J Alan Erwine

Biography

J Erwine was born Oct. 15, 1969 in Akron, Ohio. Early in his life he was exposed to science, and specifically astronomy. From there on, J’s passion turned to science fiction, a passion that’s never died.

Due to family issues, J eventually found himself in Denver, Colorado, where he still lives (well, right outside now.)

From the time he could put subject and predicate together on paper, J has been writing stories. None of those early stories exist anymore (thankfully), but that passion for writing has never waned.

After several years of rejection, the story Trek for Life was eventually sold to ProMart Writing Lab editor James Baker. It wasn’t Asimov’s, but it was a start. Since that time J has sold more than forty short stories to various small press publishers. In addition ProMart also published a short story collection of J’s entitled Lowering One’s Self Before Fate, and other stories, which is still available. ProMart also published a novel from J entitled The Opium of the People, which sold a few copies before going out of print.

The relevance of the novel after the events of September 11th caused J to self-publish the novel, as he felt the story had a lot to say in the new reality we now find ourselves living in. Now, this same book has been re-released by Nomadic Delirium Press.

Eventually J would become an editor with ProMart. Then, after the untimely death of ProMart editor James Baker, J would move on to ProMart’s successor Sam’s Dot Publishing. J also spends most of his time working as a freelance writer and editor.

J’s novel was voted a top ten finisher in the 2003 annual Preditors & Editors contest, and his short story The Galton Principle won a ProMart contest for best story over 5,000 words. In addition, a number of his stories have been voted “best of” in various issue of The Martian Wave and The Fifth DI… and have been included in Wondrous Web Worlds Vols. 2, 3, 4, and 6.

In 2009, the Ephemeris Role Playing Game was released. J is the co-creator of this game, and has written numerous supplements for the game.

J has now sold three novels and four short story collections, all of which are still available from various sources, including Smashwords.

J currently lives with his amazing wife, three wonderful children, three cats, and a very quiet turtle.

Smashwords Interview

When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
I love spending time with my wife and my three kids, and when time allows, I like watching old sci-fi reruns, and of course I try to read whenever I can.
What is your writing process?
I almost have to laugh at this one. I used to have a writing process, but now with kids and a full time job, I just have to write whenever I can. I love to listen to classical music when I write, and I generally am the type of writer that plods through the entire manuscript, and then goes back and does a tremendous amount of editing later.
Read more of this interview.

Where to find J Alan Erwine online

Where to buy in print

Series

The Divided States of America
The United States have come to an end. The federal government has fallen, and the country is now divided into several independent nation-states. These are stories set in those nation states.
The Dustbin
Price: $0.99 USD.
The Wall is Beautiful
Price: $1.49 USD.
Green in 2110
Price: $0.99 USD.
It's In the Water
Price: $1.49 USD.
Calivada Dreaming
Price: $0.99 USD.

