Cinamon Games
From 2020 to 2021 I worked with Cinamon Games (yes, that is how the company name is spelled) on their mobile app, Maybe: Interactive Stories. This app is a library of choice based visual novel games, some of which are translated from the Korean version of the app and some of which are English language originals. I was the first writer recruited to create English language original games for the company, and aided in market research to discover what was doable for an English language audience that would not appeal as well to a Korean language audience. During my time with Cinamon I created four games, three of which were original ideas which I pitched and created plot outlines for. The exception to this trend is the game Cutie and the Beast, which I adapted into an interactive format based on the book of the same name by E.J. Russell.
The Sweetest Thing
The Sweetest Thing is a choice based visual novel. It follows the queer romance between owners of two rival bakeries. Henri’s fancy patisserie is threatening to run Nathan’s small family bakery out of business, until high stakes competition forces the two to work together. It’s The Great British Bake Off meets You’ve Got Mail, but gayer.
Cutie and the Beast
Cutie and the Beast is a choice based visual novel which I adapted from the novel of the same name by E.J. Russel. The story follows a queer romance between David, an ordinary human, and Alun, a lord of the fae. Alun has been laboring under a curse for centuries, forcing him to leave the fairy community and live among humans. But now that David is in his life, kidnappings and swordfights are becoming a daily occurrence. The bond between these two men might be the only thing that can cure both of their old wounds.
The Gentlemen’s Club: An Earl’s Lover
An Earl’s Lover is a choice based visual novel, and the first game in the Gentlemen’s Club series. This game is a historical queer romance in a similar vein to Bridgerton. Lord Hartwick is an earl who has lost all his money to his father’s gambling debts. His only hope is to marry his sister off to a rich suitor and hope that’s enough to save the family. However, his sister’s fiancé seems much more interested in Lord Hartwick himself. Set in regency era, when homosexuality was punishable by law, two men work to find their happily ever after together.
The Gentlemen’s Club: Obscene Material
Obscene Material is a choice based visual novel, and the second game in the Gentlemen’s Club series. Set in the same universe as An Earl’s Lover, this queer historical romance follows the uptight book publisher, Jasper, and the freewheeling pornographer, Stephen. Jasper is struck by Stephen’s talent and is determined to get Stephen writing proper books rather than illegal smut. The two men’s opposing morals war with one another as they travel the seedy underbelly of London to solve a mystery primed to ruin both of their publishing careers.
