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Continue reading →: 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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Continue reading →: 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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Continue reading →: 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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Continue reading →: 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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Continue reading →: 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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Continue reading →: 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…
Hello,
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
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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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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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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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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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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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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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