The Writings
Below are descriptions of the works of writer Jason Haskins. Some include links for purchase and other information about the work. For rights or more information regarding plays without already established links, please contact the author at hasko_y2j@hotmail.com
BOOKS
One week before Christmas and 11-year-old Lee is in full countdown mode. Snow has started to fall, the decorations are ready to be put up, and she's even prepping for her part in the school's Christmas program. Even as her three siblings attempt to distract her from truly enjoying the Christmas season, Lee maintains a happy disposition as the big day approaches, dreaming of the purple ten-speed bike that tops her Christmas list.
Alongside her best friend Stacy, Lee aims to make this the best Christmas yet.
Lee's goals for a perfect last week before Christmas slowly start to fall apart, whether it's dealing with her family, the return of her former best friend, challenging the queen of the fifth grade, or attempting to identify with the pain of Stacy and her family, who have recently suffered a loss.
With Christmas Day fast approaching, Lee's faith and holiday spirit are put to the test. Can she remain on her best behavior? Is there a way to help Stacy? Will there be enough snow to build the grandest snow fort ever created? In her attempt to do all of this and more, with her faith in the season and mankind waning, Lee must re-discover her joy or risk watching another December pass her by.
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"The audience will be elementary and middle school children. But this seventy-year-old grandma thoroughly enjoyed "Of Snow Forts and Santa." It took me back to my childhood in Iowa with our love of Santa and snow forts. And, of course, the cliques in school. But the fast-paced plot also has more serious issues that will pull at your heartstrings. I am so glad that I waited until Christmas to read this!" Amazon reviewer Edie Dickenson
​The Black Magic Druids, led by Druid Kayman, have risen to power and annihilated all but a few of the White Magic Druids. Druid Kayman disbanded the Council of Races and has joined forces with Queen Leron and her minions: the Demons. In an effort to control the lands, these already mighty forces join with King Black Thunder, his army ofknights, and the creatures that hold the key to all the future power of the lands: the Dragons.
To stop the Black Magic Druids and their allies, the fate of the lands rests on an old prophecy derived from ancient times. The prophecy tells of a child that is born of Dragon's blood and there is one man that holds a strong belief in the prophecy: a White Magic Druid by the name of Lemen. Enlisting the help of Prince Rion, his sister Riyana, and young Druid called Stelart, Lemen moves to meet Lemen head on​
Untested in battle and in life, it will be up to this trio of young adults to end the evil that looms and to once again bring peace and safety to all the lands.
"A fresh look into a new world filled with evil and a twist at every turn."-Amazon review from user Pen Name
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Sullen and defeated, the company that had set out on an expedition to destroy the Blue Gem was scattered. One master lost and the other possibly the same at the base of the dam, Rukh and the others were desperate to find safety. Needed, too, was answers regarding the two talismans.
This meant finding the Dragon Slayer, the shattered sword whose pieces were carried by Driston. He was also out of sorts in the Valley of Lost Souls, desperately seeking to be reunited with his brother Willis.
Across the lands, allies in Crieo, Thurston, and Silist were under attack, with the armies of Alar threatening to disrupt peace. The Druid and his cohorts were in dogged pursuit of the Blue Gem and even greater magic in Crieo, willing to stop at nothing to obtain goals of absolute power.
Fighting powerful allies, elements of a harsh winter, and the strangeness of unknown lands, the survivors must band together to finish what Stelart started. They must figure out the true magic of the Dragon Slayer and the Blue Gem or risk evil gaining a stranglehold over the world never seen before.
In The Blue Gem, book one in the "Magic of Crieo" series, thirty years have passed since the War of the Lands. Buoyed by the heroics of the Dragon Princess, Riyana, the lands have settled into a time of peace. A Council of Races – led by Druid Stelart and King Rion of Thurston – has helped return a sense of normalcy to the nations. Safe trade routes have been restored and Stelart, along with Belark and Nikkon, has begun the initial stages of training new Druids.
An unexpected attack on a Druid leads Stelart back to one piece of unfinished business surrounding the War of the Lands: the destroying of the Blue Gem, the magical gem imprisoning the Demons.
Along with a young Elvin Druid, Rion’s son, and a collection of others, Stelart leads an expedition to the City in the Clouds to retrieve the hidden Blue Gem before it falls into the wrong hands.
