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Ten years of blogging

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The Bridge Daughter Cycle covers

True story: I started blogging before the word “blog” was coined. In 1995, I created a web site known as Ad Nauseam, where I sporadically vented about the software industry, Silicon Valley, and the rise of the World Wide Web. Like most blogging efforts, I ran out of steam after a few years, and set it aside.

In 2014, I returned to blogging. I told myself this new blog would be different. I wanted a web site to showcase my books, sure, but I also wanted to blog with a focus on writing, literature, and film. I also strove for a softer, more positive tone. No ranting, no finger-pointing (although I do get my hackles up now and then). I’d rather write on things I’m passionate and positive about, under the assumption that there are others out there with similar passions.

Over the next year, I will feature one or two blog posts a month from the past decade that I think shine a little brighter than the rest. The first look back will come in January.

I won’t say this blog has been a smashing success, but after ten years of chugging away at it, it’s in a good place. I’ve put out over two hundred blog posts, with over 100,000 views since I began tracking them in 2015. I’ll discuss more milestones and notable high points (and low points) as the year progresses.

Looking forward to seeing you in 2024. Happy holidays.

First up: The mysterious B. Traven


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“According to Cain” makes the 2023 Interactive Fiction Top 50

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Cover image for "According to Cain" by Jim Nelson

This morning I learned that my interactive fiction game According to Cain was selected for the 2023 Interactive Fiction Top 50. This is a poll run by Victor Gijsbers every four years since 2011, and generally attracts interactive fiction enthusiasts and authors (most of whom gather now at intfiction.org). The goal of the poll is to determine the fifty (or so) best interactive fiction games of all time. According to Cain placed 21st in the latest incarnation of the list, which is posted on The Rosebush, a new online journal dedicated to criticism of interactive fiction.

It’s been a good year for Cain—it placed 6th at the 2022 Interactive Fiction Competition (taking first for the Miss Congeniality contest, which is the best game chosen from the votes of all entrants), won Outstanding Game of the Year (Player’s Choice) and Outstanding Game Over Two Hours in the 2022 IFDB Awards, and now this.

Cain started as a short story I began drafting in 2010 (or so). It was the kind of short story that I could never quite figure out, just a collection of scenes with no beginning or straight-ahead story line. (About the only thing I knew was that, when you’re telling a story about Cain and Abel, a murder would have take place at some point.) There was even a time when I toyed with turning it into a novella. I abandoned and returned to the project several times over the course of ten years until, in the midst of the lockdowns, I wondered if I could make it an interactive fiction parser game.

And it worked out. As I said in the Fediverse, if you’re creating something and truly believe, stick with it, even if you have to walk away from it for a while. If you’re committed to the concept, you might be surprised where it takes you.

More information about Cain is available at its home page.


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NarraScope 2023: According to Cain

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I’m speaking at the upcoming NarraScope conference in Pittsburgh. My talk is titled “According to Cain: From Concept to Completion.” I’ll discuss writing my latest interactive fiction, from its meager origins as a rough idea for a short story, to its final form as a video game about an alchemist determined to solve one of the oldest literary mysteries.

According to Cain placed sixth in the 2022 Interactive Fiction Competition, and won Outstanding Game of the Year (Player’s Choice) and Outstanding Game Over Two Hours in the 2022 IFDB Awards.

NarraScope 2023 offers a wide variety of talks and seminars on all manner of interactive storytelling. It runs from June 9th to June 12th. Check out its schedule for more information (table version). You can register to attend in person or attend virtually by streaming video. All talks will be recorded and available online after the conclusion of the conference. It’s designed for both authors and devotees of interactive storytelling in all forms.

If you’re in Pittsburgh during the conference, let me know! It would be great to meet up.

According to Cain: From Concept to Completion
1:30pm – 2:30pm (Eastern)
Sunday, June 11th
Room 548, William Pitt Union
University of Pittsburgh


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According to Cain at the 2022 IFDB Awards

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The 2022 Interactive Fiction Database (IFDB) Awards polling has completed, and According to Cain did well! It won Outstanding Game of the Year (Player’s Choice) and Outstanding Game Over Two Hours (both Player’s and Author’s Choice).

It placed second for the Outstanding Game of the Year (Author’s Choice), missing a tie by a single vote, and second for Outstanding Game in an Uncommon System (both Player’s and Author’s Choice).

You can view the full results at the IFDB. The announcement thread on the Interactive Fiction Community Forum has more details. There’s a feedback thread as well.

It felt pretty good to wake up this morning and hear all this news. As I made my coffee, I thought back on those times when I was writing Cain and despairing no one would want to play it. These awards, as well as its solid placement in the Interactive Fiction Competition, are truly gratifying.

If you’ve not played According to Cain, you can read more at its home page, which includes links for downloading it or playing it in your browser.


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A Man Named Baskerville giveaway

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Cover of "A Man Named Baskerville" by Jim Nelson

In celebration of Halloween, I’m working with Goodreads to give away 50 copies of A Man Named Baskerville!

To enter the contest, follow this link and apply to win. There’s no obligation. All you need is a Goodreads account to apply.

If you know any friends or family who may wish to enter, please feel free to share the link with them.

Read here to learn more about my rewriting of the Sherlock Holmes classic. And if you’d like to start reading now, A Man Named Baskerville is available for purchase in Kindle and paperback. The book is FREE for Kindle Unlimited subscribers.


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According to Cain—a new interactive fiction game

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I want to let you know about my latest endeavor, a new interactive fiction (sometimes known as a “text adventure”) called According to Cain.

In the game, you are tasked with solving one of the oldest recorded mysteries in Western literature: What is the Mark of Cain?

You are a medieval investigator sent back in time to learn the secrets behind mankind’s first murder. Using an alchemy system, observation, and your wits, you must discover the untold truth about Cain and Abel.

It’s more of a literary murder mystery than a religious one. And it has an unusual twist in the detective story: Rather than solving the crime, you’re trying to solve the nature of the punishment.

According to Cain is my entry in the Interactive Fiction Competition 2022, which started today. You can download or play the game online, and you can even participate in the competition as a judge.

This is a change of pace for me, and represents a lot of creative blood, sweat, and tears. I hope you take a little time to try it out. I’d love to hear what you think.


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A MAN NAMED BASKERVILLE book tour starts now

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The A Man Named Baskerville book tour is underway! As the above graphic shows, the tour is making stops at several spots around the book-reading web. I’m working with Escapist Tours, who have been an able hand in putting together all the finishing touches.

Throughout the week, several well-known book reviewers and bloggers will be discussing Baskerville. I’ll post here as the tour stops along the way, and what these great and generous readers have to say.

If you’re curious, learn more about A Man Named Baskerville here. It’s my take on the classic Sherlock Holmes novel retold from a brand-new perspective. As I like to say, I peered into the Arthur Conan Doyle book and realized there was another book within the book—another story waiting to be told.

And if you’d like to read A Man Named Baskerville, consider signing up for the giveaway: I’m raffling off one digital edition of the book at the conclusion of the tour. To sign up, just follow this link.


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