Happy π Day!

That's right π , as in Pi the mathematical constant.

And why is today called Pi Day? Because according to the American dating system, the 3rd of March is 3.14, which is Pi to three significant figures.

On such occasions as this, I try to link the event to my books, and in the case of Pi Day, the most suitable candidate is Match Wits With the Kids.

However, since that particular book is out of print, I'm going to go with Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland instead, because Alice's creator, Lewis Carroll, was really Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a mathematics don at Oxford University. My gamebook even features a few mathematical teasers.

As regular readers of this blog will already know, Alice's Nightmare produced a spin-off colouring book, which went down a storm in the States, and so artist Kev Crossley has drawn a whole new set of pictures, specifically for colouring this time, so expect to see Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland Colouring Book 2 hitting virtual bookstore shelves very soon.

Match Wits With The Kids

It might be six years since my one and only entirely educational book Match Wits With The Kids was published, but there are still people who are just discovering it for the first time. Here's what some of them have had to say recently.

"This book... is a must have book for all parents who have primary age children. Highly recommended!" ~ 5 stars

"Brilliant!" ~ 5 stars

If you enjoy my non-fiction books then you should check out YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks and look out for the forthcoming Christmas Explained: Robins, Kings and Brussel Sprouts.

Gamebook Friday: Black Library sales and Shadows Over Sylvania

Today I received the half-yearly sales commission figures for my Black Library books. The royalties generated are never very much (I've not written a conventional novel for BL for nine years) but it's always a pleasant surprise when the statement comes through the door and, as they say, every little helps.

I was particularly interested to see this set of figures, however, since it would really let me know how my newest BL publication - the vampire gamebook Shadows Over Sylvania - is selling. Now I don't normally discuss sales figures and the like in public, but here's a thing. I feel that Shadows Over Sylvania is one of the best gamebooks I've written (and it's received some positive reviews since it was published) but the sales figures do not reflect this. From publication up until the end of December 2013, Shadows Over Sylvania has sold a grand total of... drum-roll... 237 copies. That's all.

More people backed my YOU ARE THE HERO Kickstarter than have bought a copy of Shadows Over Sylvania. (The book certainly hasn't paid for the time it took me to write it yet.)

Herald of Oblivion, my Warhammer 40K Path to Victory gamebook (which I do not feel is as good as Shadows), has sold 2,344 copies. Yes it's been out longer, but that is still a huge disparity.

So why the poor sales? It's not because the book is rubbish. Shadows is good*, and I can say that with some confidence, it's just that not many people have read it. (Match Wits with the Kids suffered from the same problem, despite earning a 10/10 review in The Independent.)

Is it because Warhammer just isn't as popular as Warhammer 40,000? Is it down to a lack of promotion by BL? (Gamebooks certainly aren't their thing, despite the fact that they are the book publishing arm of one of the largest games companies in the world.) Is it down to the high cover price (due to the book being Print on Demand only)? Is it due to the fact that the book is not available in stores, only at events, where it's not obvious what type of a book it is? (Certainly very few GW store managers that I've spoken to have any idea what the Path to Victory books are.) Is it a result of the book having very few illustrations (unlike the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks that inspired the Path to Victory line?) Is it that gamebooks have had their day? (I certainly hope not.)

At the end of the day, who knows? All I know is that I've done all I can to promote the book and if any of you feel able to do the same, here's where you need to send prospective readers.

So, until next time... And thank you.


* I'd argue it's one of the best vampire books BL have ever published. The reader, playing the part of a vampire, fighting undead and the Empire, not to mention Skaven, Daemons and Goblins... What's not to love?

Match Wits With The Kids

It's been more than five years since my revision guide Match Wits With The Kids was published, but some are still discovering the book for the first time. The latest review appeared back in November last year.

"I bought this book because I like learning new facts and also as an aid to encourage my ageing brain to exercise its little grey calls. The book is attractive, the range of topics it covers is immense and the book is written in an easy and pleasing style. My daughter has a 5 year old son and she is already having to search her brain to answer some of his questions and she worried what would happen in a few years time. I have bought her a copy and I know she will enjoy it for its own sake but also it will mean she is more confident when answering the walking question mark in a few years' time."

