J Alan Erwine's Blog

Authors are not their characters

2026-08-22T12:51:46.698-06:00

While it is true that authors may include parts of themselves (or others) in their characters, it should never be assumed that their characters are actually portrayals of some part of their personality. Unfortunately, I see many readers saying that an author has a racist, or sexist, or whatever character, therefore they must be racist, sexist, etc. No, this isn't the case. Authors use all kinds of characters, even some that are the antithesis of their own belief systems, but many readers still want to say that a racist (or whatever) character means that the author HAS to be this way.

I will freely admit that there are a lot of really crappy people among authors, even in speculative fiction, which is usually one of the most inclusive genres (or groups of genres), but we can just leave them to the side for now...and we all know who they are. This doesn't mean that all speculative authors are like this, even the ones that include prejudiced characters.

If I have a story in which my character is expressing homophobic or transphobic ideas, this doesn't mean that those are my views, especially if the character is the antagonist, although I have seen some examples of protagonists that have similar views, but they usually overcome them, which is a big part of the story. I will include characters, especially antagonists, that have some truly horrible views of a marginalized group or groups, but I'm usually doing this to cast them in a bad light, or to give my protagonist one more reason to "defeat" them.

The idea of saying an author is expressing their own views in their characters seems to be a more recent development, and it's one I don't understand. I've known authors that have created characters that truly hated non-white men, but the authors themselves were some of the most wonderful people I've ever met, even the white men! (Just kidding)

I often write characters that express racism, or some other form of prejudice, but I don't agree with these characters. It's more of a political commentary, and I think it's a great way to comment on our screwed up society. I, personally, have never received this kind of backlash, probably because I'm pretty small time, but I have seen others get attacked for things I know they don't believe. Please, do not automatically ascribe a character's viewpoint to the author. They aren't usually the same.

Again, I know that there are some truly horrible people writing science fiction and fantasy, even bestsellers, that use the money they make to attack the marginalized, and I think this is absolutely horrible. Not all of us are doing this however. Personally, I use characters that attack the marginalized in an effort to bring awareness of these kinds of attacks to light, and to try to show that it doesn't matter what a person's skin color is, or what their religious beliefs are, or what their sexual orientation is, or how they identify sexually, or if they are disabled, or whatever. We're all people, and that's what matters. So, please please please make sure you know what an author truly believes before you attack them for having a despicable character. While that could be a part of their personality, most often, it's not.

End of rant

A fiction sale at DriveThruFiction

2026-08-21T09:54:55.863-06:00

My family is continuing to struggle financially, so to try to help us out, I'm making all of my titles at DriveThruFiction available for 50% off. Check out the sale at https://www.drivethrufiction.com/en/publisher/16618/

If you've ever thought about reading any of my fiction...novels, collections, even individual short stories, there couldn't be a better time!

d6 RPG Bundle at RPG Trader

2026-08-20T14:00:00.000-06:00

If you like to play RPGs, but you don't like using a bunch of different dice, RPG Trader has the bundle for you. For a limited time, you can download more than 100 titles, including the original Ephemeris RPG, for just $25 at https://rpg-trader.com/products/8344/d6-only-games-bundle. All of these games use only a six sided die, none of the other crazy polyhedral dice.

Of course, if you want to pay more, that's always an option, and the extra money goes to the creators, so if you're looking for a new game, now is the time to download this amazing bundle.

Taking care of a sick kitty

2026-08-17T13:04:05.108-06:00

I've been absent from just about everything for the last couple of weeks as I've been nursing a very sick kitty back to health. Eclypse, the little calico in the picture developed a severe infection, and almost died. I noticed her acting strange late on a Wednesday night, and by Thursday afternoon, I knew there was something very wrong. When my wife got home that night, we took her to the emergency vet, and they determined that she had an infected uterus and needed to be spayed within a couple of days. When we got home from the vet at 11:30 that night, we spent the next two hours trying to find a place that would be able to do it on Friday, and wouldn't cost us a fortune. The emergency vet could have done it, but it would have been $6,000-$8,000, and considering that we're still struggling to pay our rent and put food on the table, this simply wasn't an option.

