W. James Chan, Author
@wjameschan.bsky.social
I'm W. James Chan. He/Him/Human
https://linktr.ee/wjameschan -- all about my books
https://ko-fi.com/wjameschan -- here you can get my ebooks for free/PWYW, and read my reviews of indie gems
Member of the Inkslingers
Idiots PDNI
https://linktr.ee/wjameschan -- all about my books
https://ko-fi.com/wjameschan -- here you can get my ebooks for free/PWYW, and read my reviews of indie gems
Member of the Inkslingers
Idiots PDNI
Pinned
![Get two excellent literary fantasy novels for the price of none!
Add both Blackcloak and Gildenhammer to your digital library today!
Free/Pay what you want at: https://ko-fi.com/wjameschan
(Paperbacks also available at Barnes & Noble)
[Cover images of W. James Chan's novels Blackcloak and Gildenhammer]
"As if David Lynch rewrote the works of George R..R. Martin" Kirkus
"Reads like poetry from its very first line" Self-Publishing Review
"Deftly combines psychology, magic and philosophy" IndieReader
"A new brand of sophistication in the fantasy genre" San Francisco Book Review
"Immersive, emotionally resonant, and intellectually stimulating" BookViral](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ijibehrwapf5fg2qjstln4pm/bafkreibbpsd7nef6b7qkmqy76lfbebiae7oy5flcjflmgydpcbdfy2hhem@jpeg)
Tired of Amazon getting a cut? Just want to read high-quality dark literary fantasy? Grab both BLACKCLOAK and GILDENHAMMER for FREE/Pay what you want here:
ko-fi.com/wjameschan/s...
Download once, yours forever. Heck, copy and spread it around!
(Paperbacks also available at Barnes & Noble)
ko-fi.com/wjameschan/s...
Download once, yours forever. Heck, copy and spread it around!
(Paperbacks also available at Barnes & Noble)
Sludging through King Sorrow, the doorstop du jour, and I can feel certain of my editor acquaintances breathing fire from here.
Were this an indie work in beta stage, I would be a very busy fellow indeed.
Instead it's an $18 bigbox impulse buy: me chasing the Needful Things dragon.
Wrong dragon.
Were this an indie work in beta stage, I would be a very busy fellow indeed.
Instead it's an $18 bigbox impulse buy: me chasing the Needful Things dragon.
Wrong dragon.
November 12, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Sludging through King Sorrow, the doorstop du jour, and I can feel certain of my editor acquaintances breathing fire from here.
Were this an indie work in beta stage, I would be a very busy fellow indeed.
Instead it's an $18 bigbox impulse buy: me chasing the Needful Things dragon.
Wrong dragon.
Were this an indie work in beta stage, I would be a very busy fellow indeed.
Instead it's an $18 bigbox impulse buy: me chasing the Needful Things dragon.
Wrong dragon.
Eh fine. Not bothering to quote anyone but it's as fun an idea as any.
Here's the first paragraph of my first novel, Blackcloak, published in 2015 and written in the folly of late-stage youthful fatalism.
It has "look I am a serious writer trying very hard here" written all over it.
Here's the first paragraph of my first novel, Blackcloak, published in 2015 and written in the folly of late-stage youthful fatalism.
It has "look I am a serious writer trying very hard here" written all over it.
November 12, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Eh fine. Not bothering to quote anyone but it's as fun an idea as any.
Here's the first paragraph of my first novel, Blackcloak, published in 2015 and written in the folly of late-stage youthful fatalism.
It has "look I am a serious writer trying very hard here" written all over it.
Here's the first paragraph of my first novel, Blackcloak, published in 2015 and written in the folly of late-stage youthful fatalism.
It has "look I am a serious writer trying very hard here" written all over it.
My books are good. And free.
I dunno, apparently that isn't enough for people. I mean, I'm not the only one saying they're good. Plenty of river page and GR reviews.
Do you really think sprayed edges and a bunch of fucking tropes would make the writing any better?