I love the phrase 'walking question mark'... If you'd like to pick up a copy of Match Wits With The Kids, click this link.

73 is the magic number

Or rather star number. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

The things is, I've just noticed that this blog now has 73 followers. This is a good thing. For a long time it has had to make do with thirty or so, but recently the number of followers has shot up. (If this is because you* have linked to this blog or promoted it online elsewhere, then thank you. But back to the matter in hand.)

It's interesting that I've noticed this today is because 73 is a special number or, to give it its technical, mathematical name, a star number.

73 is also the 21st prime number. And of course the mirror of 73, is 37 - the 12th prime number. The number 21 has among its factors the number 7 and the number 3.

73 in binary, 1001001, is palindrome. In addition, of the 7 binary digits representing 73, there are 3 ones. Also, 37+12=49 (seven squared) and 73+21=94=47*2, 47+2 also being equal to seven squared.

It is also a sexy prime. No seriously.**

Do you think it's a coincidence that Sandi Tostvig and friends lived at No. 73?

Of course tomorrow this blog could have 74 followers, or more, and the days of star numbers and reversible primes will be but a happy memory...

* Yes, you.

** This should so be over on the Match Wits blog.

M is for Match Wits with the Kids

Vlog 5 - Ask Me Anything

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.

Christmas shopping ideas

If you're still finalising Christmas presents, remember it's not too late to buy your loved ones (or yourself!) something from my book store.

If it's steampunk action and adventure that they're into, try my Pax Britannia books.

If they love gamebooks and fantasy adventures, try my Fighting Fantasy gamebooks.

If it's Doctor Who or Star Wars, try these, and remember that you can have a Clone Wars story, written by me, personalised.

If it's non-fiction they enjoy, try Match Wits with the Kids, or one of my Miscellanies.

And if its the grim darkness of the far future where there is only war, or the grim darkness of a quasi-Medieval world that gets them buzzing, then try one of my Black Library novels.

Match Wits with the Kids - new review

I was delighted to stumble across this review of Match Wits with the Kids on the Internet the other day. It's written by a Maths specialist and, as a result, I found what the reviewer had to say especially pleasing.

This book is subtitled “a little learning for all the family” which is an incredible understatement. This book is just packed with interesting information about a variety of subjects - not just Mathematics but also English, Science, History, Geography, MFL, Classics - and even some tests to keep the reader on their toes.

In just 50 pages of mathematics the reader is transported along a journey from numbers through tables, negatives, indices, fractions, decimals, percentages, Fibonacci, algebra, angles, symmetry, triangles, pythagoras, quadrilaterals, polygons, circles, 3D shapes, co-ordinates, statistics and finally probability. The style is gripping, fun and very informative. It is hard to put down - but also manages to be a book that a minutes reading leaves the reader bursting with new facts and information.

This is a wonderful reference book for all the family - perhaps especially useful for parents worried their children know more than they do! I can’t judge the other subjects (though I’m hooked and mesmerised by the other chapters) but mathematically I can find no fault - the material would cover most of the content of the Key Stage Three syllabus. This is an excellent book - one that no family should be without.

To read the review at the Association of Teachers of Mathematics website, click here.

And while we're at it there's also this one at Suite101.com.

Experienced teacher and author Jonathon Green has written the perfect companion for parents who wish to brush up on their general knowledge. Match Wits with the Kids (Icon, 2008) contains 392 pages of charts, maps, formulae, diagrams, tables, information and practice tests to revise the important facts across nine subject areas...

In the years between attending school and parenting a school-aged child many facts and details well-known during school years go astray. Now is the perfect time to brush up on some basic general knowledge, if for no other reason than to assist children with their homework and improve results at the next trivia night or general knowledge quiz show.

Match Wits with the Kids

It's not that long until fifteen and sixteen year-olds up and down the country we be embarking upon their GCSE examinations. And if you're a parent of such a prospective examinee, what can you do to help?

