SHARKPUNK at MCM ComicCon

Just to report that I had a great weekend at the MCM ComicCon, introducing SHARKPUNK to the world at large. What was even better was how many people came by my stand specifically to pick up a copy.

SHARKPUNK at the MCM ComicCon.

Richard has some amazingly cool plans for his copy of SHARKPUNK . Watch this space...

 Real marine biologists getting very excited about SHARKPUNK.

Although at times it felt like we were in the Author Exclusion Zone rather than at the end of the Comic Village, Miss Emily Ladybird, Kit Cox, Robert Rankin and Rachel Rankin-Hayward are always good company.

Highlights of the weekend included meeting Sean Kelly from Storage Hunters, a very persistent Japanese gentleman who wanted to buy Archimedes the Steampunk Parrot (who's not for sale, by the way), meeting the screenwriter Hayley Nolan, somebody mishearing and thinking I was going to write a medieval gamebook version of Airwolf(?), playing the LEGO Jurassic Park demo on the PS4, seeing both the Batmobile from Arkham Knight and Mad Max's car, as well as catching up with the usual suspects (i.e. Herr Doktor, the Spindles Clan, et al).

Exchange of the Weekend
JG (on introducing my First Born in his cosplay get up): "He's ready for the Zombie Apocalypse."
Kit Cox: "I'm not sure the Zombie Apocalypse is ready for him."

It was also interesting how many people asked when my next Pax Britannia novel/the next Fighting Fantasy Fest would be happening. (Delete as applicable.)*

YOU ARE THE HERO also attracted a fair bit of attention, and my best-seller was my most recent FF gamebook Night of the Necromancer. If you're still to pick up a copy, remember that next weekend I'll be at the UK Games Expo at the NEC Hilton Metropole just outside Birmingham.

Maybe I'll see you there...


*It was also cool to be able to start to let people know about Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland.

Sharkpunk Saturday: SHARKPUNK at the MCM Expo, London

I will be at the MCM Expo at London's Excel Centre this weekend, along with the killer shark story anthology SHARKPUNK. If you're new to SHARKPUNK, here's what you need to know...

Inspired by such classic pulp movies as Jaws and Deep Blue Sea - as well as such ludicrous delights as Sharknado and Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus - the stories contained within SHARKPUNK are rip-roaring page-turners and slow-build chillers that celebrate all things savage, pulp and selachian. Covering the whole range of speculative fiction genres, from horror and Steampunk, through to SF and WTF, these are stories with bite!

So, stop by the authors area and you'll not only be able to pick up a copy of SHARKPUNK and have it signed by the editor, you'll also be able to get it signed by Kit Cox who has contributed a brand new Major Jack Union story to the anthology.

Now I can't say fairer than that, can I?

Gamebook Friday: YOU ARE THE HERO at the MCM Expo, London

I will be at the Excel Centre in London again this weekend, attending the MCM Expo and will have some of the few remaining hardback copies of YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks for sale.

If you're a fan of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, the gamebook genre in general, or just great fantasy art, and you've not yet picked up a copy of YOU ARE THE HERO, you should really make the most of the opportunity to pick up one of the increasingly rare first edition copies of the book and get it signed while you're at it.

Steampunk Thursday: Pax Britannia at the MCM Expo, London

I shall be attending the MCM Expo again this weekend and, as usual, I will have some of my Pax Britannia books with me to sell.

If you've not picked up one of my Steampunk novels before, and you're going to be at London's Excel Centre on Saturday, why not stop by the authors area and grab yourself one?

Steampunk Thursday: MCM London Comicon

I attended the MCM London Comicon at the weekend, with fellow Steampunk authors Kit Cox and Jema 'Miss Emilly Ladybird' Hewitt.

Raring to go!

It was the usual mix of giant Pac-Men, Manga and Anime characters (that are totally lost on me), zombie-hunting commandos, and PVC fetishism... Sorry! I mean dressing up as Harley Quinn from the Batman franchise.

That's a whole lot of villainy right there!

I was there selling my Pax Britannia novels, but there was also some interest in YOU ARE THE HERO from some of the older attendees, shall we say. It's also always nice to bump into old friends as well, such as Spindles and his crew, and film-maker Martin Gooch.

Spindles, Miss Spindles, film-maker Martin Gooch, and Mrs Spindles.

I also met a young man who's already had his first book published! Well done, Richie!

YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks

You can see a few of my photos from the weekend here, but you'll find more of them here.

Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014

So, Fighting Fantasy Fest... This time three weeks ago (as of writing*) I was unloading a carload of stuff** at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel, ready for the first ever, dedicated, Fighting Fantasy convention. Almost twelve hours later, I was getting back into said car to return home. The bit in between was a bit of a whirl.

Jonathan Green, Geraldine Cooke, Zagor the Warlock, Steve Jackson, and Ian Livingstone at Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014.

It really came home to me that Fighting Fantasy Fest was actually happening when all the traders started to turn up and unload very professional-looking display cabinets and the like. And it was the presence of Otherworld Miniatures, Leisure Games, FightingFantasy.com, Snowbooks, Arion Games, All Rolled Up, Scriptarium, Tin Man Games, Inkle Studios, Gothic Manor, and Legend Photography that really helped to make what started out as a book launch into a proper con.

Otherworld Miniatures' Zagor miniatures in special FFF blister packs.

But of course the day wouldn't have been what it was without the presence of the host of Fighting Fantasy guests who made their way to Ealing especially for Fighting Fantasy Fest. There were the artists Chris Achilleos, Malcolm Barter, John Blanche, Leo Hartas, Tony Hough, Russ Nicholson, writer Peter Darvill-Evans also made it, along with very special guests Philippa Dickinson and Geraldine Cooke (who just made it in the nick of time to rapturous applause from the audience). But none of us would have been there in the first place if it hadn't been for our very special Guests of Honour, Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone.

Just part of the much marvelled at FF Exhibition.

Jamie Fry of FightingFantasy.com.

I am grateful to Neil Rennison for kicking off the talks with a presentation  about Tin Man Games and the company's plans for the Fighting Fantasy apps, which was followed by the headline act of the day, as it were - Steve and Ian in conversation with Philippa and Geraldine (eventually).

One of the goodie bags given away on the day, plus contents.

Just some of the highlights of the day

• Meeting so many FF fans and backers of YOU ARE THE HERO.
• Meeting the Demonic Three (a.k.a. Mark Lain, Steve Leicester and Jam Hirons).
• Seeing a Goblin patrolling the queue attempting to register on the day and berating them generally.
• The FF Exhibition.
• Damien Sparkes' FF miniatures.
• People asking me to sign original copies of Spellbreaker and Knights of Doom, along with my other gamebooks at the mass signing.
• The FF Auction (with Ian Livingstone working the room like a pro).
• Getting the band back together. (All of the WARLOCK level backers who went for lunch with Steve and Ian back in June 2013 were there.)
• Thomas Nielsen winning the costume competition dressed, appropriately enough, as Zagor the Warlock.
• Facebook friends and Twitter adventurers meeting in person for the first time.
• My Skill, Stamina and Luck t-shirt.
• Having my photo taken by Legend Photography alongside Ian and Steve.
• The positive atmosphere and happy con-buzz (which still hasn't left me).

Who let that Goblin in?

Pure Evil Miniatures' take on some Fighting Fantasy classics.

The Downside

• Timings going a little out the window (but thank goodness the hotel let us stay on for an extra hour).
• Not getting my own copy of YOU ARE THE HERO signed by all of the guests.
• Not having enough time to speak to anyone beyond saying "Hello, thanks for coming" in some cases.

The creators of Fighting Fantasy, Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson, and the author of YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks, Jonathan Green.

FFF 2014 would not have run so smoothly without the help of my family and best friend Andy, so a massive thank you to them***. But the biggest thanks has to go to all those who attended. If you hadn't stumped up for a ticket or two, the event could not have happened.

There are already rumblings regarding FFF 2015. I think it's safe to say that if we do do it again, it won't be quite the same as this year, put I will also be sending out a questionnaire, in due course, for attendees of FFF 2014 to give their feedback and have their say regarding what they would like to see at the next Fighting Fantasy Fest.

If you missed the event, the exclusive Zagor the Warlock miniature that was given away in the event goodie bag is now available to buy from Otherworld Miniatures. And if you'd like to see some more photos from the day, you can do so here.

Because of all the work involved in preparing for (and promoting) Fighting Fantasy Fest, I completely failed to blog about Bex Levene's Smiler's Fair book launch, Geekfest 2014, or even what I got up to at Loncon 3 (which including accidentally saying "Hi" to George R R Martin). However, I'm back on the blogging horse now and would like to let you know about some other events that I shall be appearing at in the run up to Christmas.


MCM Comic Con London
Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th October 2014
I'll be at MCM two out of the three days it's running, selling my Steampunk Pax Britannia novels as well as bringing along YOU ARE THE HERO this year.

