Tie-in Tuesday: Terrible Lizards

Back at the start of the year, I was interviewed by Kenny Smith for The Power of 3 Podcast about my Eleventh Doctor novel Terrible Lizards.

First published in 2012 as part of Monstrous Missions, and later released as a self-contained novel for the US market in 2016, in Terrible Lizards, the Eleventh Doctor and his friends join a group of explorers on a Victorian tramp steamer in the Florida Everglades. The explorers are searching for the Fountain of Youth, but neither they nor the treasure they seek are quite what they seem...

If you are interested in peeking behind the curtain, to find out how a book comes to be, you can listen to the podcast here. And you can order pre-loved copies of the novel here.

Tie-in Tuesday: Public Lending Right loans - 2014/2015

It's rather appropriate that this particular blog post about my PLR earnings for the last year should appear on a Tie-in Tuesday, since the books that boost my income the most, thanks to PLR, are tie-in titles.

It turns out this is my ninth year of doing this, so here's the list of my top ten most library-loaned books for July 2014 - June 2015 (with last year's placings in brackets):

1. (2) Monstrous Missions (Feb 12)

2. (5) The Great Moshling Egg (Dec 13)

3. (3) Zack Binspin (Mar 13)

4. (1) The Night Before Twistmas (Sep 12)

5. (4) The Horror of Howling Hill (Mar 08)

6. (6) Moshi Music Stars (Jan 13)

7. (7) Crisis on Coruscant (Jan 10)

8. (8) Stormslayer (Sep 09)

9. (12) What is Myrrh Anyway? (Oct 08)

10. (9) Moshi Monsters: Moshipedia (Nov 13)

5 Moshi Monsters titles, 2 Doctor Who titles, 1 Star Wars title, 1 Fighting Fantasy gamebook, and 1 non-fiction book.

My most borrowed Fighting Fantasy gamebook was clearly Stormslayer, and my most borrowed Pax Britannia novel (or rather omnibus) was The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus Vol.1.

Pirate Who?

Duh-duh-duh-der! Duh-duh-duh-der! Duh-duh-duh-der! Dih-dih-dih-dee!
Duh-duh-duh-der! Duh-duh-duh-der! Duh-duh-duh-der! Woo-ee-oooo!

Yes, that's right, it's Talk Like a Pirate Day. I mean, it's Doctor Who Day. (I've even got my Gallifrey t-shirt on to mark the occasion.)

Did I ever tell you about the time I didn't write a Doctor Who story featuring pirates? It was when I was invited to pitch an Eleventh Doctor story to the tie-in fiction editorial team at Puffin. I was told that the content had to appeal to boys in particular and the first two things I came up with were dinosaurs and pirates.

Then I thought, "What won't they do on TV because of budget limitations? I know a pirate ship and loads of dinosaurs!"

And so I submitted my proposal in which Blackbeard searches for the Fountain of Youth in the Florida Everglades* but ends up finding Jurassic Park instead**. Feedback came through from Cardiff - they loved the story but could I change the pirates please. The reason? Because Lord Grantham was bound for Treasure Island***. And so the pirates became Victorian explorers, travelling aboard The Venture****.

But an idea, as they say, is never wasted. Even now a different take on the whole Blackbeard vs Dinosaurs thing is forming within the primordial creative soup that is my mind. And guess what - it's another gamebook! ;-)

Next time: How I would have done Missy differently.



* By the way, have your read Tim Powers' On Stranger Tides?

** In a nutshell.

*** Sort of.

*** Do you see what I did there?

New Who is 10 Today!

Ten years ago today, at 7.00pm*, I sat down, like millions of other Who fans, to watch 'Rose', the first episode of the resurrected Doctor Who. Ten years on, eight series and four Doctors later, New Who is still going strong and I've written for three of those four Doctors.

My first Doctor Who book was The Horror of Howling Hill, featuring the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones. The second was Terrible Lizards, printed as one of two stories in Monstrous Missions, and featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond and Rory Williams. The third is... yet to be published, but here's a sneak preview...

So all that there remains for me to do is say, Happy Birthday New Who!


* Having hurriedly just put my then almost 8 month old son to bed.

Tie-in Tuesday: Monstrous Missions

Still available (just about, via places like Amazon) is this, that I had something to do with...

And here's what one charming reviewer had to say about the book:

"Another book I could not put down. The Doctor Who writers excel themselves time and time again. Well done all!"

So there you go. Pick up a copy (if you can) today. :-)

Happy Doctor Who Day!