I dunno, apparently that isn't enough for people. I mean, I'm not the only one saying they're good. Plenty of river page and GR reviews.
Do you really think sprayed edges and a bunch of fucking tropes would make the writing any better?
November 11, 2025 at 9:25 AM
My books are good. And free.
I dunno, apparently that isn't enough for people. I mean, I'm not the only one saying they're good. Plenty of river page and GR reviews.
Do you really think sprayed edges and a bunch of fucking tropes would make the writing any better?
I dunno, apparently that isn't enough for people. I mean, I'm not the only one saying they're good. Plenty of river page and GR reviews.
Do you really think sprayed edges and a bunch of fucking tropes would make the writing any better?
So I should post about my experiences as a tourist at the Sunshine Coast Fiction Festival, but I'm still kind of processing. It was a *lot* of 🌶️ and 🐈 and 🦁 and 🦇 and 🪄. Some 🤑 ❤️ too. 🐎.
Is there room in that for my themes-not-tropes🌙 and ✝️ ? Maybe. But I admit I have my doubts...
Is there room in that for my themes-not-tropes🌙 and ✝️ ? Maybe. But I admit I have my doubts...
November 10, 2025 at 8:36 PM
So I should post about my experiences as a tourist at the Sunshine Coast Fiction Festival, but I'm still kind of processing. It was a *lot* of 🌶️ and 🐈 and 🦁 and 🦇 and 🪄. Some 🤑 ❤️ too. 🐎.
Is there room in that for my themes-not-tropes🌙 and ✝️ ? Maybe. But I admit I have my doubts...
Is there room in that for my themes-not-tropes🌙 and ✝️ ? Maybe. But I admit I have my doubts...
Forget the elephant in the room; try ignoring the Elephants in the closet.
November 10, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Forget the elephant in the room; try ignoring the Elephants in the closet.
Essential American workers just about killing themselves for zero pay
Families about to starve because maga want to make healthcare unaffordable
And
Muskratfucker about to become a *trillionaire*
The fuck are we doing
The FUCK are we doing?
Families about to starve because maga want to make healthcare unaffordable
And
Muskratfucker about to become a *trillionaire*
The fuck are we doing
The FUCK are we doing?
November 7, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Essential American workers just about killing themselves for zero pay
Families about to starve because maga want to make healthcare unaffordable
And
Muskratfucker about to become a *trillionaire*
The fuck are we doing
The FUCK are we doing?
Families about to starve because maga want to make healthcare unaffordable
And
Muskratfucker about to become a *trillionaire*
The fuck are we doing
The FUCK are we doing?
I am SO close to being something interesting. I'm half-PoC. I'm mildly aut. I'm happily cis but not very masc. I was wild online before "online" became quaint. I will not be remembered for what I did for many, but who I was to a few.
On paper I'm dull
Almost abbreviated
I still write good books.
On paper I'm dull
Almost abbreviated
I still write good books.
November 6, 2025 at 6:58 PM
I am SO close to being something interesting. I'm half-PoC. I'm mildly aut. I'm happily cis but not very masc. I was wild online before "online" became quaint. I will not be remembered for what I did for many, but who I was to a few.
On paper I'm dull
Almost abbreviated
I still write good books.
On paper I'm dull
Almost abbreviated
I still write good books.
As I said in my review, in which I give white a coveted five star Accolade, this is true poetry that makes it all seem unaffected and effortless. m.a. white is, to crib The Wire, natural-born Po-et.
This little, immense book demands possession beyond the ever-disposable digital.
This little, immense book demands possession beyond the ever-disposable digital.
“It’s a book about being young in a new place. Without anything but momentum. It’s about heartbreak and loss. But not a bummer. It’s quick. Like being young. You can read it in an hour or two. Slip it in your back pocket and take it on your own adventures…”
November 6, 2025 at 6:34 PM
As I said in my review, in which I give white a coveted five star Accolade, this is true poetry that makes it all seem unaffected and effortless. m.a. white is, to crib The Wire, natural-born Po-et.