We finally found a place that would take her early Friday, so we dropped her off and waited. The first few nights were really touch and go because she was so sick, and she's such a little thing. At her heaviest, she's about seven pounds. It had always been our intention to get her spayed, but once she was old enough and big enough, we simply couldn't afford it, and we couldn't really afford it at this point, but letting her die was never an option. Our cats are our family, and we will do everything we can to protect them, and that includes getting fewer groceries for the next few weeks.

While it was a family effort to nurse her back to health, it mostly fell on me. For those of you that know cats, you know that when they live with multiple humans, they will usually pick one of these people as their person, and the rest are spares. Well, I'm Eclypse's person. She has always been very attached to me, and during all of this, she became even more attached, so she's been sleeping on me, and I've let her, no matter how uncomfortable it made me. At this moment, she is laying on a cat hutch right next to my chair at my desk, and she's been here since I started working this morning.

So, this has been my last couple of weeks. I'm happy to say that she is now on the mend, if we can just protect her from herself. She's a very high energy cat, and she now once again thinks it's time to run and jump on everything...but at least she's healing.

Bestseller for July 2026

2026-08-01T13:27:43.466-06:00

This was one of the worst months that I've had in a very long time, and it couldn't have come at a worse time for me and my family. Still, I did at least sell a few books. My bestseller for July 2026 was

The Ephemeris 2.0 RPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/497132/

Writing myself into a corner

2026-07-30T10:16:34.551-06:00

Nearly every author I've ever met knows what I mean when I say that I've written myself into a corner. The new novel I'm working on is proceeding in a very linear manner, and while this might sound like a good thing, it actually isn't. Too much has been telegraphed early, and it's taking away from the suspense. As it's going right now, it will be very easy to figure out where it's proceeding and how it will all work out...and I'm not sure how to really go about fixing it at the moment.

As a result, I need to either rethink the whole novel, or scrap it. Not sure what the best option is at this point.

Sometimes, I really hate writing.

WIPs

2026-07-25T09:05:21.777-06:00

Just in case you're interested, I thought I'd update you on what I'm currently working on.

I know lots of writers prefer to work on one project so that they can stay completely focused on that. I'm not that writer. I like to have too much on my plate, and as long as each work is significantly different from the others, I don't seem to have a problem jumping from one to the other.

So, just what am I working on? I'm currently on the third chapter of a novel which is tentatively titled Destiny Manifested. I'm also working on a short story for Boundary Shock Quarterly. At the same time, I'm working on an RPG supplement for Ephemeris 2.0, and another supplement for the Divided States of America RPG. And at the same time, I'm making notes for a new adventure for the Rocks on the Other Side RPG. This is a follow up adventure to Caves of Hopelessness, which was just released by Nomadic Delirium Press.

That should be enough to keep me busy for a while...

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention that I'm also working on notes to fix a short story that I started on a while ago, but never quite worked out for me. I'm not sure if this will turn into anything, but all of the others should be available for your perusal in the months and years to come.

Caves of Hopelessness

2026-07-23T20:00:00.000-06:00

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

Towns near the hills have been raided recently by a very organized group of bandits. They’ve abducted citizens, and taken property from the small towns that are unable to defend themselves. Your party has been combing the hills looking for these bandits, and maybe now you’ve gotten the break you need.

Caves of Hopelessness is an adventure for the Rocks on the Other Side RPG designed for characters of 4^th-6^th levels.

Order from DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/577828/

Order from RPG Trader: https://rpg-trader.com/products/7664/

Can writers change their style?

2026-07-18T09:08:59.454-06:00

One of the biggest critiques I've faced as a writer is that I'm not descriptive enough. Many say that my writing almost reads like a play...and there is some truth to this. I've never really enjoyed reading flowery writing, so obviously I wouldn't write in this way. However, I am realizing, in my old age, that maybe my writing isn't as descriptive as it could be. Maybe the sky needs to be more than just blue, for example.

