Interactive Stories by James E. Hamelton Jr

Short, strange, and clickable fiction you can read right in your browser.

Toggle any combination of options to make this site easier for you to read. Your story pages open in new tabs, so these settings stay available here.

Welcome to my interactive story shelf

This site is where I publish experimental, interactive stories. Some are horror. Some are strange sci fi. Some are quiet character pieces that branch in subtle ways. All of them live in your browser, and all of them are written by James E. Hamelton Jr.

These stories are free on purpose. They are here so you can get a feel for my writing style before you decide to spend your time and money on my longer books. If you like what you find here, I invite you to check out my novel An Enchanted Heart and explore more of my work on jehamelton.com.

Stories

Click a story to open it in a new tab. This page stays open as your home base.

The Keokuk Anomaly - Interactive Story

First published here on December 4, 2025
↗ Open story in a new tab
Featured story. If you are not sure where to start, begin here and see where the branches take you.

About the author

My name is James E. Hamelton Jr. I am a self published author who enjoys stories that feel grounded in real places, then tilt sideways into something unexpected. I write about small towns, riverfronts, quiet houses, and the strange things that live in the corners of everyday life.

The interactive stories here let me experiment with branching paths and alternate outcomes. They also let me play with different formats like retro computer interfaces, faux archives, and text driven games without locking them into a full length novel.

If you connect with my style here, you will likely enjoy my longer work. You can find my books and more information on my official author website: jehamelton.com.

Why these stories are free

I want you to be able to experience my writing with zero risk. These interactive stories are my open door policy. You can wander through, click around, and decide if my voice fits the kind of stories you love without needing to buy anything first.

If you enjoy the atmosphere, pacing, and character work here, I hope you will consider picking up one of my books. A good place to start is An Enchanted Heart. It shows a different side of my storytelling while still carrying the same attention to emotion and detail.

These stories will stay free to read. All I ask is that if you like one, you tell a friend, share the link, or leave a review on one of my books. Word of mouth matters more than ever for independent authors.

Accessibility and reading comfort

The tools above are here so you can shape this site into something that feels comfortable for your eyes and your device. Here is what each option does:

  • Text size makes all text a little larger.
  • High contrast switches to a black and white friendly palette.
  • Dyslexia friendly changes to a more rounded font.
  • Serif text switches the body font to a serif style that some readers prefer.
  • Reduce motion removes smooth scrolling and small transitions.
  • Line spacing adds extra space between lines of text.
  • Underline links makes all links underlined at all times.
  • Highlight links adds a soft background behind links.
  • Low light softens the background for dim rooms.
  • Focus width narrows the main column for a less crowded view.
  • Focus outlines makes keyboard focus outlines bigger and easier to see.
  • Monospace text switches to a code style font for all text.
  • Hide images hides decorative images if you prefer pure text.
  • Simple mode combines several of the above into a very plain layout.

You can mix and match as many options as you like. They affect this main page but not the story files themselves, since those are opened in separate tabs. That keeps your navigation and comfort settings safe even if a story was built without its own menu.