Showing posts with label Halloween. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Halloween. Show all posts

Friday, 27 October 2023

Gamebook Friday: Spooky Halloween Reads

It's Halloween on Tuesday, so now seems like the perfect time to remind you of my various horror-related reads that you can enjoy at this time of year.

First of all there is the ultimate horror ACE Gamebook, Dracula: Curse of the Vampire.

1897 ~ In the wolf-haunted Carpathian Mountains, a young solicitor, Jonathan Harker, travels to an isolated castle to assist a mysterious Count with purchasing a number of properties in England. But what he witnesses there drives him to the edge of madness…

Meanwhile, in Whitby, Harker’s fiancée, Mina Murray, visits her dear friend Lucy Westenra. But during her stay, Lucy is attacked and becomes seriously ill…


In London, Lucy’s suitor and physician, Dr John Seward, becomes preoccupied with the case of a certain Mr Renfield, an inmate at his lunatic asylum, who seeks to collect lives for his master, having not long returned from a trip to Transylvania…


And so, the pieces for the game are set. For they are all pawns in a plan devised centuries ago by the Voivode of Wallachia, Vlad Tepes, a cruel tyrant whom history remembers as ‘the Son of the Devil,’ his bloodthirsty deeds having earned him another name…

Dracula.


And then there is my Cthulhu Mythos novella, The Serpent's Egg, and my ghost story, The Doll's House, both of which are available as audiobooks.



Sunday, 1 October 2023

Spooky Season Sale Now On!

It's October, which these days also seems to be known as Spooky Season. So, it seemed like a a good time to run a sale of my two RPGs.

HEOROT - Roleplaying in the World of Beowulf Beastslayer is my mythic Viking RPG, inspired by a certain gamebook, while 'TWAS - The Roleplaying Game Before Christmas is the perfect pick-up-and-play RPG for experienced gamers and newbies alike. And I'm pleased to say that they're both DriveThruRPG bestsellers.

The PDFs of both these RPGs are on sale for just £5.00 each, as are these 'TWAS supplements.

Don't delay and grab a bargain today!


Wednesday, 2 November 2022

Dracula: Klątwa wampira

Today is the Day of the Dead, so it seems rather appropriate that Dracula: Klątwa wampira - which is Polish for Dracula: Curse of the Vampire - is out today from Muduko in Poland.

There is evil lurking in the fear-filled Carpathians...

Take the fight to the legendary Count Dracula, or take on the role of the terrifying Prince of Darkness himself. It's up to you whether the story will follow the tracks of Bram Stoker's novel, or whether the whole world will plunge into darkness under the rule of an accursed ruler.


W przepełnionych grozą Karpatach czai się zło, któremu musisz stawić czoło…

Wraz z Łowcami Wampirów podejmij walkę, by powstrzymać legendarnego Hrabiego Draculę albo wciel się w samego przerażającego Księcia Ciemności. To od Ciebie zależy, czy historia potoczy się torami znanymi z powieści Brama Stokera, czy Anglia, a potem cały świat pogrąży się w mroku pod rządami przeklętego władcy.

If you are a Polish speaker, or a collector of ACE Gamebooks, you can pick up your copy here.


Thursday, 20 October 2022

Dracula is back!

When Dracula - Curse of the Vampire was published last year, the response to the sixth ACE Gamebook was massive. So massive, in fact, that it completely sold out of its initial print run.

I'm delighted to be able to report that, as of today, Dracula - Curse of the Vampire is available once again, now in a print on demand edition from Amazon. And this one has cover quotes!


Over 160,000 words, spread out over 1,000 sections, you can play as the Vampire-Hunters Jonathan Harker, Mina Murray, and Doctor Seward, or you can play as the vampire Count Dracula himself.

To pick up your copy in time for Halloween, click here.

Friday, 23 September 2022

Gamebook Friday: Meet Jack-O'-Lantern

Today, Friday 23rd September, is the Autumn Equinox. Which means that before you know it, it will be Halloween. In anticipation of All Hallow's Eve, a new Playable Character is now available for 'TWAS - The Roleplaying Game Before Christmas, who has a suitably spooky vibe. So, without further delay, meet Jack-O'-Lantern.