Books

Green Grievances
Series: The Divided States of America. Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 4,450. Language: English. Published: November 23, 2023 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General, Fiction » Science fiction » Short stories
The Green States of America is a fairly peaceful nation, but not everyone is happy with the current government, and when armed terrorists take over the congressional building, it’s up to Speaker of the Month Robert Nesmith to fight back for his nation, but what does he have to use against armed militants? Only his words.
Random Encounters of the Radioactive Kind
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 10,750. Language: English. Published: October 19, 2023 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Nonfiction » Entertainment » Games, puzzles, & brain twisters » Role Playing & Fantasy
Looking for encounters to add to your Rocks on the Other Side game? Herein you will find 50 encounters that you can plug into any game as regular encounters, or as random encounters to keep the characters on their toes. Sorted by level, you’ll find brief descriptions of each encounter, as well as stats, and any items the encounter might give the characters.
The Martian Wave Boxed Set
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 212,440. Language: English. Published: October 5, 2023 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General, Fiction » Science fiction » Short stories
For six years, Nomadic Delirium Press published The Martian Wave. This was a magazine that focused on short stories and poems about the exploration and colonization of space, with a special focus on stories about our solar system. Now, all six issues have been gathered into one boxed set for a very low price.
The Rocks on the Other Side Book of Beasts
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 21,340. Language: English. Published: July 27, 2023 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Nonfiction » Entertainment » Games, puzzles, & brain twisters » Role Playing & Fantasy
The core rulebook for the Rocks on the Other Side RPG introduced you to a few beasts that you could use in your game. The Rocks on the Other Side Book of Beasts gives you nearly 70 beasts that you can use in your game. Included in this book are the beasts from the original rules, plus many many more. You now have all kinds of mutated animals, plants, and monsters to challenge your players.
McConnelsville: The Village at the Crossroads
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 8,510. Language: English. Published: July 6, 2023 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Nonfiction » Entertainment » Games, puzzles, & brain twisters » Role Playing & Fantasy
McConnelsville was a sleepy village that most of Ohio had forgotten before the war. Now it's a center of trade, and growing political power in the world. Are you going to try to take things over for yourself, or are you going to try to join up and use the little town as your base of operations? This Rocks on the Other Side RPG adventure is for characters between 8th and 12th level.
Rainbow's House of Herbs
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 6,960. Language: English. Published: June 23, 2023 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Nonfiction » Entertainment » Games, puzzles, & brain twisters » Role Playing & Fantasy
Welcome to Rainbow’s House of Herbs, a supplement for the Rocks on the Other Side RPG. Here you will find all kinds of herbs that can give your character a short term boost that they might need. You can enhance attributes, health, even help fight off radioactive contamination. All of this from some tiny little plants.
Civilization Memorial Hospital
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 9,360. Language: English. Published: May 5, 2023 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Nonfiction » Entertainment » Games, puzzles, & brain twisters » Role Playing & Fantasy
At the edge of a small town, lies a small hospital that is now ironically known as Civilization Memorial Hospital. Before the war, it had a different name, but that name no longer matters. A Rocks on the Other Side RPG adventure designed for 4-6 characters of 1st-4th level that will take the characters into the remnants of a hospital.
The Divided States of America: Stories 21-24
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 17,470. Language: English. Published: April 9, 2023 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Short stories, Fiction » Science fiction » Utopias & dystopias
The sixth set of four stories of The Divided States of America now available in one collection. You get: Fight or Flight and Return to the Wastelands? by J Alan Erwine, BKX: Tuskegee by William Landis, and Serenity's Gambit by Ian Brazee-Cannon.
The Divided States of America: Stories 17-20
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 22,870. Language: English. Published: March 24, 2023 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Short stories, Fiction » Science fiction » Utopias & dystopias
The fifth set of four stories of The Divided States of America now available in one collection. You get: Tested by Lorelei Suzanne, Mission Alternate by Dana Bell, A Game of Disruption and Revelation by Ian Brazee-Cannon, and Die With Dignity by Tyree Campbell.
The Divided States of America: Stories 13-16
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 25,050. Language: English. Published: March 24, 2023 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Short stories, Fiction » Science fiction » Utopias & dystopias
The fourth set of four stories of The Divided States of America now available in one collection. You get: Trial of Payne, Behind the Scars, and Path to a New Life all by Ian Brazee-Cannon, and you also get Frozen Ambitions by J Alan Erwine.
The Divided States of America: Stories 9-12
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 15,760. Language: English. Published: March 24, 2023 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Short stories, Fiction » Science fiction » Utopias & dystopias
The third set of four stories of The Divided States of America now available in one collection. You get: A Cavallo and Alaskan Everglades by Debby Feo, Back to the Old Ways by J Alan Erwine, and Delivery by Lorelei Suzanne.
The Divided States of America: Stories 5-8
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 16,180. Language: English. Published: March 24, 2023 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Short stories, Fiction » Science fiction » Utopias & dystopias
The second set of four stories of The Divided States of America now available in one collection. You get: What Lies in the Wastelands, Can't Go Home Again, and Where Do You Go From Here by Ian Brazee-Cannon, as well as Calivada Dreaming by Debby Feo.
The Divided States of America: Stories 1-4
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 20,030. Language: English. Published: March 24, 2023 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Short stories, Fiction » Science fiction » Utopias & dystopias
The first four stories of The Divided States of America now available in one collection. You get: The Dustbin by Tyree Campbell, The Wall is Beautiful by Mike Morgan, Green in 2110 by Debby Feo, and It's in the Water by J Alan Erwine.