This little, immense book demands possession beyond the ever-disposable digital.
This little, immense book demands possession beyond the ever-disposable digital.
Two fun facts about me:
In a former life, I supported an indie ARPG through its beta to the tune of $25k. I didn't even really enjoy it all that much but I loved what it represented.
In this life, I have played the Titan Quest ARPG on my tablet every day for years. It cost about ten bucks. Lol.
In a former life, I supported an indie ARPG through its beta to the tune of $25k. I didn't even really enjoy it all that much but I loved what it represented.
In this life, I have played the Titan Quest ARPG on my tablet every day for years. It cost about ten bucks. Lol.
November 5, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Two fun facts about me:
In a former life, I supported an indie ARPG through its beta to the tune of $25k. I didn't even really enjoy it all that much but I loved what it represented.
In this life, I have played the Titan Quest ARPG on my tablet every day for years. It cost about ten bucks. Lol.
In a former life, I supported an indie ARPG through its beta to the tune of $25k. I didn't even really enjoy it all that much but I loved what it represented.
In this life, I have played the Titan Quest ARPG on my tablet every day for years. It cost about ten bucks. Lol.
Da boo di da boo da
November 5, 2025 at 4:45 AM
Da boo di da boo da
Well done, New York. Well done.
a statue of a man covered in foam with the words i love this town
Alt: a statue of a man covered in foam with the words i love this town
media.tenor.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:31 AM
Well done, New York. Well done.
Wake up.
Check the news.
Sigh.
Maybe tomorrow.
Check the news.
Sigh.
Maybe tomorrow.
November 3, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Wake up.
Check the news.
Sigh.
Maybe tomorrow.
Check the news.
Sigh.
Maybe tomorrow.
Right. So by that logic, a nuclear strike isn't an act of hostility either.
Please do not underestimate the gaslighting these people attempt *every fucking day*.
Please do not underestimate the gaslighting these people attempt *every fucking day*.
November 2, 2025 at 6:37 AM
Right. So by that logic, a nuclear strike isn't an act of hostility either.
Please do not underestimate the gaslighting these people attempt *every fucking day*.
Please do not underestimate the gaslighting these people attempt *every fucking day*.
The whole problem with the "can you imagine Republicans if the Democrats did this or that" approach is they didn't and they never would have and that's why people can't imagine it...so they need to stop asking it and just fucking deal with the reprehensible monsters who ARE doing it
November 1, 2025 at 10:02 PM
The whole problem with the "can you imagine Republicans if the Democrats did this or that" approach is they didn't and they never would have and that's why people can't imagine it...so they need to stop asking it and just fucking deal with the reprehensible monsters who ARE doing it
Fucking reporters asking Democrats what they're going to do about the Republic shutdown is some serious "you're the good kid; why aren't you stopping your sibling from being a bad kid" bullshit.
Except in this case the bad kid has all the power. All of it.
Except in this case the bad kid has all the power. All of it.
November 1, 2025 at 6:37 AM
Fucking reporters asking Democrats what they're going to do about the Republic shutdown is some serious "you're the good kid; why aren't you stopping your sibling from being a bad kid" bullshit.
Except in this case the bad kid has all the power. All of it.
Except in this case the bad kid has all the power. All of it.
Can't decide which sounds cuter
Erika Vance
JD Kirk
I'm sure they'll make the white choice either way
Erika Vance
JD Kirk
I'm sure they'll make the white choice either way
November 1, 2025 at 12:23 AM
Can't decide which sounds cuter
Erika Vance
JD Kirk
I'm sure they'll make the white choice either way
Erika Vance
JD Kirk
I'm sure they'll make the white choice either way
Things that SHOULD be deadnamed:
Department of Defense;
Immigration and Naturalization Services;
Gulf of Mexico;
Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare;
The White House;
Donald J Drumpf.
Things that SHOULD NOT be deadnamed:
Anyone who isn't a fucking "thing".
