April Events

Fighting Fantasy signing at Forbidden Planet
Tuesday 17th April 2018

Although I am not officially signing at the event, I will nonetheless be attending the Fighting Fantasy signing at the Forbidden Planet Megastore in London this evening.

Steve Jackson, Ian Livingstone and Charlie Higson will all be there, signing their latest releases, and if you happen to have a copy of YOU ARE THE HERO with you, I will happily sign that for you too.


The Publishing Innovation Conference
Thursday 26th April 2018

I have been invited to speak at the 14th Annual Publishing Innovation event at the London College of Communication. This is an annual event that gathers together students and industry professionals to explore emerging issues in publishing across all sectors.

This year, the theme of the event is Redefining Storytelling, and I will be taking part in the second panel, entitled “Beyond Print: Redefining Storytelling.”

Thought for the Day

“A writer takes earnest measures to ensure his solitude and then finds endless ways to squander it.”

~ Don DeLillo, American novelist, playwright and essayist

Thought for the Day

"What your peers think about your work is of interest, but what your readers think of your work is of value."

~ Garen Ewing, writer and illustrator

ACE Gamebooks at the UK Games Expo 2018

A week ago I was getting ready for the Chatham Dockyard Festival of Steam and Transport, but eight weeks from today I shall be in the thick of things at UK Games Expo 2018.

After last year's debacle*, you'll be pleased to hear that I will be transporting copies of The Wicked Wizard of Oz, as well as reprints of Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland, there myself. I will also have YOU ARE THE HERO Parts 1 and 2 for sale, and I'm even toying with the idea of printing up some chapbook editions of Scrooge and Man (Deceased): The Haunted Man to take with me.

Plans of the trading halls have now been made public and, as you can see, I will be in Hall 2, close to the entrance to Hall 1 and The Playtest Zone, and not too far from Guest of Honour Ian Livingstone's table either.

June 2018 also happens to mark 25 years since my very first book, Spellbreaker, was published. I would like to do something special to mark the occasion, possibly linked to the UK Games Expo, but I'm still trying to decide what.

Anyway, watch this space for further news on that, and maybe I'll see you at the Expo in June. :-)

* Which was entirely the fault of the delivery company TNT, who failed to deliver in any shape or form.

Gamebook Friday: #AprilTTRPGMaker

This month, @Kiranansi is encouraging Tabletop RPG designers to share information about themselves and their work using the hashtag #AprilTTRPGMaker, answering one question each day from this list:

I'm hoping that adventure gamebooks are included under the umbrella term 'Tabletop RPG' since I have joined in and you can read my tweets here, @jonathangreen.

Thought for the Day

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself."

~ Joseph Campbell

Gamebook Friday: All Things Oz

Back in February I was contacted by one Marc Baum, asking if I would send him a copy of The Wicked Wizard of Oz so that he could put it on display with the other exhibits at the All Things Oz Museum in Chittenango, New York.

It turns out that Marc is a very distant relative* of L. Frank Baum himself! I duly sent off a copy of the book, with a few bookmarks, and then promptly forgot all about it. Until this Tuesday last, that is, when I was tagged on Twitter in a tweet featuring this picture.

Talking of The Wicked Wizard of Oz, over the Easter weekend you will find me at the Chatham Dockyard Festival of Steam and Transport with copies of the book. I will be one of the guest authors in the Steampunk Village, along with m'colleague Mr Kit Cox.

So if you're looking for something different to do on Easter Sunday or Bank Holiday Monday, why not pop along? You can find out more about the event here.

* 7th cousin twice removed!