Rocco's Weapon Shop
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 10,970. Language: English. Published: March 17, 2023 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Nonfiction » Entertainment » Games, puzzles, & brain twisters » Role Playing & Fantasy
Rocco’s Weapon Shop features new weapons that can be added to your Rocks on the Other Side game. All kinds of guns, and assorted other weapons. Add a little variety to your game, and arm your characters for all of the perils of the post-apocalyptic world they now find themselves in.
Rocks on the Other Side
Price: $9.99 USD. Words: 46,280. Language: English. Published: November 25, 2022 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Apocalyptic, Nonfiction » Entertainment » Games, puzzles, & brain twisters » Role Playing & Fantasy
The year was 2032. It will always be remembered as the year that the leaders of the world truly lost their minds. That was the year that they unleashed the massive nuclear arsenals they had been stockpiling. That was the year they tried to wipe out all life on Earth because of petty differences, differences that could have easily been overlooked if they would have just had open minds.
Return to the Wastelands
Series: The Divided States of America. Price: $1.49 USD. Words: 6,240. Language: English. Published: April 1, 2022 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General, Fiction » Science fiction » Utopias & dystopias
Robert Jenkins escaped The Wastelands, but he feels that the best part of him has been left in that horrible place. Now, with the help of unexpected friends, Robert has to decide if he goes back to save the love of his life, or enjoy his new life in The Rocky Mountain States of America.
The Ephemeris Character Class Compendium
Price: $7.00 USD. Words: 86,070. Language: English. Published: February 25, 2022 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General, Nonfiction » Entertainment » Games, puzzles, & brain twisters » Role Playing & Fantasy
Originally released as individual supplements, this compendium combines all of the previously released character class supplements into one volume. You can use this compendium to create variant classes of the basic Ephemeris characters; or use it to round out a character you already have.
One More Good Trade
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 12,610. Language: English. Published: July 24, 2021 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General, Nonfiction » Entertainment » Games, puzzles, & brain twisters » Role Playing & Fantasy
Your name is Anthony Jones. You’re a Human free Trader. Your ship is called The Longest Night, and you have two crewmates, Tora-no, a four-armed Althani Soldier and Creeoona, a Tulmath Cyber Wizard. Three adventures lie open to you, which one will you pick, and what will happen along the way? You get to decide what happens in this story, as you pick your way through various plot twists.
Fight or Flight
Series: The Divided States of America. Price: $1.49 USD. Words: 5,680. Language: English. Published: July 10, 2021 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General, Fiction » Science fiction » Utopias & dystopias
Robert grew up in The Wastelands, where kids are forced to grow up fast, or they die. Now as a member of The Rose Clan, Robert finds himself on his first mission outside of The Wastelands…a raid into The Rocky Mountain States of America, but nothing has gone as planned, and now he finds himself on the verge of death…but he’s been there many times before, and maybe death isn’t as bad as going back
The Ephemeris Encyclopedia Galactica
Price: $19.99 USD. Words: 222,180. Language: English. Published: April 20, 2021 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Nonfiction » Entertainment » Games, puzzles, & brain twisters » Role Playing & Fantasy, Fiction » Science fiction » General
Are you ready to embark on your largest Ephemeris adventure ever? Now, in one massive tome, all 61 sectors of the Ephemeris Encyclopedia Galactica. Explore Colonized Space, Near Space, Unexplored Space, and Deep Space all from one book. The settings and the adventures are as expansive as the galaxy itself.
The Ephemeris Encyclopedia Galactica: Deep Space
Price: $9.99 USD. Words: 82,160. Language: English. Published: April 10, 2021 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Nonfiction » Entertainment » Games, puzzles, & brain twisters » Role Playing & Fantasy, Fiction » Science fiction » General
Explore all of Ephemeris: Deep Space with this one book. Battle the Khruntha, help the Lomisians in their explorations, or join with the Alexans, the Ernya, or the Julahmo on an infinite number of possible adventures. This book contains all of the previously released individual sectors Forty-Two through Sixty-One.
Future Syndicate II
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 38,810. Language: English. Published: February 6, 2020 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Short stories, Fiction » Science fiction » General
Many would like to think that as our species evolves, crime will disappear, but most know this is not true. Crime has always been with us, and it always will. Future Syndicate II features stories told from the point of view of the criminals, sometimes bad people, sometimes people forced to make bad decisions, but always, in the eyes of society, criminals.
A Poet Explores the Stars
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 4,960. Language: English. Published: October 2, 2019 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General, Poetry » Themes & motifs » General
Poets view the world differently than others, and as we explore this amazing cosmos, it will be very important to take poets on the journey, so they can show us the things we might otherwise overlook. Here’s just a small taste of what they might have to show us as we venture to the stars.
Mundanities Issue 2
Price: $1.00 USD. Words: 15,480. Language: English. Published: August 1, 2019 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General
Many think that Mundane Science Fiction must mean boring science fiction, but this is far from the truth. Mundane SF simply means science fiction based on real science, and that’s what you will find here in the second issue of Mundanities…stories that will intrigue and entertain you as much as any story with hyperdrives and aliens.
The Fifth Di... June 2019
Price: $1.00 USD. Words: 21,490. Language: English. Published: June 12, 2019 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » General, Fiction » Science fiction » General
After more than 20 years of continuous publication, the June issue of The Fifth Di… will be the final issue. In this issue, you’ll find fiction from Robert N. Stephenson, Lawrence Buentello, Jeffery Scott Sims, Kendall Evans, and J Alan Erwine. So, join us for one final trip into The Fifth Di…
The Fifth Di... March 2019
Price: $1.00 USD. Words: 23,870. Language: English. Published: February 27, 2019 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » General, Fiction » Science fiction » General