So, I've taken a step back with the novel I'm working on, and I'm working on the description a bit more...not a lot more...just a bit. Maybe this will make for better writing. I don't know. It's not really my call. I've always thought of myself more as a storyteller than a writer, but I'm giving it my best to change this.

Will it work? Can you teach an old dog new tricks? I guess we'll have to wait and see. Hopefully the new novel will be out early next year...unless I get a huge surge of creative energy, which is difficult given everything going on around me, but I will try. I promise you that. I will try!

Xmas in July sale at DriveThruRPG

2026-07-16T13:00:00.000-06:00

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

It's time for Xmas in July at DriveThruRPG. You can save 30% off of our RPG titles, and there are even a few fiction titles in there as well. Check out the sale at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/2805/

Save on Ephemeris 2.0, The Divided States of America RPG, The Battle for Turtle Island, Rocks on the Other Side, and Domain of the Dragons. Core rulebooks and supplements all for 30% off! So, head over there now, and head over often. What could be better than escaping reality with a new RPG?

About to be homeless and need help sale

2026-07-14T15:10:15.254-06:00

As I've previously mentioned, my family will probably be homeless this time next month. We're trying to avoid it, but it's starting to look unavoidable. My oldest daughter has set up a Gofundme for us at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-the-erwine-family, but I know some people don't like to donate, and I completely understand that. If you'd still like to help, I have made my books available for download at half price at Itch. You can check them out at https://itch.io/s/195803/about-to-be-homeless-and-need-help

Any help is appreciated!!!

Smashwords Summer/Winter sale

2026-07-10T11:41:56.195-06:00

All of my novels and short story collections are currently available for 50% off during the Smashwords Summer/Winter sale at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jaerwine

The Ephemeris Guide to Sub-Classes

2026-07-09T18:00:00.000-06:00

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

Some people love sub-classes in their RPGs, while others hate them. If you’re the gamer that loves sub-classes, this is the supplement for you. Add 100 character sub-classes to your Ephemeris 2.0 RPG.

Whether you’re a player looking for new character options, or a game master looking for new ways to challenge your players, you’re bound to find something to incorporate into your game in this tome.

Order from DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/574832/

Order from RPG-Trader: https://rpg-trader.com/products/7043/

Xmas in July sale

2026-07-09T09:29:14.779-06:00

It's time for my annual Xmas in July sale at DriveThruFiction. You can save 33% off of all of my titles at https://www.drivethrufiction.com/en/publisher/16618/

Novels, short story collections, and even individual short stories. They're all there, and they're all on sale, so act now!

My family needs help

2026-07-02T11:51:31.245-06:00

I'm a prideful person, so it's not easy for me to ask for help, but the simple fact is that my family is in desperate need of help. We used the last of our "savings" to pay our rent for July, but if something dramatic doesn't happen in the next few weeks, we will be facing eviction in August, and we will be living in our car. Our oldest daughter has set up a gofundme to help us out. You can find it at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-the-erwine-family

If you really want to know the grim details, here they are...

The biggest reason that we're in the position we're in is because I haven't been able to find a job. Any freelance work I was doing has dried up, and book sales aren't exactly stellar in our declining economy. For work, I need to find a remote job because the area we live in has been steadily declining, and we have had some break in attempts. My teenage daughter does online school, and we can't leave her at home alone because she simply wouldn't be safe. Also, my wife has some serious health concerns (which I'll discuss later) which really need for me to be home to help her when she's not working. And it might be easy for people to say that we should just move, but we're locked into a lease, and if we can't afford the rent, we obviously can't afford to buy our way out of the lease. Plus, this is one of the cheapest apartments we can find, which is sad since it's far from cheap.