Well you could do a lot worse than pick up a copy of Match Wits with the Kids to refresh your own knowledge of subjects such as English, Maths, Science, History, Geography, Modern Languages and even the Classics. But don't just take my word for it, check out David Marx's review over at his blog.

Here's a highlight:

If, as parents, you sometimes find yourselves climbing the collective walls of turmoil in search of something to entertain and calm the kids – especially during those elongated weekends that are filled with rain, tedium and nothing particularly groovy on telly – then this could well be the perfect book for you.

Match Wit with the Kids is, as it says on the front cover: ‘’a little learning for all the family.’’ Indeed, it’s one of those books that immediately grabs the attention of even the most innocent and innocuous by bystanders. It’s akin to a pub quiz, only more geared towards that which we all learnt at school...

Jonathan Green has compiled a more than compelling and magnetic wealth of interesting facts, figures and knowledge.

As such, Match Wits with the Kids is a book that’s as engaging as it is fun as it is imperative throughout those aforementioned weekends and really long, giddy car journeys.

Buried by books

So, this was my desk this morning...


What's on show here is just some of the books I've been using to research Scottish Miscellany. There's a whole pile not on display here because they've already gone back to the local library. (The eagle-eyed among you will noticed that I've even been using another book I wrote, Match Wits with the Kids, to help me write this one!)

Anyway, the book's coming on apace now, but before I can carry on this afternoon I think I'm going to have to tidy some of this lot up, if only so I can find my mouse again.

Onwards...

Non-Fiction

I have written a number of non-fiction titles. There is the highly popular Go, Go Crazy For Those Bones (2008), Match Wits with the Kids: A Little Learning For All The Family (2008), and What is Myrrh Anyway? Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Christmas (2008) which now has an American edition, re-titled as Christmas Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Christmas (2009).

New Match Wits quizzes available for download!

I am very pleased to announce that Icon Books have posted a series of brand new quizzes for Match Wits with the Kids on their website.

To access this entirely free, downloadable material, simply click on the appropriate link below.

ENGLISH

MATHS

BIOLOGY

CHEMISTRY

PHYSICS

HISTORY

GEOGRAPHY

MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES

And for the ANSWERS to all of the above, click here.

Happy World Book Day 2009!

In case you didn't already know, today is World Book Day. So, seeing as how I now make a living from my books, I thought I would let everyone know about the different sorts of books I write and present something of a back catalogue for your perusal.

Pax Britannia

I am currently writing a series of steampunk science fiction action/adventure novels for Abaddon Books, featuring dandy hero of the British Empire, Ulysses Quicksilver. There are currently three books in the series - Unnatural History, Leviathan Rising, Human Nature - with a fourth, Evolution Expects, published in May, and with more to come after that. To find out more about the world of Pax Britannia click here.

Fighting Fantasy

To date I have had five Fighting Fantasy gamebooks published. They are Spellbreaker, Knights of Doom, Curse of the Mummy, Bloodbones and Howl of the Werewolf.

Doctor Who

So far I have written a Doctor Who: Decide Your Destiny interactive adventure gamebook entitled The Horror of Howling Hill and have contributed to the 2010 Official Doctor Who Annual (published this August).

Sonic the Hedgehog

I have also c0-written two Sonic the Hedgehog adventure gamebooks, Theme Park Panic and Stormin' Sonic.

Warhammer

I have written three fantasy novels set within Games Workshop's Warhammer world. They are The Dead and the Damned, Magestorm and Necromancer.

Warhammer 40,000

I have also written three science fiction novels set within Games Workshop's far future medieval universe of Warhammer 40,000. There are two books about the Black Templars and the Armageddon Campaign - Crusade for Armageddon and Conquest of Armageddon - and a stand-alone adventure entitled Iron Hands.

Non-fiction

I have written a number of non-fiction books as well. The most recent of these are Match Wits with the Kids, Go, Go Crazy for those Bones and What is Myrrh Anyway? Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Christmas.

As well as books I have also had published various novellas, short stories, comic strips and magazine articles.

I also go school visits and library talks. If you would like me to come into your school or local library to talk about any of my books or the writing process in general, please email me at paxbritannia@hotmail.co.uk.

