aunt Delores. Now she was something to behold. Her tan legs tipped with a little black and

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  • Meeting the Bug Busters

    Meeting the Bug Busters I recruit my childhood babysitters to help me fight the spider crisis. Spider Log: 09.2025.5 I arrived early to The Drunken Rooster. The local bar was quiet this afternoon. The dark intricate wood beams and black metal patterned ceiling cast the place in infinite shadows. Dim indoor lighting only added to

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  • Government Intervention

    The answer from the government finally came, but is it the answer I was looking for? Spider Log: 08.2025.4 I haven’t been in the office for a week, but fate was calling me back to the room. A few days ago, I believed the letter from the government had finally arrived in the form of

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  • He got the mail

    Spider Date: 08.2025.3 I had devastating news today via text. My husband picked up the mail on the way home. But we haven’t had a frost yet! Panic skittered like lighting under my skin. The spider probably had babies by now in the mailbox. I didn’t even want to think about how long babies incubate

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  • The day I made Mel Robbins proud and Let Them. Spider date: 07.2025.2 I bounced in the house (which is not easy for a woman my age), and I announced to everyone who had ears, “I have overcome!” My husband sat in his chair, scrolling through Facebook on his iPad. “Good day?” “Yes, I made

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