Paul Jessup (writer)
Paul Matthew Jessup is an American writer of dark fantasy and horror fiction 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.
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 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. In 2021 he was then diagnosed with Diabetes as well.Books
Daughter of the Wormwood Star Skinless Man Counts to Five and other tales of the macabre The Silence that Binds Close Your Eyes Glass Coffin Girls Werewolves- ''Open Your Eyes''
Poetry
All the houses on Sesame Street are haunted houses That time I said hello to you, and you thought I was a bear The Basement- ''Red Dirt''
Nonfiction
So You Want to Build a Generation Ship A Wave on the Sea Surviving Times of Stagnation Finding Your Tribe Someone Changed the Bones in Our Homes The Rebirth of Grue Confessions of a Red Mage- ''Standing Still, Falling Behind''
Editor
Hatter Bones Grendelsong, 2015-2016 )- ''Coffinmounth''
Interviews
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