49 years ago today, at 17:16:20 GMT on 23 November 1963, the first ever episode of Doctor Who was broadcast on BBC television. It is already the longest running sci-fi show in the world, but next year it will research its golden anniversary.

I am very proud to say that I have been privileged enough to add to the Doctor Who mythos in my own small way and you can find out more about my contributions here.

With regards to the Epic Rap Battle of History below, there can be only one winner - no question!

Tie-in Tuesday: Doctor Who Season 7 - coming soon!

I cannot wait.



In the above trailer you'll see that the Doctor rides a Triceratops. It's not the first time the Doctor's encountered dinosaurs and it's not the first time he's ridden one either... Check out my story Terrible Lizards in Monstrous Missions to find out why...

Tie-in Tuesday: Terrible Lizards' not so terrible review

My Doctor Who story Terrible Lizards has been available for some time now, and I was very pleased to stumble upon this review by someone who's clearly a fan:

This is the 4th Doctor Who 2in1 books omnibus that I have read and so far this story is the best of them. The setting for Terrible Lizards is the Doctor, Amy and Rory landing on a Tramp Steamer, during the Victorian ages, that is headed to the Florida Everglades in search of the Fountain of Youth. As the Doctor, Amy and Rory join the adventurers on their travels they come across some prehistoric creatures that were extinct millions of years ago and should not exist in the time that the story is set.


So what more could you ask for in a Doctor Who book than The Doctor, Amy and Rory being chased by a T-Rex, Triceratops, and Stegosauri in Florida in the late 19th century?... The main three characters were pretty similar to the characters who appear in the TV show. And the throwaway characters in this book... were interesting enough, set the story up nicely and provided some nice little twist at the end. 

Oh, and while we're talking of Doctor Who fans and Terrible Lizards...

Happy Birthday, Jake!

Tie-in Tuesday: Monstrous Missions review

Last week I came across this fantastic review of Monstrous Missions (and other Doctor Who Children's Books) from The Bolton News.

Apart from the great value – having two books in one – these publications are excellent. 

They are easy to read, thereby encouraging the age range they are aimed at to take up reading for pleasure. Plus the pace is quick throughout. 

In fact, these stories are more like the TV episodes than most of the other novels that are being issued. 

The dialogue between the characters is more accurate, making it easier for the reader to visualise the story. 

It is also nice to have the occasional tale in which the Doctor is on his own (Horror of the Space Snakes). It’s not often that the Doctor is alone and it makes a refreshing change. 

For older readers, there is the added pleasure of the odd reference to previous adventures, even a nod to Jaws*, and especially in the case of Extra Time, some excellent historical fact. 

These books are obviously targeted at promoting the joy of reading amongst the younger fans of the show, and in my opinion are very successful at doing it. 

Such is the aforementioned pacing of the action, you really don’t want to put them down. 

In a word – superb.

You can read the whole review here, and pick up a copy of Monstrous Missions here.


* That's a direct reference to my story Terrible Lizards.

Puffin's Alternate Realities

Six Epic Books. Six New Worlds.

That's what it says on the cover at least. And why am I mentioning this Puffin sampler here on my blog? Because one of the books sampled inside is Monstrous Missions, and the sample from that particular book is the first chapter of my own story Terrible Lizards.

You can find out more about the sampler (and its associated promotion) here. Or you could just go and buy Monstrous Missions from here.

World Book Day at King's House School

So how did you celebrate World Book Day yesterday? I spent the day at King's House School in Richmond talking to the boys about my new Doctor Who book Monstrous Missions* and Fighting Fantasy gamebooks.

I was made to feel very welcome by the boys - who were attentive and came up with some great questions - and staff - who came up with some great questions of their own - and everyone went away suitably enthused about interactive fiction and tie-in titles.

A big thank you to all those who bought a book**, to Mrs Fildes, the Head of English who invited me to King's House to speak on World Book Day, and to Mr Turner the Headmaster for his enthusiasm and support.

If you'd like me to visit your school you can contact me at info@JonathanGreenAuthor.com.

* It seemed strangely appropriate that I was talking about a product of a TV show made in Wales on St David's Day.

** I'm only sorry I ran out of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks altogether!

JG in SFX Magazine

In case you hadn't already discovered it for yourself, I'm in the latest issue of SFX Magazine (#219 if you're keeping score - the one with Bilbo Baggins on the front). But just for once it's not a review of one of my books; it is in fact a book review written by me. Of a classic.

