J.P. Graves

Growing up in Ohio, I was always that kid sneaking dark and gritty thrillers into my backpack, watching horror movies, and playing video games like Doom 3, F.E.A.R., and Condemned. Early on, I devoured countless books by authors such as Jon Evans, Dean Koontz, Anthony Horowitz, Stephen King, and Patrick Lee. I gravitated toward anything that promised spine-tingling suspense. Over the years, I’ve lived in Germany, Korea, Texas, and Georgia, finally settling in South Carolina. No matter where I’ve called home, my love for horror and sci-fi has never wavered.

My debut novel, Crimes of an Empire, blends grimdark military sci-fi with relentless horror. It all started with one question:

"What if humanity’s expansion into the stars was anything but peaceful?"

In this future, conquest is the Empire’s only goal, and criminals become expendable soldiers on the front lines. Under the cold, calculating oversight of an AI commander, they march into war with only a slim hope of survival.

Told through the perspectives of 5056, a prisoner forced into service, and TAMI, the AI programmed for victory at any cost, the story plunges deep into the horrors of imperial expansion, the psychological cost of war, and the slow unraveling of control. As battles rage, TAMI questions its purpose, while 5056 discovers that some fates are worse than death.

It’s a brutal, relentless experience where survival means compliance, and defiance means annihilation.

My second novel, In Darkest Dreams, takes a sharp detour into psychological and cosmic horror, where the mind itself becomes the battleground. Two former World War II Marines, Mark and Steve, take refuge in a remote fire watchtower deep in the Wyoming wilderness, hoping to escape their pasts. But an eerie fire in the distance unleashes something unspeakable that shatters their isolation.

As the boundary between reality and nightmare dissolves, they’re hunted by both a monstrous entity and the weight of their own regrets. Time fractures, memories resurface, and the thing stalking them feeds on their deepest fears. What starts as a fight for survival becomes a mind-breaking descent into truth, memory, and sanity itself. In Darkest Dreams isn’t just about the horrors lurking outside, it’s also about the ones we carry within.

I pour a dark sense of humor into my writing, but my goal is always to leave my readers breathless, unsettled, and questioning what’s real long after they’ve turned the last page.

When I’m not writing or brainstorming new ways to scare my audience, you’ll find me blasting death metal, catching the latest horror flick, playing classic video games like Doom or Total War, or joking around with friends and family. I might love twisted tales, but I’m usually the relaxed, goofy one in the room, and keep the monsters confined to the page.

In every story I create, I aim to leave readers reeling. I want your pulse racing, your mind spinning, and your expectations shattered by twists.

Look out for my upcoming novel, Writer’s Block, a psychological horror where isolation breeds madness, and obsession takes on a terrifying life of its own. But be warned: once you enter my worlds of unrelenting horror and sci-fi, you may never look at the stars, or the dark, quite the same way again.

Contact J.P. Graves

Get in touch to discuss my books, writing journey, or any inquiries you may have. I look forward to connecting with you!