Creature Feature

Whether they're real animals or made-up creatures, non-human lifeforms can be very useful tools for storytellers. The prompts in this book explore ways to use monsters, cryptids, and animals in creative work to enhance the setting, drive the plot, and convey the work's themes. The 28 prompts are divided into three sections: Here there be monsters, Calling all cryptids, and Animal inspiration. At the end of the boook is a create-a-Creature Worksheet for developing unique critters to use in stories, games, or other creative work.

Jess Simms is a freelance writer from Pittsburgh, PA, where they're a co-founder of Scribble House and the managing editor of After Happy Hour Review. They are the author of the flash fiction chapbook Cryptid Bits (Last-Picked Books, 2024) and have published stories and essays in Mythaxis, Orca, SLAB, Atlas Obscura, Rinky Dink Press, and elsewhere. Find them online at https: //jesssimms.com.