Evan Kerns
@ironandsmokewriter.bsky.social
Writer, Game Master, and Aviation History Enthusiast
Thank you to the incomparable @brittbairdart.bsky.social for this artwork!
My first novel Knight Errant follows the romance of a big, blunt, foul-tempered knight and the gentle, diminutive lord whose life she keeps on saving. All set in a dieselpunk-adjacent vision of the American Rust Belt.
My first novel Knight Errant follows the romance of a big, blunt, foul-tempered knight and the gentle, diminutive lord whose life she keeps on saving. All set in a dieselpunk-adjacent vision of the American Rust Belt.
November 27, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Thank you to the incomparable @brittbairdart.bsky.social for this artwork!
My first novel Knight Errant follows the romance of a big, blunt, foul-tempered knight and the gentle, diminutive lord whose life she keeps on saving. All set in a dieselpunk-adjacent vision of the American Rust Belt.
My first novel Knight Errant follows the romance of a big, blunt, foul-tempered knight and the gentle, diminutive lord whose life she keeps on saving. All set in a dieselpunk-adjacent vision of the American Rust Belt.
Reposted by Evan Kerns
with the new expansion, i had to finally formalize this
presenting the first roleplaying game to use Hearts of Iron 4 as a resolution system to properly model fascist dysfunction
it is not cooperative or competitive, but a secret third thing
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
presenting the first roleplaying game to use Hearts of Iron 4 as a resolution system to properly model fascist dysfunction
it is not cooperative or competitive, but a secret third thing
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
True Imperial Japan Experience
True Imperial Japan Experience A Hearts of Iron 4 Game This is a counteroperative roleplaying game. The resolution system is a game of multiplayer Hearts of Iron 4 and a number of discord chats. Requi...
docs.google.com
October 28, 2025 at 8:29 PM
with the new expansion, i had to finally formalize this
presenting the first roleplaying game to use Hearts of Iron 4 as a resolution system to properly model fascist dysfunction
it is not cooperative or competitive, but a secret third thing
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
presenting the first roleplaying game to use Hearts of Iron 4 as a resolution system to properly model fascist dysfunction
it is not cooperative or competitive, but a secret third thing
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
The National Guard being deployed to Ohio, eh? That always works out well, doesn’t it? No grand tragedies in our history involving the National Guard, right?
August 24, 2025 at 10:03 PM
The National Guard being deployed to Ohio, eh? That always works out well, doesn’t it? No grand tragedies in our history involving the National Guard, right?
Hey, I write fantasy romance set in the post-apocalyptic rust belt. But don't worry: I nuked Cincinnati in the backstory so we don't have to worry about their chili while we're trying to enjoy ourselves.
August 19, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Hey, I write fantasy romance set in the post-apocalyptic rust belt. But don't worry: I nuked Cincinnati in the backstory so we don't have to worry about their chili while we're trying to enjoy ourselves.
“Decolonially trained AI” hit me like a brick through the windshield.
Just had a literary festival try to assuage my concerns about their workshop with a “decolonially trained AI” by assuring me the AI isn’t getting paid for their session, as if my concern was grounded in the pay scale for the robots
August 17, 2025 at 8:38 PM
“Decolonially trained AI” hit me like a brick through the windshield.
Downside of wearing my "Better A Pig Than A Fascist" t-shirt in public? Seen from the wrong angle, I am simply a fat white guy wearing a shirt that says "Pig... Fascist." Not quite the intended message.
August 15, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Downside of wearing my "Better A Pig Than A Fascist" t-shirt in public? Seen from the wrong angle, I am simply a fat white guy wearing a shirt that says "Pig... Fascist." Not quite the intended message.
I hope the demons aren’t trying to unionize now that Hulk Hogan has arrived in Hell. He’s no brother to labor, after all.
July 24, 2025 at 5:12 PM
I hope the demons aren’t trying to unionize now that Hulk Hogan has arrived in Hell. He’s no brother to labor, after all.
One more query rejection down.
July 5, 2025 at 8:10 PM
One more query rejection down.
Putting together a short Beat To Quarters campaign following the officers of the H.M.S. Thunderchild during the Anglo-Martian War. All because of Jeff Wayne’s Musical War of the Worlds.
June 30, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Putting together a short Beat To Quarters campaign following the officers of the H.M.S. Thunderchild during the Anglo-Martian War. All because of Jeff Wayne’s Musical War of the Worlds.
Assigned Dude At Can
Is that anything?
Is that anything?
June 15, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Assigned Dude At Can
Is that anything?
Is that anything?
I love gritting my teeth and listening as my friends and family who have never attended a protest and who will never attend a protest critique the political purity of the people who actually show up.
June 15, 2025 at 1:49 PM
I love gritting my teeth and listening as my friends and family who have never attended a protest and who will never attend a protest critique the political purity of the people who actually show up.