Are you ready to take a trip to places you could never imagine? The March 2019 issue of The Fifth Di… will take you there. Genetically enhanced soldiers, interspecies love, a wild trip to White Sands, a grim future America, and Michigan disappearing are just some of the things waiting for you as The Fifth Di… kicks off yet another year of publishing some of the best small press science fiction and
Mundanities Issue 1
Price: $1.00 USD. Words: 20,120. Language: English. Published: February 6, 2019 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General
Mundane science fiction does not imply boring science fiction. Quite the contrary, mundane science fiction simply means fiction based on plausible science. How can sf be interesting without aliens and interstellar travel, you might ask…well, Mundanities answers that question with five fantastic stories that are based on very realistic science.You get the start of the second American revolution, a
The Fifth Di... December 2018
Price: $1.00 USD. Words: 25,360. Language: English. Published: November 30, 2018 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » General, Fiction » Science fiction » General
The December issue of The Fifth Di... takes you to worlds you could never imagine. A girl and her familiar on the run; a man who knows too much, and then learns he might not know enough; an alien ship crashed on a new world where they may be exposed to new ideas that are too frightening for their ideology; a reality TV series like none you've ever seen before; a shepherd taking a boy...
Environmental Holocaust November 2018
Price: $1.00 USD. Words: 18,130. Language: English. Published: October 29, 2018 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General
The debut issue of Environmental Holocaust brings you four stories about possible bleak futures that could be possible if we don’t start to protect the planet better. Killer viruses, dying soil, even more persecution, and dying oceans are just some of the things waiting to scare you in this issue.
The Divided States of America Vol. 1
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 75,800. Language: English. Published: October 4, 2018 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General, Fiction » Science fiction » Utopias & dystopias
No one can say with any reasonable certainty when the United States of America began to fall apart. Many point to the presidential election of 2016, but most believe the breakup started long before this. Now, in the year 2110, the former United States is made up of 13 nation-states and The Wastelands. Some of the nation-states have prospered under self-rule, while others have declined.
The Martian Wave: 2018
Price: $1.00 USD. Words: 40,950. Language: English. Published: September 27, 2018 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General, Fiction » Science fiction » Space opera
The Martian Wave 2018 will take you to worlds you could never imagine, and introduce you to aliens you never thought possible. Join the explorers of the galaxy as they visit the planets of our solar system, and planets and star systems beyond.
The Fifth Di... September 2018
Price: $1.00 USD. Words: 24,200. Language: English. Published: August 30, 2018 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » General, Fiction » Science fiction » General
The September issue of The Fifth Di… takes you to a myriad of worlds that you could never imagine. Go to a world where humans are struggling against the native plant life, and see just how far the children of the colonists will go to protect that plant life. Visit an interplanetary vessel like you’ve never seen before…even the inhabitants of the ship are surprised by what they find...and more...
Manic Musings of a Maniacal Mind
Price: $6.99 USD. Words: 173,530. Language: English. Published: July 12, 2018 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General, Fiction » Science fiction » Short stories
For more than two decades, editors have been publishing the works of J Alan Erwine, exposing you, the reader, to the dark recesses of the author’s mind. Now, all of those stories have been combined together into one massive tome. Get a glimpse into Erwine’s grim view of the future, and explore the universe from his slightly off-kilter point of view.
Frozen Ambitions
Series: The Divided States of America. Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 3,910. Language: English. Published: June 21, 2018 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Short stories, Fiction » Science fiction » General
The Great Lakes Conglomerate is ready to launch an ambitious mission to Mars, but is there a saboteur among the designers?
The Fifth Di... June 2018
Price: $1.00 USD. Words: 19,250. Language: English. Published: May 31, 2018 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » General, Fiction » Science fiction » General
The June issue of The Fifth Di… brings you six stories that will excite and entice you. An artist that is nearing the end of his life, and must face the choices he has made; a man who has to make a decision between what is right and wrong, and must face the consequences of that choice; a man undergoes an experiment to have his consciousness transported into a cat in the past, and...
The Fifth Di... March 2018
Price: $1.00 USD. Words: 19,210. Language: English. Published: February 27, 2018 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General
The March issue of The Fifth Di… takes a walk on the dark side with Lachlan Walter, Robert N Stephenson, Rik Hunik, and Gustavo Bondoni bringing you stories of the darker side of humanity. You’ll be taken to a bleak future where the poor are taken advantage of, a future where a branch of humanity comes back to Earth, but the encounter doesn’t go anything like people might have expected...
The Best of Both Worlds Vol. 1
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 61,440. Language: English. Published: December 23, 2016 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Short stories, Fiction » Fantasy » Short stories
Nomadic Delirium and Alban Lake, both publishers of science fiction and fantasy, and all points in between, have collaborated to bring you the very best of what they published in 2015. The selections within come from The Martian Wave and The Fifth Di…, and from Outposts of Beyond and FrostFire Worlds. Their settings might be an inner planet or a world-that-might-be.
Previews of Nomadic Delirium Press Anthologies
Price: Free! Words: 4,880. Language: English. Published: May 24, 2016 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General
This free preview gives you a brief look at all of the anthologies that Nomadic Delirium Press has published up to May 24th, 2016. You’ll get a few pages of each anthology as a tease, and if you like what you read, please feel free to pick up copies of the actual books for yourself.
Previews of Nomadic Delirium Press Collections
Price: Free! Words: 7,050. Language: English. Published: May 24, 2016 by Nomadic Delirium Press. Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General, Fiction » Fantasy » General
This free preview gives you a brief look at all of the individual author collections that Nomadic Delirium Press has published up to May 24th, 2016. You’ll get a few pages of each collection as a tease, and if you like what you read, please feel free to pick up copies of the actual books for yourself.

