Jordan J Hall
Bio
I write Historical and Speculative Flash Fiction. Nature and society's underbelly are the focus of my work. Read my debut collection of short stories, Mammoth, Massachusetts and check out jordanjhall.com for more.
Stories (37/0)
Book Review: The Council of Animals
The Council of Animals Nick McDonell 2021 Fable 193 pages When my brother suggested this book, I knew immediately I would read it. Understanding little about its premise, I trusted my gut and reserved it from the online CWMARS directory, which connects 155 libraries in Central and Western Massachusetts. Within a week this little ditty showed its cover at the Clapp Memorial Library, and I was off to the races.
By Jordan J Hall2 years ago in Humans
Siren In The Swamp
Sawyer County, Wisconsin October, 1889 Isaac said the fog was a good thing. According to him, Omaha’s legend told of fog being one of the protections of the silver mine. Isaac had been chasing this treasure for six years and knew all there was to know about it. He said there were other natural warnings, clues rather, telling us we were on the right path: pallid mushrooms, dead trees, the fog-I did not like it. The stuff seemed to come out of nowhere when we crested the last hill. We had stalked in the woods for an hour and that was after hiding near the washout to make sure no one saw us leave. Sundays in the logging camp ain't nothing to waste, we don’t need anything else hampering our treasure hunt.
By Jordan J Hall2 years ago in Fiction
Do I Need a Writing Group?
If you have been thinking about joining a writing group, you should. Merely having the thought is a clear sign you need to take the next step and explore available options. I know, it is terrifying to bear your work to others, but this is part of the process.
By Jordan J Hall2 years ago in Journal
The Misbegotten Pear
Once upon a time there was a girl who wanted a pear. She wanted a pear because she wanted to share pears. You see, Penny had recently discovered the sweet wonder of a perfect pear. It made her feel peaceful and alive. Penny thought the best thing for everyone was to try a pear, just in case it could make them feel the same.
By Jordan J Hall3 years ago in Families
Book Review-A Children's Bible
A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet YA Fiction 2020 224 pages Just to be clear, this book is not actually a bible. But it is a refreshing journey into the ‘what if’ of the eventual ‘big storm’. Staunchly YA, with nods to the younger MG brethren, this is a romp with fascinating insights. Wonderful dialogue keeps the dozens of characters alive and distinct, not an easy task when the ages vary so greatly. When I say staunchly YA, what I really mean is anti-adult. A regular dose of parental malfeasance makes it easy to identify with the children in that regard. Thanks to Lydia Millet’s careful voice I was able to take a frank look at myself and my friends-and what our antics must look like to our kids.
By Jordan J Hall3 years ago in Families
Sam Patch, the Famous Jumper
The boy was a circus without a tent. He took his first jumps more than 200 years ago, though he was not the first to do them, there was something about the way Sam did it. He had something that made us all watch. Yes, he was a drunk much of his short life. Yes, he owned a pet bear and pandered it as such. Yes, you can look at him in the light of today and say he was just looking for trouble, subverting for his own prideful game. If you lay those threats on his character, then you miss wide his points for subversion. He called out to the misshapen masses at the bottom, ‘You can be more!’ He was the first stunt man, he was Johnny before Knoxville. Sam Patch used his abatement of fear to thrill thousands in live spectacles and millions more that shared his story.
By Jordan J Hall3 years ago in Humans
The Well
First published in the horror anthology, Nothing Ever Happens In Fox Hollow, Vol. II I’d always wanted to be a witch. Not some broomstick bimbo, but a proper man-witch. One with brooding horrors, infinite knowledge, and crafts of the darkest ilk. Connie could be the sorceress she’d always dreamed. Full of healing light with a cunning tongue. Enough with the Dollar Store cashier, enough with the inflatable bounce houses. No more carnivals; let us make our own circus.
By Jordan J Hall3 years ago in Horror
The Legend Of The Ice Mole
The Breaking of the Ice Mole That mole has hid in that mountain for almost ten centuries. He’s been drinking the stale blood from everyone that enters his fens. The warrens of despair are just one of the ways to expire in his clutch. The tick tock of your thoughts is another as you traverse the pitch blackness of his cavern. It is there you will hear the troubled waters down of his fetid river. Where worms make up the river bank. Where the undulating current is created by their wiggle. I see the terror in my dreams. He started digging long ago, after a tryst he can barely remember. He promised to hold her in his thoughts forever and side with her wishes until he died. That was more than 900 years ago and since then he has trudged on making life miserable for the adventurers down in the valley. It is true, the king wronged him. Kept his daughter from the mole, then lied about it. Their story is one of the cruelty of power, the frailty of fathers.
By Jordan J Hall3 years ago in Horror
The Legend of Mouth Boulder
What if the park kept going? What if it spread out to the rivers and up to the horse caves? What if it disguised itself as a swamp and kept wild things hidden? What if creatures there were so old, they couldn’t remember being born? What if they were watching, keeping an eye out for troublemakers?
By Jordan J Hall3 years ago in Futurism