Fantasy author uses Peninsula as setting

Published 1:30 am Friday, February 27, 2026

PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles author uses the “lonely cold” and rugged atmosphere of the North Olympic Peninsula as the basis for the world of his fantasy novel series.

Jason Backus, who writes under the name JG Backus, originally created the world of Noctara through years of home games of Dungeons & Dragons played with his friends on the Peninsula.

“Yara Whitlock and the sprawling lore of the Scarred Realm were born at a gaming table before I transitioned into the novelist side of my creative life,” Backus said.

Now, Backus has self-published two novels about Whitlock. The first novel in the series, “The Trials of Yara Whitlock,” was published in December 2024, and the second novel, “Yara Whitlock: A Game of Gods,” published Feb. 7.

“I would identify my work as grim-dark fantasy,” Backus said. “It edges right up against horror in some ways. Some pretty dark themes and events happen.”

The series takes place 3,000 years in a post-apocalyptic future on the North Olympic Peninsula.

“(Whitlock) starts out as a prisoner for a pretty heinous crime,” Backus said. “She’s of high rank and then she falls, and that’s where we start. She’s selected to capture a witch who sends her through a magical portal, and she drops down on Tatoosh Island over by Neah Bay.”

Through the story, Whitlock travels through the interior of the Pacific Northwest down to the Columbia River, where the second book picks up.

“I think people who live here on the Peninsula are going to like the fact that I’ve really built out the setting,” Backus said. “The Pacific Northwest and the Olympic Peninsula are really almost characters.”

The series’ strong female protagonist should be a draw for the novels as well, he said.

“The world is battered and bruised, but the characters find the light in things even when it’s dark,” Backus said. “Yara is based on my own wife, Heide, because she’s my hero.”

Being the inspiration for a fantasy character is all brand-new to Heide, Backus said.

“She loves my ideas,” he said. “I have read them to her as part of my process because hearing your own words is the best way to find problems. She loves being involved in the business of my authoring.”

The couple has been married for 35 years and moved to the Olympic Peninsula seven years ago, which is when Backus began building his fantasy world through Dungeons & Dragons games.

“I’ve played Dungeons & Dragons for most of my life,” Backus said. “As part of that game, I work as a dungeon master so I created this campaign over about seven years, building the games out for my friends. I love the Olympic Peninsula; it’s beautiful, it’s wild and it’s got lots of places where you imagine adventures happening.”

From the games, Backus began writing short stories based on that world.

“I’ve published a D&D adventure in the same universe. It’s kind of taken on a life of its own,” Backus said.

The books are currently only available through Amazon and have a recommended reading age of 16 and older due to violence and some profanity.

“Self-publishing has been a wonderful challenge because I’ve already had a career in various kinds of marketing so I was able to turn very quickly into learning about self-publishing,” Backus said. “I’m by no means an expert yet, but I’m working to become one.”

One surprise for Backus happened this month following the release of the second Whitlock novel.

“A pleasantly shocking thing that happened in the last 10 days is I got three written reviews, two from random readers and they’re surprisingly good,” Backus said. “I’ve got 5 stars. For being a start-up guy, that’s an amazing feeling. When you’re a beginning craftsman, you don’t think that you’re quite good enough yet, so it’s really good feedback to have random people read my books and say these really good things about them.”

For more information, go to yarawhitlock.com.

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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.