Stories & Illustrations by Jo Gamel
Gamel embraces quirk not as ornament but as a form of truth-telling. The result is writing that is both ambitious and playful, deeply serious in its intent while alive with curiosity, through which her broader artistic world unfolds. In the tradition of artists like the visionary makers championed by the American Visionary Art Museum, Nick Cave’s transformation of the Soundsuit into high art at the Guggenheim, or Jim Henson’s Grammy-nominated and Oscar-winnign crossing of puppetry, television, and music, Gamel’s practice extends naturally into writing and illustration, forming a cohesive, rigorous, and deeply imaginative multidisciplinary vision.
Jo Gamel’s debut fantasy novella, Wraiths of Pongus Maw, appears in Swords of Steel IV (DMR Books, 2025), an anthology composed exclusively of heavy metal musicians working in the traditions of heroic fantasy and cosmic horror. Fusing the mythic imagination of classic sword and sorcery with the visceral spirit of metal, Swords of Steel offers a rare convergence of literary and musical cultures.
Both author and illustrator of Wraiths of Pongus Maw, Gamel crafts a dark maritime fantasy where ambition, betrayal, and ancient forces collide. Set against a backdrop of haunted waters and violent storms, the story follows a ship’s desperate attempt to navigate a forbidden passage guarded by a monstrous sea serpent and a shape-shifting selkie. Through vivid prose and cinematic illustration, Gamel explores cycles of survival, transformation, and the fragile architecture of leadership.
“Amazing… well-researched!”
“I couldn’t stop reading from beginning to end, and I haven’t done that in years”
“The historical setting is very unique and inspired, and the writing is incredibily cinematic, really vivid — also I LOVE that selkie, shes so seductive and diabolical!” - Alex Spalding
“Top-notch… original… wonderfully descriptive but very easy to follow” - H.H. Crom
“Multiple points of view provide windows into the lives of disparate crew members aboard an ill-fated frigate that finds itself in the grasp of a watery doom.
Wow. Written with utmost technical knowledge and intimate understanding of the phenomena of desire, Gamel has artfully woven a yarn that is sure to impress any connoisseur of Sword & Sorcery.” - David Carter
Two Tales of Witchery
Set along the shadowed slopes of the Carpathian basin, Conflux of the Mists unfolds like a lost folk horror from another era. Ancient rites, blood-soaked soil, and whispered warnings move through a village pressed between invading forces and older, more patient powers. At its center lingers Baba Jedza, a figure half-remembered in story and half-feared in practice, whose presence marks the boundary between the living world and something far less knowable.
As ritual, landscape, and human ambition collide, a young seer is drawn into a chain of events where botanical knowledge turns volatile, the air itself becomes weaponized, and a glowing tide of mist descends with hallucinatory force. What follows is not salvation, but a reckoning shaped by land, memory, and the quiet intelligence of nature itself.
The cover illustration, rendered in stark black line, channels the visual language of underground horror print culture, presenting a grinning atmospheric force bearing down through a mountain pass. It reads as both omen and aftermath, an image that holds the story’s tension between seduction and threat.
Issued as a limited edition, these collector copies debut at Legions of Metal, Chicago (May 2026), with additional copies available during Jo Gamel’s solo exhibition at The Jane Gallery, Philadelphia (May 2026). Each edition operates as a printed artifact, bridging pulp horror, folklore, and fine art practice.
Join Jo Gamel’s Substack
Jo Gamel’s Substack presents a rare fusion of speculative imagination and literary refinement, evoking the quiet intensity of Ambrose Bierce and the delicate atmosphere of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. Weaving together elements of dark fantasy, folklore, and science fiction, her stories unfold with restraint and resonance.
Her piece “Wraiths of Pongus Maw” (DMR Books, 2025), inspired a visual interpretation by artist Alex Spalding (“Selkie”, 2025), reflects the quiet depth and interdisciplinary reach of her work. In a time when thoughtful storytelling is increasingly rare, Gamel offers a space of calm, complexity, and lasting impression.