Welcome to J.A. Evans Speculates
I’m J.A. Evans, lover of strange, speculative storytelling.
I write strange, philosophically and sometimes haunted stories. Sometimes it’s science fiction. Sometimes horror. Sometimes fantasy.
Sometimes, even I don’t know what it is.
My stories ask questions about the human condition in fantastic or futuristic settings, stories less concerned with how the machine works, and more with how we work.
You won’t find space battles or slasher tropes here. I’m not interested in formulas.
I prefer to explore the intersection of disparate emotion and human liberty, what it means to be human when the world around us quietly break us.
If you're into Bradbury, Poe, Le Guin, or Asimov, if you like fiction that explores identity and existential terror with emotional weight, you’re probably in the right place.
On this Substack, I’ll:
Share new works-in-progress
Post late-edit (but not final) versions of short stories, fragments, and experiments. Some are polished. All are strange.
Offer early reader opportunities
Talk (a little) about process (or not)
I have a day job, a son, and a disabled wife. My goal is to release a new story at least once a month, but I might miss one here or there. Life happens. I’d rather be honest than make promises I can’t keep.
I write slow-burn stories that I hope settle deep and stay with a few people longer than they expect.
If that sounds like something you’d read, I’m glad you’re here.
If not, you might be soon.
Caged Birds (Current WIP)
In a lawless universe, a brilliant engineer-turned-CEO sets four lives on fire when, in a white knight moment, he buys a slave with the intention of freeing her on Mars.