Author Archives: jess

This is how you do it. Or, one of the ways, anyhow. There is no single way to do it. (Or, rather, the single way to do it is “Do a good job.” There are many ways to do that). … Continue reading →

(because it’s Noirvember, of course) Before I begin: films noir is one of the subjects in film studies that is disputed the fiercest, that contains the most critical controversies, that everyone has an opinion on and which no two opinions … Continue reading →

(Originally appeared here in 2010). It’s not like I want to spend time thinking about the following. I’ve got a steampunk novel to plot. But my son Henry–that’s him on the left–loves Toy Story  We watch a part of it every night before bed. … Continue reading →

Hi– My first attempt at a Kickstarter for The Fury of the Northmen failed, so I’ve relaunched it with a humbler funding goal (only $5,000) and humbler aims (the funding will pay for layout and cover art so I can sell … Continue reading →

Hi– My new Kickstarter has just gone live. It’s for The Fury of the Northmen, a 5e-compatible rpg set in England during the first six years of the Viking invasion of England (865-871 CE). The Fury of the Northmen is historical fantasy; it’s … Continue reading →

A story by me in which I attempt to tell a Lovecraftian tale that’s never been told before. reverse the charges

I’ve been banging on about Viking stuff over on Twitter and on my Patreon for some time now. What really started me on this was the Viking roleplaying game (working title: The Fury of the Northmen; tagline: “the greatest Viking roleplaying … Continue reading →

We’ve been blaming the French for various woes for decades, if not centuries, although the British have been doing it for a lot longer. (The O.E.D. has a pejorative use of “Frenchified” dating back to 1592). But let’s not forget … Continue reading →

Last week I provided a Cyberpunk 101 reading list in response to some discussion over on Twitter about the game Cyberpunk 2077. As follow-up, I ordered a copy of my master’s thesis (“The Evolution of the Myth of the Frontier in Cyberpunk”, … Continue reading →