Department of Defense;
Immigration and Naturalization Services;
Gulf of Mexico;
Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare;
The White House;
Donald J Drumpf.
Things that SHOULD NOT be deadnamed:
Anyone who isn't a fucking "thing".
October 30, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Things that SHOULD be deadnamed:
Department of Defense;
Immigration and Naturalization Services;
Gulf of Mexico;
Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare;
The White House;
Donald J Drumpf.
Things that SHOULD NOT be deadnamed:
Anyone who isn't a fucking "thing".
Department of Defense;
Immigration and Naturalization Services;
Gulf of Mexico;
Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare;
The White House;
Donald J Drumpf.
Things that SHOULD NOT be deadnamed:
Anyone who isn't a fucking "thing".
What's the word for an era in which journalists and comedians swap jobs?
Because this is it.
Because this is it.
October 30, 2025 at 12:29 PM
What's the word for an era in which journalists and comedians swap jobs?
Because this is it.
Because this is it.
Oh, fuck off.
October 30, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Oh, fuck off.
South Carerdddd is weirdly harder to tap out than "South Korea". Maybe I just haven't had enough strokes or something.
October 30, 2025 at 1:35 AM
South Carerdddd is weirdly harder to tap out than "South Korea". Maybe I just haven't had enough strokes or something.
No offence but as an Australian the word "cuss" may well be the funniest fucking shit I've ever heard.
And fuck no I will not apologise for that dangling participle.
And fuck no I will not apologise for that dangling participle.
October 29, 2025 at 11:25 AM
No offence but as an Australian the word "cuss" may well be the funniest fucking shit I've ever heard.
And fuck no I will not apologise for that dangling participle.
And fuck no I will not apologise for that dangling participle.
You know what's amazing? The level of tech we as a species can have in our daily lives. It's like we're living in my future.
You know what sucks? None of it isn't being used by insanely rich pricks to ransom everyone else's financial freedom and independence.
I was wrong. We exist in THEIR future.
You know what sucks? None of it isn't being used by insanely rich pricks to ransom everyone else's financial freedom and independence.
I was wrong. We exist in THEIR future.
October 28, 2025 at 10:46 PM
You know what's amazing? The level of tech we as a species can have in our daily lives. It's like we're living in my future.
You know what sucks? None of it isn't being used by insanely rich pricks to ransom everyone else's financial freedom and independence.
I was wrong. We exist in THEIR future.
You know what sucks? None of it isn't being used by insanely rich pricks to ransom everyone else's financial freedom and independence.
I was wrong. We exist in THEIR future.
Speaking of supporting human art, here's a showcase video by the guy who did the collectors edition of my first book, Blackcloak. I cannot stress how fortunate I am to know someone who does this stuff and isn't Just Another Scammer.
This is not an ad for my book. Yet.
This is not an ad for my book. Yet.
BlackCloak Illustration Showcase
YouTube video by Benjamin Drake
youtube.com
October 28, 2025 at 12:40 AM
Speaking of supporting human art, here's a showcase video by the guy who did the collectors edition of my first book, Blackcloak. I cannot stress how fortunate I am to know someone who does this stuff and isn't Just Another Scammer.
This is not an ad for my book. Yet.
This is not an ad for my book. Yet.
One of the very first things I posted to a huge writing forum on FB last year, after years of author inactivity, was I'd rather see a cover done with crayons on butcher paper than Gen AI. The tools exist for people to not need to be so crude, but the sentiment remains.
Support human art, humans.
Support human art, humans.
October 27, 2025 at 11:50 PM
One of the very first things I posted to a huge writing forum on FB last year, after years of author inactivity, was I'd rather see a cover done with crayons on butcher paper than Gen AI. The tools exist for people to not need to be so crude, but the sentiment remains.
Support human art, humans.
Support human art, humans.
Reposted by W. James Chan, Author
I did it to. Helped a lot.
October 27, 2025 at 7:14 PM
I did it to. Helped a lot.