A hangover from the Halloween celebrations, Jack-O'-Lantern is a plastic night light that is still on duty in the sleeping child’s bedroom. Due to association with the season of mischief and monsters, he is a capricious sprite who can hinder as much as help, depending on his mischievous mood at the time. However, he also has a deep understanding of demons, knowing how best to counter the schemes of such malign entities.

The Jack-O'-Lantern supplement, which is illustrated by m'colleague Tony Hough, also includes a new Scene that introduces the character to your games of the 'TWAS RPG. You can download it here from DriveThruRPG.com.



Sunday, 31 October 2021

Something Wicked This Way Comes...

Having had over 70 books published over the last 28 years, there are a fair few that make particularly suitable Halloween reading. Here are just a few of them...

1897

In the wolf-haunted Carpathian Mountains, a young solicitor, Jonathan Harker, travels to an isolated castle to assist a mysterious Count with purchasing a number of properties in England. But what he witnesses there drives him to the edge of madness…

Meanwhile, in Whitby, Harker’s fiancée, Mina Murray, visits her dear friend Lucy Westenra. But during her stay, Lucy is attacked and becomes seriously ill…

In London, Lucy’s suitor and physician, Dr John Seward, becomes preoccupied with the case of a certain Mr Renfield, an inmate at his lunatic asylum, who seeks to collect lives for his master, having not long returned from a trip to Transylvania…

And so, the pieces for the game are set. For they are all pawns in a plan devised centuries ago by the Voivode of Wallachia, Vlad Tepes, a cruel tyrant whom history remembers as ‘the Son of the Devil’, his bloodthirsty deeds having earned him another name…

Dracula.

*             *             *             *

In Dracula– Curse of the Vampire is an interactive gothic horror novel, in which YOU decide which route to take, which perils to risk, and which of the terrifying creatures you will meet along the way to fight. Play as Jonathan Harker, Mina Murray and Dr John Seward… or even Count Dracula himself. But be warned – whether you succeed in your quest or succumb to the curse of the vampire will be down to the choices YOU make.

But do not tarry, for the dead travel fast.

Dracula– Curse of the Vampire will be the subject of November's Interactive Fiction & Gamebooks Discussion Group (Book Club) . If you would be interesting in finding out more about sixth ACE Gamebook, make sure you join the group now.

An anthologie of fine stories inspir’d by the Bard of Stratford and the Lovecraftian Mythos

Imagine if it had been William Shakespeare, England’s greatest playwright, who had discovered the truth about the Great Old Ones and the cosmic entity we know as Cthulhu, rather than the American horror writer H P Lovecraft.

Imagine if Stratford’s favourite son had been the one to learn of the dangers of seeking after forbidden knowledge and of the war waged between the Elder Gods in the Outer Darkness, and had passed on that message, to those with eyes to see it, through his plays and poetry. Welcome to the world of Shakespearean Cthulhu!

To mark the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, Snowbooks proudly presents fifteen stories of eldritch horror that blend the Bard’s most famous plays with Lovecraft’s most terrifying creations. But before you dip into this curséd tome, be warned – that way madness lies...

“When oblivion comes, it is forever, as endless as the slumber of those beings that lie buried beneath the roots of the world, dreaming in darkness.”

A writer’s research into the legend of the Lambton Worm takes a horrifying twist when he uncovers the true origin of the story: A legend that stirs, knowing the time for its rebirth is near.

A chilling tale of the Cthulhu mythos, written by award-winning author Jonathan Green.



"What horror dwells behind its peeling paint façade and lifeless windows?"

A young mother, struggling after the birth of her second child, starts to question her sanity when the appearance of an unwanted childhood toy rekindles unwelcome nightmares.

A chilling tale written by award-winning author Jonathan Green.


Friday, 29 October 2021

Gamebook Friday: Dracula - Curse of the Vampire

Dracula - Curse of the Vampire has been out for a few weeks now, and more and more people are discovering the latest ACE Gamebook. Some reviews have even started to come in.


Dracula - Curse of the Vampire is going to be November's book of the month over on the Interactive Fiction & Gamebooks Discussion Group (Book Club) on Facebook. But before then it's Halloween, and what could be a better Halloween read than Dracula - Curse of the Vampire?


Talking of Halloween, if you have any Photoshop skills whatsoever, I would like to set you a challenge. I might be okay at writing adventure gamebooks, but my Photoshop skills are zero. What I would really love are some images of your favourite screen Dracula holding a copy of Dracula - Curse of the Vampire that I can then use to help promote the book this 31st October.

