The Jessica Christ series follows the birth and life of Jessica McCloud, God's only begotten daughter. Born to a teen mom in small-town Texas, Jessica tries to be a normal girl despite the intrusive voice of her Heavenly Father in her head.

But with the power to smite and the occasional insider information from above, there's no denying her divinity, which quickly becomes the #1 reason she's bullied.

The seven-book series follows her trials, miracles, and shit luck as she takes on a charismatic preacher, starts dating boys, tackles college, and eventually ventures out on her own in a world that can't quite wrap its head around the concept of a woman as the next direct descendant of Sky Daddy. 

It's been ten years since the first book was published, so we're revisiting the life of Jessica with this special edition hardcover:

Beaches be crazy.

Fifteen-year-old Jessica McCloud is taking her first trip to the gulf coast. With her mother behind the wheel, the two set out to visit Grandma McCloud, who neither has seen in eleven years, at her condo on the beach.

Would it be too much if Jessica hoped for a relaxing vacation despite God's incessant footnotes, her mother's inability to let the past be the past, and a healthy fear of wearing a bikini in public? Probably so, but she's going to give it a shot anyway.

This story takes place between The Beginning and And It Was Good. 

Read more about the seven-book series:

Childhood
The Beginning (Book 1)

High school
And It Was Good (Book 2)
It's a Miracle! (Book 3)

College
Nu Alpha Omega (Book 4)

Early adulthood
It is Risen (Book 5)
In the Details (Book 6)
The End is Her (Book 7)

If you haven't started this wild ride with unforgettable characters, saddle up with one of the BackerKit tiers. Want to devour the whole series before each special edition releases? Check out the e-book and paperback options in the add-ons section!

In the beginning, I had no idea what I was getting myself into writing the Jessica Christ series. 

It's just a comedy about growing up as a gal in Texas, I told myself. Does it make fun of patriarchal religion? Sure. Does it take some shots at the Bible? Most certainly. But that should be fine, because I've been accidentally "saved" twice (long story).

That was 10 years ago, in October 2016, and sweet baby Jessica, was this world not prepared for the insanity of Texas's cosplay Christianity to spread like it has. Second biggest export from the state after oil.

With Christian Nationalism on the rise in the US, enjoying a circle jerk with technofascism, authoritarianism, and kakistocracy like the world has never seen, I thought it was time to bring this book back to annoy the hell out of the right people and to delight the kinda folks who love to punch up at power while having a good laugh.

Jessica Christ is a complete seven-book series that I wrapped back in 2020. This special edition includes the first book, newly edited and updated by me. I haven't changed the story itself. Just updated a few little facts, tightened up the prose (I've published over forty books since this one, so I've learned a few things), and even found and destroyed a couple of typos that slipped through all the previous rounds of editing!

The hardcover special edition featured in this BackerKit campaign includes book one of the Jessica Christ series, The Beginning, along with a bonus short story, "A Great Gulf," which takes place between books one and two of the series.

In many ways, I'm a different H. Claire now than when I wrote this book. The decade has aged me beyond what one might expect. But in the ways that count, I'm the same. I still swear a lot, I still live in my hometown of Austin, Texas, I'm still writing books, and I still crack jokes that really split a room. 

I hope you'll shed some of the emotional weight of the last ten years with me and jump back into this series (or jump in for the first time) for no reason other than we all deserve a break from the horrors to enjoy a good laugh. 

This 10th anniversary edition includes book 1 of the Jessica Christ series, The Beginning, along with a bonus short story, "A Great Gulf," that takes place between The Beginning and And It Was Good, book 2 of the series.

These hardcover editions are 5.5" x 8.5" with black faux leather covers, gold foil lettering, sprayed edges, and special end pages. They also include decorative chapter icons of the animals in Jessica's orbit.

Backers at the Ice Cream Jimmy or Deus Aper levels will receive a signed copy.

Vinyl stickers, 2.5" diameter, perfect for sticking anywhere that is 2.5" (or more!) wide.

KEYCHAIN
This durable hard-enamel design will stand up to the abuse you dole out to your keys. At 2" in length, it's small enough not to make itself a problem but large enough to make you chuckle each time it catches your eye.

This is the most meta shit, but it's always a fun time for everyone. I create the annotated version by printing out all the pages of the book with wide margins, busting out some colorful pens, and scribbling in the margins of the story. These notes include behind-the-scenes of the process, tales on the inspiration for this line or that, and whatever other intrusive thoughts enter my mind on the re-read. I offered this for another series, and it was a big hit, so I'm doing it again.

The version you'll receive is a color PDF of my annotations. You're free to print it out if that's your thing.

THANK YOU FROM H. CLAIRE
This goody is for the most godly of Smiters. It is right and good to give thanks, and that's what I'll do. I'll record a short video of myself delivering a personal thank you that you can play back next time your boss credits the biggest asshole at your job for your efforts and you need to hear somebody recognize you. Or, ya know, whenever.

These mugs are hand-thrown by me, H. Claire Taylor (with potter's signature on the bottom).

