Braelin Map
I realized I hadn't posted this yet. This is the map I made of Braelin, the starting town of the current Krevborna campaign.
Tales of the Grotesque and Dungeonesque
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Rate and Review: A Favor
I hate to ask people for favors, or for anything really, but if you're read and enjoyed Ornamental Women , it would help me out tremendously if you rated or reviewed my novel! You can do so on Amazon , Goodreads , and Storygraph . Or make a post on social media about it, write something up for a blog if you have one, or (most importantly) recommend it to someone you think would like it. I'm an…
Third Novice Advance
We did another "level-up" session for the ongoing Krevborna game. Here's what the players grabbed for their characters: Anastasia took the New Power edge, gaining Relief and Dispel (and Smite from studying the Book of Carrion Winds) Dario took the Formation Fighter edge Johanna increased her Agility to a d8. Ulu took the New Power edge, gaining Environmental Protection and Arcane Protection (and…
Total Skull: July, 2026
Things that brought me delight in July, 2026: Neurosis, An Undying Love for a Burning World I honestly wasn't sure we'd ever get another album from Neurosis, but An Undying Love for a Burning World is a worthy addition to their lengthy catalog. The band's signature sludgy, doomy, post-metal heft remains intact, but the record also displays an incredibly varied textural palette; everything from…
Consummate Graveside Manner
I had planned to make a mix a month for all of 2026, but nobody seemed to listen to the mix for last May, so I fell off on that. Some projects get left by the wayside.
The Tower of the Black Prince
The Friday night Krevborna campaign continued, this time with a special guest joining for the evening. Characters Dario Diego Durant, swashbuckling swordsman Doctor Anastasia Nadya Strahov, a gun-priest Ulu, the party's urska mom Varro, a young snow elf bearing a magical sword Morwenna, harpy devotee of St. Vionka Johanna, lycan bard and fallen noble Routh, cauldronborn servant of the Graymalks…
Dragonwyck
Bad Books for Bad People, Episode 95: Dragonwyck Anya Seton is a grande dame of historical fiction, a reputation earned by novels like Dragonwyck, her 1944 gothic romance. Join Jack and Kate as they explore the dark corridors and even darker history of a 19th Century Hudson Valley manor home. What are some warning signs that you’re in for a rough ride with a romance protagonist? How many times…
Cauldronborn
Since these guys have popped up a few times in the current Krevborna campaign, I thought I should add them to the world-building blog posts. If it wasn't obvious from what follows, the cauldronborn are Krevborna's answer to the idea of "orcs." Cauldronborn As a last-ditch tactic in their war to push mankind out of their territory, the aelvani submerged their human prisoners of war in magical…
Ornamental Women Bookmarks
Ornamental Women , my debut Gothic Fantasy novel, has been out for just about two months now, so I'd like to offer a little something to everyone who bought a print copy: a silly bookmark drawn by yours truly. (If you bought an ebook copy, I still love you, but you won't need a physical bookmark for that, right?) Anyway, here's the bookmark: The bookmark is a doodle depicting Serafina, the "Angel…
The Bad Seeds
More fun with nuns in the latest Krevborna adventure! Characters Dario Diego Durant, swashbuckling swordsman Doctor Anastasia Nadya Strahov, a gun-priest Ulu, the party's urska mom Varro, a young snow elf bearing a magical sword Morwenna, harpy devotee of St. Vionka Johanna, lycan bard Events We last left the Charnel Hounds investigating the Convent of St. Nostalia of the Bladed Mercy because they…
Ornamental Women Playlist
Now, I know exactly what you're thinking: I would buy and read Ornamental Women , Jack's Gothic Fantasy novel, if only it had an official playlist... Well, friend, you're in luck: here's the official Spotify playlist for Ornamental Women. And here's your link to buy a copy of the novel. What's on there? Glad you asked: 1. Tristania, Deadlocked 2. Theatres des Vampires, The Gates of Hades 3.…
Bladed Mercy
We picked up from the level-up session, and a new adventure began in the current Krevborna campaign! Characters Dario Diego Durant, swashbuckling swordsman Doctor Anastasia Nadya Strahov, a gun-priest who says strange things about blood Ulu, the party's urska mom Varro, a young snow elf bearing a magical sword Morwenna, harpy devotee of St. Vionka Events After the duel between Varro and Embrelle…
Total Skull: June, 2026
Things that brought me delight in June, 2026. Johanna van Veen, Bone of My Bone I enjoyed Johanna van Veen's haunting novel My Darling Dreadful Thing , but I really enjoyed Bone of My Bone . Bone of My Bone centers on a Catholic nun and a Protestant peasant girl who are carting around the skull of a saint that wants to be reunited with its body, but a necromancer and his mercenary thrall are in…
Second Novice Advance