Querying is my least favorite part of this process to explain to my family. No, I’m not selling my book yet. I’m still selling the idea of selling my book to the people who sell books to the people who sell books to book sellers.
June 10, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Querying is my least favorite part of this process to explain to my family. No, I’m not selling my book yet. I’m still selling the idea of selling my book to the people who sell books to the people who sell books to book sellers.
This is my first Pride Month as an out bi man and I’m finding it harder than Pride as an ally. As an ally, I could remove myself from the equation entirely and focus on being useful.
Now I feel out of my depth and like I’m wasting time and resources that would be better used by others.
Now I feel out of my depth and like I’m wasting time and resources that would be better used by others.
June 3, 2025 at 3:31 PM
This is my first Pride Month as an out bi man and I’m finding it harder than Pride as an ally. As an ally, I could remove myself from the equation entirely and focus on being useful.
Now I feel out of my depth and like I’m wasting time and resources that would be better used by others.
Now I feel out of my depth and like I’m wasting time and resources that would be better used by others.
Sometimes, when I’m working on my novels, I realize that all of the narrative and plot I’m writing exist only to get me closer to writing the Essential Guides to my world building.
Time well spent.
Time well spent.
May 27, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Sometimes, when I’m working on my novels, I realize that all of the narrative and plot I’m writing exist only to get me closer to writing the Essential Guides to my world building.
Time well spent.
Time well spent.
Still querying my novel, so I’m returning to the well for more of the writing that got me started.
Soon.
Soon.
April 22, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Still querying my novel, so I’m returning to the well for more of the writing that got me started.
Soon.
Soon.
Reposted by Evan Kerns
advice to young writers:
- begin the first sentence of every paragraph with, "So basically the whole deal is, is that [...]"
- begin subsequent sentences with, "And plus, [...]"
- end every paragraph with, "So that basically wraps it up as far as all that goes."
- 4 blank lines between paragraphs
- begin the first sentence of every paragraph with, "So basically the whole deal is, is that [...]"
- begin subsequent sentences with, "And plus, [...]"
- end every paragraph with, "So that basically wraps it up as far as all that goes."
- 4 blank lines between paragraphs
February 20, 2025 at 6:02 PM
advice to young writers:
- begin the first sentence of every paragraph with, "So basically the whole deal is, is that [...]"
- begin subsequent sentences with, "And plus, [...]"
- end every paragraph with, "So that basically wraps it up as far as all that goes."
- 4 blank lines between paragraphs
- begin the first sentence of every paragraph with, "So basically the whole deal is, is that [...]"
- begin subsequent sentences with, "And plus, [...]"
- end every paragraph with, "So that basically wraps it up as far as all that goes."
- 4 blank lines between paragraphs
Reposted by Evan Kerns
[leaning over to my seatmate in a nosediving passenger jet] you like string beans? guess what! thanks to donald trump's policies, they're about to get more expensive. donald trump promised to lower the prices of string beans, but he didn't. now you'll have to pay more for string beans than ever befo
February 13, 2025 at 3:27 AM
[leaning over to my seatmate in a nosediving passenger jet] you like string beans? guess what! thanks to donald trump's policies, they're about to get more expensive. donald trump promised to lower the prices of string beans, but he didn't. now you'll have to pay more for string beans than ever befo
This is a great example of why you shouldn’t trust a billionaire, even if they’re seemingly well intentioned. They will always, always choose making money over doing the right thing or being honest.
If you have zero education, but learn how to ask AI models the right questions , in many jobs you will be able to outperform someone with an advanced degree, but who is unwilling to use Large Language Models.
Just takes a smartphone, curiosity to experiment and a mindset to learn.
Just takes a smartphone, curiosity to experiment and a mindset to learn.
February 17, 2025 at 7:13 PM
This is a great example of why you shouldn’t trust a billionaire, even if they’re seemingly well intentioned. They will always, always choose making money over doing the right thing or being honest.
The last time I put any of my writing online was back when I was running a SPAM review blog called Sizzle, Pork, and Madness. The early pandemic was a wild time for the Internet.
sizzleporkandmadness.wordpress.com/2022/02/13/a...
sizzleporkandmadness.wordpress.com/2022/02/13/a...
A Special Valentine’s Day Treet
A year and half is a long time. Too long a gap to allow into a project like Sizzle, Pork, and Madness without comment. This blog started as a fun way for some friends to keep in touch and stay sane…
sizzleporkandmadness.wordpress.com
January 31, 2025 at 11:49 PM
The last time I put any of my writing online was back when I was running a SPAM review blog called Sizzle, Pork, and Madness. The early pandemic was a wild time for the Internet.
sizzleporkandmadness.wordpress.com/2022/02/13/a...
sizzleporkandmadness.wordpress.com/2022/02/13/a...
Commissioning art for my book feels like I’m commissioning fan art of a dream I had.
January 24, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Commissioning art for my book feels like I’m commissioning fan art of a dream I had.