They're porcelain bodies with hand-pressed lettering spelling "SUMUS OMNES PORCOS" in blue. They have clear glaze on the outside and a blue glaze on the inside and around the rim. They will vary in size because I'm not a professional potter, but generally hold anywhere from, let's say, 10oz to 1,000 gallons. 

In other words, each will be one-of-a-kind!

Only 10 mugs will be available through this BackerKit campaign, and then they're gone. Talk about a limited edition.

Every time you sip your drink of choice from this mug, you can whisper to yourself, "...sed Deus est Aper," and know that, somewhere, I just felt a tingle run through my body (and will probably freak out and consult a doctor about it). 

Declare who you are and what you believe so that you don't actually have to live it! Put this on your fridge to confuse the hell out of anyone who walked into your home. (I already put one on mine.)

The Jessica Christ books have been out for 10 years, meaning readers have had a chance to share their feelings.

If you're new to the series, maybe these reader reviews will help you figure out if you're in the right place.

Yes.

It's not going to win the Blasphemy Olympics—I think those megachurch pastors with private jets have it beat there—but it's certainly blasphemous.

Luckily, I don't think God cares.

This is NOT Christian fiction. This is not even Christian fan fiction.

That said, a lot of this series' long-time fans are Christians as well as other faiths and non-faiths. When this book first released, the internet hadn't rotted our brains out and folks were still able to easily differentiate fiction from scripture! Remember those times?

Me neither!

You might've noticed that this campaign only offers book one of a seven-book series. That's because I'm not trying to bet my fucking house on a gamble.

But also, who has the money to buy all seven special editions at once? Maybe some people do, but I figured we would all feel way more chill and relaxed if I released these one at a time.

At this point, I do plan on launching book two once book one has been distributed to all the lovely Smiters who back it. But I thought I ought to show you I can deliver on a promise before I try to sell you seven promises. (People delivering on promises is rare these days, so I would expect nothing less as a reader myself.) 

Each campaign will offer unique swag and bonuses, including (if we unlock it) character art. 

I could just sell these books on my website, but that's not as fun, and we could all use a little fun and party-party these days, ya know? 

I hope you'll start the party off with me on this campaign and join me for the rest. I promise it'll be worth the wait (unlike abstinence). 

I’ve been writing comedy since high school because I was an overly serious child, so my options by my teens were basically psych ward or satire. Not totally sure I picked the right path. 

The Jessica Christ books were the first series I tackled, back before White patriarchal preachers from the South made themselves everyone’s problem, like they do now. 

After that, I collaborated with retired cop and dedicated recluse Brock Bloodworth to write the Kilhaven Police paranormal comedies. He was too hard to work with, frankly, so we parted ways. (We’ve since made up.)

Most recently, I started on the Alice Luck Space Adventures, which are near and dear to my heart, so naturally they’re my least popular series. That's not going to stop me from finishing it, though.

I’m a lifelong Austinite who’s been irrevocably warped by this weird city. I dreamed of moving abroad, but it’s looking more and more like I’m going to die here, and probably sooner than expected if the men in charge have their way! 

When I’m not writing, I’m playing with my dogs, causing trouble with or without my husband, and throwing clay on the pottery wheel. I’m not a great potter, but it was either get an new hobby that I didn’t monetize or lose my fucking mind. I chose hobby. 

Again, not sure if I made the right choice.

Because I'm not hiring some big project management firm to handle fulfillment, I'm limiting the locations I'll ship to based on whether it's simple and easy to mail there or not.

If your particular country isn't listed on the chart below, feel free to contact me and ask if I'll add it.

* Due to new PPWR regulations, not all EU countries have the same requirements for shipping. Some are too difficult, paperwork wise, for what I'm interested in managing. The EU countries where I WILL ship include Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, and Denmark.

These are estimated shipping rates offered by PirateShip based on estimated sizes and weights of the boxes. They are the current rates, and they are subject to change between now and when this project ships to backers. You will be charged based on the rates at the time of shipping, not the rates of the day you backed.

Why is the Deus Aper so much more expensive to ship? This is the tier that includes the handmade mug. I don't know if you've ever packed pottery to ship internationally, but it's tricky. Lots of bubble wrap. As such, I'll be shipping these mugs in a separate package from the rest of the goodies to ensure they have the proper packaging to allow them to arrive intact. Two packages means double shipping costs.

What if I don't live in one of those listed countries and you decide it's too complicated to ship to my country? You can consider looking into a forwarding service located in the United States. I'll ship it there, and they'll handle the complicated stuff. I have no idea what this costs, but if you're in a country people rarely ship to, you'll have a head start figuring it out, I'm sure.

VAT & Taxes - Both will be collected after the project closes and before shipping. This is a process that is quite complicated and makes me insecure about my mental capabilities, but I'll get it done with the help of someone smarter than me. 

Expected delivery January/February 2027: All of the rewards included in this project have already been created or will be so by the end of the campaign in November. That said, the campaign wraps in late November, orders can't be finalized for a couple of weeks, and that puts us in December before any shipping could theoretically happen. Shipping over the holidays is always a crapshoot and I'm out of office for all of December, so I'll start shipping things out once I'm back in January. Never fear, your items will arrive at your doorstep in a reasonable amount of time!