This is a web version of the notebook that has the background to my fantasy novel Fierce (released 1 May 2024). You can read the first chapter on my blog 'Fierce Ch.1 - Straven', which is a medium-level fantasy story with relatable female lead and a dash of romance set in a world of my own creation. It's influenced by everything I've ever read, and loosely based on a Norse 10th/11th century blending with some ancient Roman, although the ships are more like 17th/18th century. Skyss is the northern state the main characters come from, but there is a whole world and other states exist, some of which will be linked to here.

NB this site is a work in progress and is a means for me to be able to remind myself what I've written so that I stay consistent. Feel free to re-use the material in your own stories (with attribution, and not commercially without permission). If you have comments or observations I would love to hear them, you can contact me via my blog https://www.themself.org/ or email james @ that domain.

• Pantheon of Skyss
• Main characters
• Key Places
  • Kingdom of Skyss
  • salicia
  • cottalem
  • Grand Duchy of Dael Riata
• Other notes

I've published one full length novel in this world, as well as some short stories. I've also outlined two further novels, and have worked up those outlines with world-building. In due course the stories will get fleshed out to the point where they can also be published. For now this is the list of published works.

• The Mother's Dream - a creation story for the Skyssians, how they ended up with nine gods and how the world was built by the Trolls.
• Going to Sea - another early myth of how the Sea Goddess Kari got people to worship her, and helped them become seafarers.
• Fierce (released 1 May 2024). You can read the first chapter on my blog 'Fierce Ch.1 - Straven'
• Bjorn the Beardless - I wrote some backstory for one of the main characters so that I could understand them better. There's a bit more than this, and some of it will work it's way into other stories.