Meet the Author: Joey Shimerdla, Splinterlands Narrative Designer

I took on my mortal coil in 1976 in Omaha, NE. As an only child, my parents were able to devote their existences to catering to my every whim. My Mom started by reading the newspaper to me, ensuring I was up to speed on current events. Once I outgrew the newspaper, she moved on to Golden Books. I read my first novel, Cujo, in the third grade. It hooked me, and I took to main-lining novels and working the libraries like an eight-year-old junky looking to score his next fix. I've been an avid reader ever since, throwing my lot in with Frank and Joe Hardy, the three investigators, and much later, Roland Deschain and his ka-tet.

I somehow fooled Uncle Sam into believing I’d one day make a great leader of men and was promptly shipped off to the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY, where I languished in a turmoil of emotions ranging from apathy to not giving a damn. This lent me to writing angst-filled poetry and short stories when I should have been paying attention in class or studying in the barracks, thereby resulting in the refinement of his craft and lending credence to that familiar idiom⁠—you know, silver linings and all that.

Staring in the mirror
At a stranger I have grown to love
He does what I want him to
And he'll do anything for you
So I smile and he smiles back
A sick and twisted grin
Eyes that beg and plead
What do you want from me
I can't look away
He holds me in his gaze
Eyes so sad as the tears roll down his face
Why don't you love me?
Why don't you care?
His life I lead and I cannot escape

In 1998, I graduated from West Point and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in Army Aviation. I attended flight school in Alabama, where I learned to wear cool shades and a leather jacket, and something about helicopters. You must forgive me. It was some years ago, and my memory is fading faster than a cheap tattoo.

In 2013, I hung up my cool shades and leather jacket and donned a pocket protector and masking-tape-repaired glasses, transitioning from Army Aviation to Operations Research and Systems Analysis. I’d spent the last fifteen years refining my skills and building a solid foundation of knowledge, so I figured what better time than the twilight of my career to throw all that out the window and start from scratch in an entirely new field.

In 2016, my debut novel, The Eighth Day, was published. It went on to become an Amazon bestseller. And in 2017, my award-winning dystopian novel, When Titans Fall, was published.

In September 2021, I began outprocessing from the U.S. Army. After twenty-three years, it was finally time to throw in the towel. I will officially retire on February 28, 2022.

In the meantime, I began working for Splinterlands as a narrative designer responsible for card design, stories, lore, and much more. My first short story, War Begins, was published in December 2022.

I've lived in Nebraska, Minnesota, New York, Alabama, North Carolina, Kansas, South Korea, Iraq, Maryland, Texas, Virginia, Italy, and most recently, Florida. My last assignment was with U.S. Special Operations Command in Tampa. Currently, I live in an apartment in North Port with my wife and 3-year old daughter. We're waiting for our retirement home to be built while elephants stomp around above us...

So how does the rest of my story go? I'll let you know when I get there. It's still a work in progress.