American writer
Paul Jessup |
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Born | Paul Matthew Jessup (1977-08-24) August 24, 1977 (age 46)
Geneva, Ohio, U.S. |
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Occupation | Writer, Game Designer |
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Language | English |
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Nationality | American |
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Alma mater |
Kent State University |
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Notable works | Open Your Eyes, Glass Coffin Girls, Bad Writer, The Silence that Binds, The Music of Ghosts |
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Notable awards | Virginia Perryman Award for Excellence in Short Stories (2000) |
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Children | Ashlyn, Liam |
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www.pauljessup.com |
Paul Matthew Jessup (born August 24, 1977) is an American writer of short stories, novels, poetry, and plays. He is also a video game designer, and solo developer/pixel artist for
Riddle Fox Games, creator of the best selling game
Bad Writer.
His short stories have had honorable mentions in several year's best anthologies, including Year's Best Horror, and the Year's best Fantasy and Horror, and Year's Best Science Fiction. His work has been translated into several different languages, with Open Your Eyes being published in Polish.
[1]
In 2000 he was awarded Kent States Virginia Perryman Award for Excellence in Freshman Short Fiction.
Personal life
Paul Jessup grew up in the small town of
Geneva, Ohio, and went to
Kent State University, where he won the Virginia Perryman award for excellence in short fiction in 2000. He and his friend
Tim Miller started
Six Gallery Press around this time, publishing weird experimental novels and poetry by various writers.
In 2006 or so he started
Grendelsong fantasy and horror magazine, publishing various genre writers like
Jay Lake,
Ekaterina Sedia,
Richard Bowes,
Samantha Henderson,
Eugie Foster, and many others. Around this time he also started selling horror short stories to pro and semi-pro magazines, including
Pseudopod,
Postscripts,
Apex Magazine,
Clarkesworld, and many more. He also gained cult following for his weird and surreal books, collections and more.
Around 2020 he began creating video games as a fun side project. His most popular game (to date) was
Bad Writer, which became a best seller on
itch.io and the
Nintendo Switch.
In 2022 his short story, Skinless Man Counts to Five made the
Stoker awards recommended reading list. In 2023, he signed a three book deal with
Underland Press for two horror novels and a short story collection.
Disability and Multiple Sclerosis
In 2008 Paul Jessup had his first attack of
optic neuritis, which eventually led to his diagnosis of
Multiple Sclerosis. Over the years he began walking with a cane, and slowly lost eyesight in left eye. In 2021 he was then diagnosed with
Diabetes as well.
Books
- Cancer Eats the Heart (2024, published by
Underland Press)
- Skinless Man Counts to Five and other tales of the macabre (2024, published by
Underland Press
- Glass House (2023, published by
Underland Press)
- The Silence that Binds (2021, published by
Vernacular Books)
- Close Your Eyes (2018, published by
Apex Books)
- Glass Coffin Girls (2009, published by
PS Publishing)
- Werewolves (2010, published by
Chronicle Books)
- Open Your Eyes (2009, published by
Apex Books) (2013 published in Alamanach Fantastyki by Solaris, translated into Polish by Miroslaw Obarski)
- AngelWings and FinerThings: A Dream (2000, published by
Six Gallery Press)
Poetry
Nonfiction
- A Wave on the Sea (2018, published in
Apex Magazine)
- Surviving Times of Stagnation (2017, published in
SFWA
- Post-Novel Blues (2018, published in SFWA)
- Finding Your Tribe (2017, published in SFWA)
- Someone Changed the Bones in Our Homes (2017, published in
Nightmare Magazine)
- The Rebirth of Grue (2008, published in
Strange Horizons)
- Confessions of a Red Mage (2008, published in
Strange Horizons)
- Standing Still, Falling Behind (2008, published in
Erie Life Magazine)
Short fiction
- The Skinless Man Counts to Five (2022 published in Apex Magazine)
- The Last Dryad (2022 published in Disabled Destroy Science Fiction)
- The Music of Ghosts (2018 published in Interzone Magazine)
- The Days of Talking Mountains (2015 published in Farrago’s Wainscot)
- Summer Cannibals (2013 published in The Big Click)
- Sunsorrow (2013 published in Swords & Mythos Anthology, 2016 audio version at Far Fetched Fables)
- Red Dust from His Boots (2012 published in Alien Sky Anthology)
- Orange Cuts (2012, published in
Dadaism Anthology)
- PostFlesh (2012, published in
Future Lovecraft)
- Cannibal Choir (2011, published in
Coffin Mouth Magazine)
- Stone Dogs (2011, published in
Candle in the Attic Window)
- And Out Came the Words of Fire (2011, published in
Inssmouth Free Press)
- A Futile Gesture Towards Truth (2010, published in
Dark Faith Anthology)
- Heaven's Fire (2010, published in
Sybil's Garage)
- The Last Stand of the Antmaker (2010, published in
Apex Magazine)
- The Adventures of Petal (2009, published in
Fantasy Magazine)
- A Word Without Ghosts (2009, published in
Fantasy Magazine)
- Secret in the House of Smiles (2008, published in
Clarkesworld Magazine)
- The Sea of Dead Around Her (2008, published in
Postscripts magazine)
- The Ghosts We Have Become (2008, published in
Postscripts magazine)
- Ghost Technology From the Sun (2008, published in
Postscripts magazine)
- The Ghosts We Have Become (2008, published in
Postscripts magazine)
- Mudskin (2008, published in
Postscripts magazine)
- Light Like Knives Dragged Across the Skin (2008, published in
Pseudopod)
- Fingerbones Hung Like Mobiles (2008, published in
Pseudopod)
- Philianion (2008, published in
Behind the Wainscot)
- Mister Waterbones and His Wife (2008, published in
Farrago's Wainscot)
- Apple Magick (2008, published in
Farrago's Wainscot)
- Postflesh (2008, published in
Apex Magazine)
- The Happiness of Pinned Wings (2008, published in
Graveyards Yawned Anthology)
- The Alchemy of War (2008, published in
Electric Velocipede)
- Happiness of Pinned Wings (2006, published in
Graveyard's Yawn)
- The Gods Have Left Us (2006, published in Flashing Swords)
- Dream Thief (2006, published in
The Harrow)
- When Max Was Hungry Again (2006, published in
The Harrow)
- Clockwork: The Mechanical Nature of Humanity (2001, published in
Journals of Experimental Fiction)
- Key 12 (2000, published in
Journals of Experimental Fiction)
- Lunar Verses (2001, published in
Jacob's Ladder Anthology)
[2]
Editor
- Hatter Bones (2010, ENE Press)
- Grendelsong (2004-2008 (print), 2015-2016 (online))
- Coffinmounth (2010)
[3]
References
External links
Interviews