Droids & Dragons Author, Shan Jeniah Burton

Pub 518 welcomes back Shan Jeniah Burton to the Droids & Dragons team. Shan is an upstate NY native. She the widow of an Oregonian she met at the Grand Canyon. After calling Yellowstone, the Canyon, and the Everglades home, she now lives with her two grown kids, two contentious cats, and a pair of dogs on the same country road where she grew up. These days, she’s moving through her fifties and still learning every day. Writing has always been her favorite way of interpreting the world around her (and the infinite spaces inside her). She weaves lyrical stories, poetry, and essays that breathe her truth.

Shan has been writing since she was 7. "Not sure the murder of a grade mate when I was 7 is a great thing to announce for the vibe of the biz…but that’s literally what inspired me to write… I have been writing fanfiction since I was 13 (I have gotten a few orders of magnitude better in the last 40 years!).

Joining wider writing communities and challenges, such as the former A Round of Words in 80 Days, National Novel Writing Month, Story A Day Superstars, and the Albany Writer’s Group, have inspired me to write on a more professional level."

A well-published author, Shan has many publications to her name including several in Pub 518 anthologies. "I have been published several times. My short stories 'Monday Morning Coffee' and 'A Splash of Red' were first published in volumes 1 and II of the World Unknown Review anthology, edited by LS Engler.

My Pushcart Prize nominated short story 'Being Colette' first appeared in the Dark and Bitter anthology edited by 518 Publishing Company.

My short story 'R.I.P. Left Shoe' and poems 'Silvered, She Flings' and 'In Silent Witness' first appeared in the Influence of the Moon anthology edited by 518 Publishing Company.

My short story 'Storm at Song Glass Cabin' first appeared in the Exploits in the Adirondacks anthology edited by 518 Publishing Company.

My short story 'A Catskill Christmas Carol' appeared in the Catskill Chaos anthology edited by 518 Publishing Company.

Several of these stories and several original poems appear in the self-published collection light shines; shadow falls, published as Lovely Chaos Publishing."

When we asked Shan which author influenced her writing the most, she said: "This is a tricky one! I’m very drawn to the poetry and imagery of Anne Morrow Lindbergh (who, like me, lost an infant son), in her book Gift From the Sea. I also love the power singer/songwriter Paul Simon has to create a deep lyrical image in very few words: “and the moon rose over an open field”; “and sometimes even music cannot substitute for tears.” I love epic, sweeping tales driven by character, such as Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series. I love the unexpected and irreverent humor of Douglas Adams and Kurt Vonnegut. I have a fondness for writers Colleen McCullough (The Thorn Birds and A Creed for the Third Millenium) and Taylor Caldwell (Bright Flows the River and Answer as a Man). I love the combination of ethical questions and sci-fi reality in Robert Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

In other words, I’ve read a lot of books from many genres - I love character-driven, deep, engrossing reads with strong symbolism and unexpected twists that feel inevitable once I absorb them, and which remain within me long after the last page has been turned."

Several of Shan's literary works is featured in Droids & Dragons, a funny short story and several poems. "My story is 'The Protocol of a Hoard'. It’s inspired by The Odd Couple, which was a favorite TV series of mine when I was a child - I guess I’ve always been drawn to the interaction of characters who are fundamentally opposite. Another strong influence for these two characters is Trip and T’Pol from Star Trek: Enterprise (my favorite fanfic characters to write).

My poem 'Dragon Parents' is influenced by both my own childhood and the rise of the so-called “dragon mothers” who are focused on high achievement over individuality or emotional health. My poem 'The Dragon and the Little Droid' was inspired by the Peter, Paul, and Mary folk song “Puff the Magic Dragon,” with the Little Droid replacing Jackie Paper, the little boy in the song. My poem 'A Battle for the Ages' was inspired by my own childhood “battles” with siblings, and by raising two children of my own and watching (and sometimes refereeing!) their play."

Here's a standout snippet from Shan's short story, "The Protocol of a Hoard", that will make you laugh.

“I am not in the resource pile.”

“You’re still part of my hoard.” Maybe if they could sneak up on it…

“Perhaps you are a part of mine, dragon.”

We all have favorite reads that stay with us long after the last page, and with Shan it's, a long-time tie between 'Stranger in a Strange Land' by Robert Heinlein and 'Gift From the Sea' by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. "Very different books, but I have come back to both at various stages of my life and always found new treasures in them."

All writers have superpowers and when we asked Shan about hers, she said: "I can create beauty from ugliness; joy from grief; silver linings from even the darkest clouds."

Consider checking out Shan's new Substack to find out more about her. https://substack.com/@shanjeniah

You can read Shan's short story, 'The Protocol of a Hoard' and poetry in the 2026 anthology, Droids & Dragons. It's now available on Amazon and other platforms.