I mentioned my wife's health concerns. She suffers from a severe autoimmune disease, and she also suffers from debilitating migraines. She's on numerous medications, and these, plus mounting medical bills make things that much harder. I worry that we soon won't be able to pay for her prescriptions, even with health coverage, and I don't even want to think about what will result from that. Even with all of these health problems, my wife is, without a doubt, my hero. She is currently working four 12 hour shifts each week, and she is even trying to find a way to pick up a fifth shift. I don't know how she's supposed to work 60 hours a week, with all she has going on, but she is going to try it. Still, what effect is this going to have on her health? She can't do this for too long, and even with 60 hours, we will be struggling to make rent, and pay for food.

Already we have cut down on what we're buying for food. If it's not super cheap and on sale, we simply can't get it, and this is not good for her with the hours she's putting in, and it's really not good for our teenage daughter. I can survive on peanut butter sandwiches and cereal, but it's no way for them to eat.

To make matters even worse, my wife was in a car accident a couple of years ago, which left the car damaged. We currently don't have AC, and she has a long drive every day, while taking meds that cause her to overheat. In addition, even though we haven't had to use it in several months, we also seem to have a problem with the heat. I'm not sure how we're going to survive living in the car without those, and staying at a hotel would be more expensive than what we're already paying. Plus, on Monday, she drove over a large screw while leaving work, and we had to replace the tire, and since the other front tire was bad, we had to replace it as well. While they were working on rotating the tires, they showed us that the back tires are also on the last of their rubber, but we couldn't afford those at the time. I do have to give a big shout out to Discount Tires, however, they worked with us and got at least two of the tires replaced for now...although that was our grocery money for next week. Now she's driving on borrowed time with the tires...

We've reached out for government help, but since I don't have a steady income, we can't qualify for SNAP, and other government benefits...especially since so much of the funding has been cut. Rental assistance programs won't help until you're actually facing eviction, and even then, they have limited resources, and can't guarantee that they can help. We would basically have to hope to win a lottery drawing to get these kinds of benefits. We've contacted food banks, but their priority is first to the people who have been thrown off of SNAP, and they are getting fewer and fewer donations, since so many people are struggling right now.

We know that many people are in similar situations to us, and some of you may be even worse off. We ask that if you can help us out, please do. If you are unable to help us, we certainly understand, but if you can share our link, and maybe even our story, it would be greatly appreciated. We know that there are a lot of kind people out there, and we're hoping that people can help us. We really do not want our teenager living out of the car as we try to find a way to get into some kind of new housing, especially if we end up with an eviction on our record.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. It's appreciated, and I apologize for it being so long.

If you'd like to help, that link once again is https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-the-erwine-family

Bestseller for June 2026

2026-07-02T10:01:50.740-06:00

I'm not going to lie, sales have been pretty pathetic lately. Luckily I create RPGs, as that seems to be where most of my money is coming from lately.

My bestseller for June 2026 was The Ephemeris Creature Compendium: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/501062/ or https://rpg-trader.com/products/1125/

Every game needs creatures to challenge the characters, and Ephemeris 2.0 is no different. Step inside this tome and learn about new species that are on the edge of space travel, other creatures that can threaten the characters on a variety of worlds, and learn about creatures that live amongst the stars…and even creatures that live in hyperspace.

Discover the celestial wyrm, the mosicans, asteroid mites, and so much more!

Summer sale at Itch

2026-06-29T16:00:00.000-06:00

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

Itch is currently running their Summer sale, and you can save 50% off of all of our titles, or if you're really looking to help out, you can download all 50 titles for $75!!

Check out the sale at https://itch.io/s/188710/summer-sale-2026

Learning a new way to edit

2026-06-20T09:51:23.684-06:00

They say that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but I'm going to have to learn how to. I've been in this writing business for more than a quarter of a century, and my process has always been to hand edit my manuscripts. I would print them up and then take my red correction pencil, and attack them. What can I say? I'm kind of old, and I'm very old fashioned.

Last week, however, my printer finally printed it's last page. It's been a reliable machine, and has seen me through several novels, tons of short stories, and an unbelievable amount of RPGs and RPG supplements...but all good things must come to an end, right?

As much as I would like to buy a new printer, this simply isn't an option. We barely managed to pay our rent in June, and July is going to take some serious magic, although I think we've figured it out. Paying August's rent will be impossible unless we have a serious turn of good luck...so a printer just isn't that important right now.