Follow Icon Books on Twitter

Fans of Twitter can now follow Icon Books via the site. Icon have published a number of my books, most notably, to date, What is Myrrh Anyway? and Match Wits with the Kids. To see what's causing a buzz among the team over at Icon, click here.

The perfect Christmas gifts!

Struggling to think of a suitable gift for the armchair genius in your home? Then why not have them testing the little grey cells on Christmas Day with a copy of the ever-popular Match Wits with the Kids?

And then, for the festively-minded there's What is Myrrh Anyway? which answers all the questions you've ever wanted to ask about the Christmas season, and some you haven't.

For the science fiction and fantasy fan in your family, why not try the Pax Britannia steampunk-action-adventure novels Unnatural History and Leviathan Rising?

And if you're looking for stocking fillers for the kids, you could do a lot worse than get them a few gamebooks - The Horror of Howling Hill, Howl of the Werewolf, Bloodbones, Curse of the Mummy, Spellbreaker - which will keep them occupied while you're getting Christmas dinner on the go. Or even Go, Go Crazy For Those Bones, for the younger GoGo's fan.

21 and counting...

Back in 1992 I was commissioned to write my first book, a Fighting Fantasy adventure gamebook entitled Spellbreaker. Last week I finished writing my twenty-first book, a steampunk science fiction horror thriller called Human Nature.

In between I have written everything from Sonic the Hedgehog and Doctor Who books for children to factual books for adults. The entire list reads something like this.

1. Spellbreaker (1993)
2. Knights of Doom (1994)
3. Curse of the Mummy (1995)
4. Theme Park Panic (1995)
5. Stormin' Sonic (1996)
6. Go Gos Are Go Go! (1997)
7. The Dead and the Damned (2002)
8. Crusade for Armageddon (2003)
9. Magestorm (2004)
10. Iron Hands (2004)
11. Necromancer (2005)
12. Conquest of Armageddon (2005)
13. Bloodbones (2006)
14. Unnatural History (2007)
15. Howl of the Werewolf (2007)
16. Leviathan Rising (2008)
17. The Horror of Howling Hill (2008)
18. Match Wits with the Kids: A Little Learning for All the Family (2008)
19. Go, Go Crazy For Those Bones (2008)
20. What is Myrrh Anyway? (2008)
21. Human Nature (2008)

Next up is...

22. Evolution Expects (2009)

... and there are more to come after that.

Match Wits at the Science Museum

I was at London's Science Museum on Sunday and popped into the branch of Waterstone's that they have there - an occupational hazard when you're a writer. I was very pleased to see that they had The Horror of Howling Hill (my Doctor Who adventure) there among the other DW merchandise, but also Match Wits with the Kids.

There's plenty in the Science section of Match Wits that you can tie to exhibits at the Science Museum, which has many practical models to help demonstrate how things work. There are even links to the History section with the development of the Industrial Revolution.

From the shelves of the museum bookshop it was quite clear that there has been a recent explosion in books about school and schooling aimed at adults, everything from Homework for Grown-Ups to England: 1000 Things You Need to Know.

But if you want one all-encompassing book that takes the subject seriously (whilst presenting it in a light-hearted way), that keeps it up to date and relevant for the modern generation of school-goers as well, then you can't beat Match Wits with the Kids.

Match Wits with the Kids reviewed in Junior Magazine

In readiness for the new school year, Match Wits with the Kids is reviewed in the October edition of Junior Magazine. And a very positive review it gets too (on page 129, if you happen to have a copy to hand).

In fact, if you haven't done so already, right about now is the perfect time to pick up a copy of Match Wits. Not only are a number of booksellers running offers on the book at the moment, but by reading it now, you'll be pre-empting all those difficult questions that are likely to face you in the coming months - whether you're the one going to school, or you're the parent of one of those going to school.

Match Wits gets 5 stars (again)!

Match Wits with the Kids has been given a 5-star customer review on W H Smith's webstore (to go with the 5-star review on Amazon). To find out more (and buy your own copy) click here.