J Alan Erwine's tag cloud

a poet explores the stars    alban lake publishing    anthologies    choose your own adventure    comedy    crime fiction    divided states of america    dystopia    environmental holocaust    environmental science fiction    ephe    ephemeris    ephemeris encyclopedia galactica    ephemiers encyclopedia galactica    ephermis rpg    fantasy    fantasy magazine    fight or flight    frozen ambitions    future syndicate ii    green fiction    green grievances    ian brazeecannon    j alan erwine    magazine    manic musings of a maniacal mind    mundane science fiction    mundanities    nomadic delirium press    one more good trade    poetry    postapocalypse    postapocalyptic rpg    rainbows house of herbs    random encounters of the radioactive kind    return to the wastelands    roccos weapon shop    rocks on the other side    rocks on the other side book of beasts    role playing game    role playing game supplement    rpg    rpg adventure    rpg supplement    sci fi    science ficion    science fiction    science fiction anthology    science fiction collection    science fiction crime    science fiction magazine    science fiction poetry    science fiction role playing game    science fiction rpg    science fiction short stories    science fiction short story    science fiction zine    scifi dystopia    sf    sf anthology    sf magazine    sf poetry    sf rpg    sf short stories    short story collections    space opera    the divided states of america    the ephemeris character class compendium    the fifth di    the martian wave    tyree campbell    william landis