The characters in the current Krevborna campaign recently earned their second advance in the Novice tier. Here's what everyone grabbed: Dario: the Feint edge Johanna: the Savagery edge Anastasia: the Two-Gun Kid edge Varro: increased Spirit to d6 Ulu: the Martial Artist edge Morwenna: gained the Spellcasting edge at d4 and increased Common Knowledge to d6 The group also got to upgrade the Kaul…
The Burning Ghost
The current Krevborna campaign continued with an adventure adapted from the old Ravenloft scenario book Chilling Tales. Characters Dario Diego Durant, swashbuckling swordsman Doctor Anastasia Nadya Strahov, a gun-priest who says strange things about blood Johanna Albrecht, a lycan bard with a particularly keen nose Ulu, the party's urska mom Varro, a young snow elf bearing a magical sword Events…
Authors Who Influenced Ornamental Women
The other day, someone asked me if there were any specific authors that influenced the way I wrote Ornamental Women . (What, you don't have a copy of Ornamental Women , my Gothic Fantasy novel, that is available in print and ebook? Well, you can remedy that here .) These are some of the authors whose influence I see at work under the skin of Ornamental Women ; they are all people whose work has…
Ornamental Women Podcast Episode
Bad Books for Bad People, Episode 94: Ornamental Women We’re celebrating the release of cohost Jack Guignol’s debut novel Ornamental Women with a conversation that touches on inspiration, process, and motivation. Settle in for a wide-ranging chat about the novel, a dark gothic fantasy about the intersecting lives of three strange–and sometimes magical–women who want to solve the mystery of a…
The Moyle Mines
We had to skip a week due to gallery stuff and internet issues, but we were finally able to conclude the Krevborna group's delve in the Moyle Mines. Characters Dario Diego Durant, swashbuckling swordsman Doctor Anastasia Nadya Strahov, a gun-priest who says strange thing about blood Johanna Albrecht, a lycan bard with a particularly keen nose Ulu, the party's urska mom Varro, a young snow elf…
The Doomed Yee-Haw Roundup
We've been doing group watches of Weird Westerns over on the Tales of the Grotesque and Dungeonesque Discord server. To keep it varied, I've tried to run the gamut--from eerie psychological horror on the prairie and movies heavy on the brutality to mean-spirited revenge tragedies and the weirdest Spaghetti Western known to man. Here's what we've feasted our eyes on (in case you want some solid…
Dinner and Delving
After the previous session's downtime, the group was resolved to take the Nokoviks up on their invitation to dinner, then head to the village of Goranstad in pursuit of the commander who had betrayed their mercenary band. Characters Dario Diego Durant, swashbuckling swordsman Doctor Anastasia Nadya Strahov, a gun-priest who says strange thing about blood Johanna Albrecht, a lycan bard with a…
First Advance
We're trying something new in the current Krevborna campaign: we're actually meeting on a shared video call to do advances as the characters grow in skill and power. Previously, I thought people would consider that a waste of time, but I think they actually had a good time just hanging out and talking about where they want to take their characters. The session also gave us the opportunity to play…
Total Skull: May, 2026
Things that brought me delight in May, 2026: Hokum A belligerent American author (is there any other kind?) travels to Ireland to dispose of his parents' ashes at the hotel where they spent their honeymoon. As it turns out, the hotel harbors a few dark secrets that the writer finds himself inextricably drawn into. I really liked director Damian McCarthy's previous film, Oddity , and while Hokum is…
Double or Nothing
This is a recap of the third session of the current Krevborna campaign. Characters Dario Diego Durant, swashbuckling swordsman Doctor Anastasia Nadya Strahov, a gun-priest who says strange thing about blood Ulu, the party's urska mom Varro, a young snow elf bearing a magical sword Morwenna, a carrion-eating harpy Events When we last left our heroes, they had lost a contest of arms with Lady…
Striking the Bargain
This is a recap of the second session of the current Krevborna campaign. Characters Dario Diego Durant, swashbuckling swordsman Doctor Anastasia Nadya Strahov, a gun-priest who says strange thing about blood Johanna Albrecht, a lycan bard with a particularly keen nose Ulu, the party's urska mom Varro, a young snow elf bearing a magical sword Morwenna, a carrion-eating harpy Events When we last…
Ornamental Women is Now Available!
After a long, long road to get to this point, I can now say that Ornamental Women, my first novel, is available now at Amazon as a trade paperback and ebook! Set in my long-running Krevborna setting, my novel is definitely in the dark fantasy/Gothic fantasy style, but with a few surprises. In lieu of writing the tradition back cover copy, this is how I describe the novel: Death and Art A grave…