It could be Bela Lugosi coming down the stairs of Castle Dracula, it could be Gary Oldman about to bite the neck of Mina Murray, or maybe Christopher Lee in one of his many Hammer Horror appearances. I really don't mind. So let's see what you've got...
 

Monday, 11 November 2019

Thought for the Day

“There are some temptations that cannot be resisted, some lessons we never learn.”

~ Susan Hill, author of The Woman in Black

Thursday, 31 October 2019

Happy Halloween!

Tonight, people up and down the country will be donning their Halloween costumes - turning themselves into witches, vampires, werewolves, mummies, demons, and zombies - for the duration of the dark celebrations.

If you're planning on staying in tonight, hopefully avoiding the trick or treaters, and you're looking for a creepy story to curl up with before the witching hour, you might want to try one of these...

Witches and demons abound in my first published Fighting Fantasy adventure.

My third FF adventure, heavily-inspired by Mummy movies from right across the cinematic era.

My first Warhammer novel, which features all manner of daemons, not to mention the shambling ranks of the undead.

The tale of one man's fall from grace and the corrupting power of necromancy.

More zombie pirates and voodoo curses than you can shake a cutlass at.

In my fifth FF adventure, you must stopped yourself turning into a werewolf before the next full moon by hunting down and killing the Arch-Lycanthrope.

Human Nature (2008) and Evolution Expects (2009)
A couple of body horror classics from my Pax Britannia steampunk series of novels.

Death is not the end... Murdered on your way home, you rise from the dead to avenge your own murder.

Blood Royal (2010) and Anno Frankenstein (2011)
Two more Pax Britannia novels, inspired by classic horror movies of yesteryear.

Shadows Over Sylvania (2013)
YOU are a vampire in my one and only Warhammer gamebook, which remains one of the best I have ever written, and probably the hardest to get hold of too.

Game Over (2015)
A collection of techno-chillers, ghost stories inspired by classic video games, edited by Yours Truly.

A dark tale of the Cthulhu Mythos, inspired by the legend of the Lambton Worm.

And coming in 2020...


Join the ACE Gamebooks Facebook group to be kept up to date with developments...

Monday, 28 October 2019

Thought for the Day

“Books help to form us. If you cut me open, you will find volume after volume, page after page, the contents of every one I have ever read, somehow transmuted and transformed into me. Alice in Wonderland. The Magic Faraway Tree. The Hound of the Baskervilles. The Book of Job. Bleak House. Wuthering Heights. The Complete Poems of W H Auden. The Tale of Mr Tod. Howard''s End. What a strange person I must be. But if the books I have read have helped to form me, then probably nobody else who ever lived has read exactly the same books, all the same books and only the same books as me. So just as my genes and the soul within me make me uniquely me, so I am the unique sum of the books I have read. I am my literary DNA.”


~ Susan Hill, author of The Woman in Black

Monday, 31 October 2016

Haunting Reads for Hallowe'en

Seeing as it's Hallowe'en today, you might want to check out some of my more obviously horror-themed books.

If you're a fan of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks, why not try the following?
Spellbreaker
Curse of the Mummy
Bloodbones
Howl of the Werewolf
Night of the Necromancer

Other gamebooks I've written that have a nightmarish element to them are:
Temple of the Spider God
Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland

If you like short story anthologies, why not check out one of these titles?
SHARKPUNK
GAME OVER
Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu

If Steampunk is your thing, all of these books have horror overtones:
Human Nature
Evolution Expects
Blood Royal
Anno Frankenstein

For Doctor Who fans there are these two horror-themed titles:
The Horror of Howling Hill
Night of the Kraken

Readers who remember Warhammer should definitely check out:
The Dead and the Damned
Necromancer

Saturday, 31 October 2015

Short Story Saturday: Halloween Thrills - SHARKPUNK and GAME OVER

If you're looking for some chilling reads this Halloween you could do a lot worse than to check out these two titles...


As one reviewer has said of SHARKPUNK, "Once you bite, you’ll be hooked."

And James Lovegrove in the Financial Times described GAME OVER as "An anthology with byte."

You can buy both books direct from the publisher Snowbooks.

And also coming very soon from Snowbooks is Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland, the title of which tells you all you need to know really.


Saturday, 1 November 2014

13 Halloween Horrors

Inspired by the warmest Halloween in recorded history? Fancy a little more horror-inspired reading? Then why not try one of these?