This means that I have to start editing on a computer screen, which has never been easy for me. I notice mistakes on paper better than I notice them on a screen. It seems that my brain thinks it knows what I typed when it's on screen, but the mistakes cry out on paper. Still, I have no choice, so I will just have to learn how to edit on screen. This is one tired old dog that doesn't want to do this, but what choice do I have?

I figure it would be best if I start out with a short story, but the project that I'm closest to finishing is a supplement for the Ephemeris 2.0 RPG, and this thing looks like it's going to be 70,000-80,000 words. This will be difficult, but I know I have to do it, so time to learn a new trick.

Wish me luck...

Huge Nomadic Delirium sales

2026-06-15T12:25:27.765-06:00

If you're looking to save big on Nomadic Delirium Press titles, many of which I have been involved in, then there has never been a better time. They're offering numerous 75% off sales, but only for a limited time.

For anthologies, check out:

Payhip: https://payhip.com/NomadicDeliriumPress/collection/anthologies

Itch: https://itch.io/s/188713/75-off-anthologies

For RPGs, check out:

RPG-Trader: https://rpg-trader.com/creator/133/nomadic-delirium-press

Payhip: https://payhip.com/NomadicDeliriumPress/collection/ephemeris-2-0

Itch: https://itch.io/s/188011/75-off-ephemeris

If you love science fiction or role playing games, then you owe it to yourself to check out these sales. These are great deals, and you'll probably never be able to get them for a lower price...but time is running out.

RPG Trader

2026-06-09T09:00:00.000-06:00

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

The new RPG Trader website has gone live, and our RPG titles are available there, and since this is there big launch, they're all available for 20% off. Head over to https://rpg-trader.com/creator/133/nomadic-delirium-press, and you can be playing one of our games tonight!

50% off sale at DriveThruFiction

2026-06-06T09:05:38.790-06:00

To celebrate the release of my two latest short story collections, all of my titles are on sale for 50% off at DriveThruFiction. You can get novels, collections, and even individual short stories. Head over to https://www.drivethrufiction.com/en/publisher/16618/ and start downloading today.

Thanks for supporting my writing!!!

Tales from The Ultimate Unknown and Aphelion

2026-06-05T17:00:00.000-06:00

My Tales from The Ultimate Unknown and Aphelion is now available at https://books2read.com/u/bPqXJA

Travel back to the beginning of J Alan Erwine’s career with the stories that were first published in the small press magazines The Ultimate Unknown and Aphelion.

These stories will give you a glimpse into what would become the disturbing vision of Erwine’s that would grow over time into the beast that it is today.

Tales from ProMart

2026-06-02T10:00:00.000-06:00

J Alan Erwine has been publishing science fiction short stories for more than a quarter of a century, and it all began with a story sale to ProMart. For many years after that, ProMart regularly published his works. Now, all of those early stories are gathered together in one collection to celebrate ProMart and its publisher, James B. Baker.
Order your copy today at https://books2read.com/u/bMk9vA

Bestseller for May 2026

2026-06-01T11:36:56.875-06:00

A resurgence of interest in the Ephemeris 2.0 RPG made the core rulebook my bestseller for May 2026.

Check it out at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/497132/

RPG Bundle sale

2026-05-29T15:00:00.000-06:00

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

If you’ve ever thought about stocking up on our RPG titles, now’s the time. We’ve temporarily reduced the prices on the bundles we sell through DriveThruRPG.

Get all five core rulebooks for just $15 at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/422488/. That’s Ephemeris 2.0, The Divided States of America, Rocks on the Other Side, The Battle for Turtle Island, and Domain of the Dragons.

Get all seven Ephemeris 2.0 titles for just $15 at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/505006/

Get all 10 Rocks on the Other Side titles for just $15 at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/437580/

Get all three Divided States of America RPG titles for just $5 at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/566278/

Get both Domain of the Dragons titles for just $5 at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/565381/