Kilburn Literary Festival
Sunday 2nd November 2014 (2.00pm-3.30pm)
I shall be at the North London Tavern, talking about how my History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks came to be, giving you the story of the book, as it were (rather like the 'Making of...' documentaries you get on DVDs).


Steampunks in Space
Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th November 2014
I will be at the National Space Centre in Leicester for a weekend of Steampunk splendidness. So why not come along and pick up one of my Pax Britannia novels while you're there? After all, Dark Side is set in space as well as on the Moon!

Dragonmeet
Saturday 6th December 2014 (10.00am-6.00pm)
I'm going to have a table at Dragonmeet this year, so come along and pick up one of the last hardbacks of the first edition of YOU ARE THE HERO and get it signed at the same time!


Maybe I'll see you at one of the above...



* 7.00 a.m.

** Goodie bags, Kickstarter backer copies of YOU ARE THE HERO, bottles of water...

*** It's been particularly gratifying to read other people's kind comments about how hard my wife worked on the day, and even one attendee remarking how much he enjoyed embarking upon an AFF adventure with my sprogs.

Pax Britannia at the London MCM Expo 2013

Pax Britannia* will be attending the London MCM Expo this weekend as part of the regular Steampunk contingent.

I will be there, selling my wares, and with my ever popular Steampunk Tombala and Book Lucky Dip in tow too. So if you're around, do stop by the Steampunk stand and say hello**.

(Rumours have it that Archimedes the robot parrot might be attending too.)

 And people ask me why I'm into Steampunk...

* Or, in other words, Yours Truly.

** Or even better, buy a book!

JG at the MCM Expo (again)

So yesterday I headed over to the MCM Expo at Excel in London's Docklands, not as a contributor (just for once) but as a punter. My kids have been asking for ages what one of these events is like, so this time I took them along with me.

They were amazed - not to say overwhelmed - by all the cosplay characters. My son spent the day pointing out superheroes while my daughter counted Pokemons, specifically Pikachus. Having queued for an hour and a half to get in, with Lavie 'I don't queue' Tidhar, we only had about two hours to actually explore the con itself. Not that we got to see very much of it, since my kids fell in love with Letraset pens and went shopping crazy.

"Please, no pictures... No pictures... Oh go on then."

No tea duellist should be without one.

Miss Emily Ladybird and Major Jack Union (striking his Blue Steel pose).

Steampunk avionics.

At the end of the day I got the chance to catch up with the Steamies, which is always most splendid, and it looks like I'll be taking the family to MCM again, since my daughter is already planning her next two(!) costumes. What have I started....?

The usual steam-powered suspects.

At the end of a long and tiring day... a pair of budding comics creators of the future?

The MCM Expo*

Over a week ago now, I was the guest of Tin Man Games at the MCM Expo in London. The Tin Man himself was there promoting the brand new app of Ian Livingstone's Blood of the Zombies, as well as the Judge Dredd Gamebook Adventure.

The day flew by (although my legs knew I'd been on my feet for multiple hours by the end of it) and I had a great time as always. So thanks to Neil and my Steamie friends who I also ran into, and here's to the next one!

Here's some of the stuff that happened.

The Tin Man's flesh avatar, Neil Rennison.

 Some steampunks.

A steampunk's vampire hunting kit (featuring Kit Cox's How to Bag a Jabberwock).

Major Jack Union (a.k.a. Mr Kit Cox) startles a lady (as is his wont).

A steampunk has a close encounter with some cutting edge, 21st century tech.

A bonsai triffid.

 

Somebody has a tidy up after all the fun is done.

* Which kind of qualifies for Tie-in Tuesday, considering how many franchises were present at the event.

JG and Tin Man Games at the MCM Expo

Breaking news!

I shall be at the MCM Expo on Sunday (28 October), this year as a guest of Tin Man Games.

If you're at the MCM Expo on Saturday, Steve Jackson (co-creator of the Fighting Fantasy series of gamebooks) will be signing at the Tin Man Games stand, whilst the Tin Man himself will be showing off the new Judge Dredd app as well as Blood of the Zombies.

Maybe I'll see you there...

Time's Arrow - Black Swan

Ace artist and daring designer Pye Parr has revealed a work-in-progress image of the cover of Time's Arrow Part 2, a.k.a. Black Swan (coming soon-ish from Abaddon Books).

Visitors to the steampunk stand at the MCM Expo in October got an early sneak preview of this picture but now I can share it with the rest of the world. And very nice it is too...