1. The Serpent's Egg
13 short horror stories, including the Cthulhu mythos novella The Serpent's Egg, available now!


2. Human Nature
The Whitby Mermaid has been stolen from Cruickshank's Cabinet of Curiosities and consulting detective Gabriel Wraith is on the case. But what does the theft of the mermaid have to do with the mysterious House of Monkeys? And what of the enigmatic criminal known as the Magpie? But there are worse things lurking under the moors outside Whitby than mermaids... David Cronenberg-style body horror in the world of Pax Britannia, including a highly warped version of the Hound of the Baskervilles.


3. Evolution Expects
More than ever before, the realm of Magna Britannia needs a saviour - a man like new Prime Minister, Devlin Valentine. But while London prepares for the launch of the Jupiter Station there are those who want this longed-for change to come about more quickly - people who are willing to give evolution a helping hand.


4. Blood Royal
St. Paul's Cathedral entertains a new congregation, one driven by its own unholy creed, while a coldly clinical killer is carving a name for himself across the city - a name that has been whispered upon the streets of Whitechapel for over a hundred years.


5. Anno Frankenstein
1943 ~ The Nazis are battling the empire of Magna Britannia, cooking up necrotic super-soldiers in the gothic towers of Castle Frankenstein. In the forests outside the castle, other forces are gathering, including Dr. Jekyll and the ladies of the Monstrous Regiment. But there may be other gothic monsters waiting in the hills around Darmstadt...


6. Spellbreaker
Rassin Abbey has guarded its arcane treasures for centuries. But when their Black Grimoire spellbook is stolen, the land of Ruddlestone is plunged into a crisis of epic proportions. Should the legendary Casket of Shadows be opened, the Infernal Beast will be unleashed to wreak its terrible carnage across the Old World. On the night of Shekka's Moon, scant days away, this will surely come to pass, unless YOU can retrieve the Black Grimoire in the nick of time... Witches, demons and devilry abound in my first ever published book.


7. Curse of the Mummy
Beware the Curse of Akharis! When an ancient tomb in the Desert of Skulls turns out to belong to Akharis, a legendary ruler from a previous age, YOU discover some of his followers are trying to return the evil pharaoh to life. Soon you will have to learn the true meaning of The Curse of the Mummy!


8. Bloodbones
Bloodbones lives! The dread pirate-lord Cinnabar, scourge of the twelve seas, terrorised the seafarers of the Old World in a bloody reign of terror until a brave adventurer put an end to his evil. But now Cinnabar is back from the dead, seeking revenge and with the dark powers of voodoo at his command. Only YOU can stop the pirate captain and his crew of bloodthirsty cut-throats.


9. Howl of the Werewolf
Lupravia is a cursed land. Only the foolhardy or insane would willingly pass beyond its borders and enter that benighted realm of predators, but enter you must after a vicious wolf attack sets you on the path to murder and madness. Steadily succumbing to the call of the wild and the beast within, YOU must seek out a cure to your condition before the next full moon. But how long can you survive in a land where the powers of darkness hold sway and all live in fear of the Howl of the Werewolf?


10. Night of the Necromancer
Death is not the end...Returning to your ancestral castle having been away fighting a crusade against the forces of darkness in the Mauristatian principality of Bathoria, you are struck down by a band of murderers within sight of home. Driven by the need to know why you have been killed, and on whose orders, YOU rise again as a ghost and set out to solve the mystery of your own murder.


11. Shadows Over Sylvania
YOU are the Vampire! A blood war has been declared between the life-leeching bloodlines of the cursed county of Sylvania. As a thrall of one of the bloodthirsty rulers of this benighted land, you will be forced to battle numerous enemies who would stand against you, both mortal and Undead.


12. Warlock's Bounty: Revenge of the Sorcerer
You are a mighty wizard, once apprenticed to the sorcerer Corax Whiteraven, guardian of the lands of Lloegyr. When Whiteraven’s familiar appears out of the blue carrying an urgent message from its master, you embark upon a mission that will test your mettle and magical abilities to the full. For Lloegyr’s guardian – the greatest sorcerer of them all – is in danger, and needs your help!


13. Temple of the Spider God
Temple of the Spider God sees YOU uncovering the schemes of an horrifying spider-worshipping cult. Arachnophobes, beware!