"The modern master of the gamebook format" (Rob Sanders)... "Can do dark very well" (Jonathan Oliver)... "Green gets mileage out of his monsters" (SFX Magazine)... "It takes a firm editorial hand and a keen understanding of the tone of each piece to make a collection this diverse work, and Green makes it look effortless" (Starburst Magazine)... "A charming blend of camp creatures, humour, and genuine horror" (Set the Tape)
To celebrate World Book Day (it is still World Book Day, just about) I've recorded my fifth Vlog in which I answer all your questions about my books, writing in general, and even which dessert toppings I prefer. Well I did say you could ask me anything!
In the end, the finished Vlog was about 26 minutes long, which was too long for YouTube, so I've broken it down into three parts, which you'll find below.
Thanks for answering all of those questions. I enjoyed listening to your thoughts, particularly concerning gamebooks.
One motivation I had for the numbers attached to codewords issue was, in my case, purely a specific one. I've just submitted my third gamebook to my publisher which is actually part one of a two-part duology. I have a codeword that can be collected only in the first book but will not be used until the second book. Furthermore, this codeword is going to be held back to the end of the story and then used to access a hidden epilogue at the end of the second book. In other words, the story will end in the traditional manner, (Quest completed, well done, celebrations etc) and then, when the reader thinks that is it, this codeword will be prompted for, having it will extend the story on a little more, giving a few interesting tidbits that will have the reader thinking about what is going to happen next in future adventures in the series.
I wanted the reader not to be able to use this codeword unless they had read the previous book, collected the codeword, and then, use the number associated with it to turn to another page. It is a bit like finding a special "bonus level" in a computer game.
Thanks. The multi-story adventure has always been something I have been rather drawn to, probably because the first gamebook I ever read (at age 12/13) was Part 2 of Steve Jackson's Crown of Kings 4 part story, "Khare, Cityport of Traps". I promptly decided to outdo him by one and wrote a 5 part adventure for the first 5 gamebooks I ever wrote (as a young tween/teen). Now that was certainly ambitious. The 5 part story was even about a helmet (rather than a crown) - Not very original!
5 comments:
Great vlog, Jon. I hope you do another Q&A session soon.
Hi Jon,
Thanks for answering all of those questions. I enjoyed listening to your thoughts, particularly concerning gamebooks.
One motivation I had for the numbers attached to codewords issue was, in my case, purely a specific one. I've just submitted my third gamebook to my publisher which is actually part one of a two-part duology. I have a codeword that can be collected only in the first book but will not be used until the second book. Furthermore, this codeword is going to be held back to the end of the story and then used to access a hidden epilogue at the end of the second book. In other words, the story will end in the traditional manner, (Quest completed, well done, celebrations etc) and then, when the reader thinks that is it, this codeword will be prompted for, having it will extend the story on a little more, giving a few interesting tidbits that will have the reader thinking about what is going to happen next in future adventures in the series.
I wanted the reader not to be able to use this codeword unless they had read the previous book, collected the codeword, and then, use the number associated with it to turn to another page. It is a bit like finding a special "bonus level" in a computer game.
Thanks again for your Vlog.
Wow! A two-part gamebook with a pay-off in the second from the first... Sounds ambitious. Good luck!
Great vlog, Jon. Thanks for your answers!
Thanks. The multi-story adventure has always been something I have been rather drawn to, probably because the first gamebook I ever read (at age 12/13) was Part 2 of Steve Jackson's Crown of Kings 4 part story, "Khare, Cityport of Traps". I promptly decided to outdo him by one and wrote a 5 part adventure for the first 5 gamebooks I ever wrote (as a young tween/teen). Now that was certainly ambitious. The 5 part story was even about a helmet (rather than a crown) - Not very original!
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