Racing against time and chased by Black Knights and other outlaws, Stelart’s group aims to retrieve the Blue Gem before a gathering, unknown power gets there first. If Stelart fails, the unknown force will unleash the Demons to wreak havoc on the lands, possibly ending the peace and smooth sailing once and for all.
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PLAYS
ONE NIGHT STAND
(A One-Act Play)
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To navigate the tricky waters of dating, one must often take risks. In ONE NIGHT STAND, Adam is enjoying an ordinary night at a bar when he sees Jackie. Adam, on the presumption he is just getting her phone number, is looking for a second chance to make a first impression with Jackie. By simply sitting down at Jackie’s table, Adam takes the first step in what he hopes will be the beginning of a relationship. Despite a delayed response by Jackie, the two begin to connect as if they’ve been doing this for years. Dating is not this easy, though, and by the end of the night, the two will discover they are in for much more than they bargained for.
SOLACE
(A full-length play)
"SOLACE- N: Comfort or consolation in time of distress or sadness.
Solace is the story of John and his efforts to follow through on the promise he made himself upon his mother’s death: To save his family from their downtrodden lives. To do this, the son returns home for the first time in years to celebrate Christmas with his family and new fiancée. Convincing a brother who is not quite ready for the real world and a sister who has a bigger heart than she lets on takes more effort than imagined. John must balance all of these things to acquire the one thing he truly wants: to set his family free of their dead beat father once and for all."
To date, Solace has received readings at Alley Repertory Theater and with the bLip reading series at HomeGrown Theatre in Boise, Idaho.
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POISON
(A Full-length play)
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"Poison: A). A substance that through chemical action usually kills, injures, or impairs an organism. B). Something destructive or harmful.
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Life at a bar can be fun, outrageous, and, at times, downright shameful. At Hank’s Bar in the play Poison, the regulars have been caught in this cycle for fifteen years and have watched life pass them by. When the economy threatens to shut down the bar, Hank incorporates a karaoke night in hopes of getting new business. Soon, the regulars begin to see changes in themselves they had always fought against. With the looming threat of the bar closing hanging over their heads, will the regulars finally move forward and experience life? Or will they simply continue their self destruction and fall the way of the bar?"
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Poison was first produced at Boise State University in February of 2002. Directed by Lisa Hyslop, the original cast was as follows:
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Tom: Ken Rothwell
Pops: Nick Stewart S.
Norm: Aaron M. Kiefer
Celia: Katie McNeese
Aaron: Zakk Luff
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The play has taken many shapes and forms over the years. The play resembles many of the same ideas and characters since its first production and has since received a staged reading at Alley Repertory Theater in Boise, Idaho.
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THE LATITUDE OF LIFE
(A full-length play)
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Three sisters. Their dying father. A caretaker. A coin that might divide them all.
The Latitude of Life is the story of three sisters who have just received news that their father has less than a year to live. Forced to hire a caregiver to help with their father's medical issues, the sisters forge ahead with planning for their father's eventual death. As the sisters read through the will they discover their father owns a rare coin worth over 4 million dollars. Upon discovering that the last page of the will is missing, the sisters begin a journey that delves into their family's past and quite possibly, their future.
Dealing with legacy, the lost page of the will, and a missing coin, the sisters must forge into the future while holding onto the one thing they have left: family.
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The Latitude of Life has received readings with Alley Repertory Theater and HomeGrown Theater in Boise, Idaho
HALF PAST MIDNIGHT
(A full-length play)
It’s late summer and a group of friends congregate at a cabin near a remote mountain town for their annual fantasy football draft, a tradition spanning 15 years. Once as close as brothers, paths have separated over the years, always bringing them back to the cabin. Tensions mount between the friends as they attempt to strike a balance between embracing the past and progressing towards the future. As secrets seep out and as they deal with not only each other, but a host who is battling PTSD and simply holding on, the friends set out to see if they can recapture a piece of their glory days. Will they rebuild a friendship? Or will they find out that by constantly hanging onto the “good old days” simply means they just don’t have anything in common anymore?
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Half Past Midnight has received a workshop and staged reading with Alley Repertory Theater.