That's right, I've had the temerity of reviewing Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. It somehow seemed appropriate, after the book inspired me to write the Pax Britannia novella White Rabbit and, naturally, because of its Victorian connection.

In the same issue, fellow steampunk author* Lavie Tidhar, the 'emerging master' behind The Bookman Histories, gets a double-page spread! (Well one page and a whopping great photo.)

So if you haven't had a copy arrive already through the post, get down to your local newsagent tomorrow and pick one up!

STOP PRESS! STOP PRESS! STOP PRESS! STOP PRESS!

I'm on SFX.co.uk today, or at least my latest Doctor Who story is. Monstrous Missions gets 3 stars out of a possible 5 overall, with the reviewer describing Terrible Lizards as 'action-packed, but bland.' Naturally, I disagree, but then I guess you can't win 'em all.

*He'll love me for calling him that!

I love Doctor Who

Seeing as how it's St Valentine's Day, here's a loving homage to everyone's favourite Doctor.



Remember, you can buy my latest Doctor Who story Terrible Lizards here along with Gary Russell's Horror of the Space Snakes, as part of Monstrous Missions.

Doctor Who: Monstrous Missions - Launch Day!

You can buy your copy of Monstrous Missions, featuring my story Terrible Lizards, here.

Harvington School visit

I spent this morning at Harvington School, speaking to the children there about what it's like to be an author and in particular about my new Doctor Who book Monstrous Missions.

I was made to feel very welcome and the children were very attentive. They also asked some pertinent and well thought out questions. A number of them also left with signed copies of Monstrous Missions!

The younger children ready to hear all about how a book gets made.

My special helper all ready to help.

The older children hear about what's involved in creating a book, from conception to publication.

It just remains for me to say a big thank you to all the children, and their teachers, at Harvington School, for inviting me in as part of their Book Week festivities.

If you would like me to come into your school to talk about my work, then drop me a line at info@JonathanGreenAuthor.com. I shall look forward to hearing from you.

Draw a Dinosaur Day!

Did you know that today is Draw a Dinosaur Day? No, neither did I, so here's one I borrowed earlier from Pandemonium Fiction, which somehow seems appropriate because of this.

And of course the timing is also apposite because of this.

Monstrous Missions - The Terrible Lizards are unleashed!

This arrived in the post today.

This is my third Doctor Who publication and my first novel, or chapter book if you prefer, featuring the Eleventh Doctor (as portrayed by Matt Smith), Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill).

It's been some time in the making (for one reason or another) and it's great to see it in print at long last. It wasn't an easy task, writing the book, but I had a great time putting words into the Doctor's mouth and putting the Ponds through the wringer.

Monstrous Missions, which collects my story Terrible Lizards along with Gary Russell's Horror of the Space Snakes, is officially released on Thursday 2 February but you can buy it from Amazon now. Here's the blurb from the back of the book.

In TERRIBLE LIZARDS, the Doctor and his companions join a group of explorers on a Victorian tramp steamer in the Florida Everglades. The explorers are searching for the Fountain of Youth, but neither they nor the treasure they seek are quite what they seem!

And in HORROR OF THE SPACE SNAKES, people are mysteriously disappearing on Moonbase Laika. They return with strange bite marks and no idea where they have been. Can the Doctor get to the bottom of what's going on?

Monstrous Missions is one of six such 2-in-1 titles, the others are:

Book 1 - Heart of Stone/Death Riders

Book 2 - The Good, the Bad and the Alien/System Wipe

Book 3 - Alien Adventures

Book 4 - Sightseeing in Space

Book 6 - Step Back in Time

EX-CEEDING-LY GOOD CAKES! EX-CEEDING-LY GOOD CAKES!

My latest Doctor Who adventure Terrible Lizards is out soon*, so I thought it would be a good time to share this with you.

* In less than a week, actually...

Doctor Who: Monstrous Missions

Monstrous Missions, the Doctor Who title that features my very own Terrible Lizards, has now gone live over at the Doctor Who Children's Books website. Here's the page dedicated to the book.

You can pre-order your copy here. And if you need persuading, here's the blurb relating to my story:

The Doctor and his friends join a group of explorers on a Victorian tramp steamer in Terrible Lizards. The explorers are searching for the Fountain of Youth, but neither they nor the treasure they seek are quite what they seem!

Monstrous Missions - the cover

It just seems to be one of those times of year for me at the moment. I can spend ages working away with nothing obvious to show for it and then, months later, multiple projects surface all at once.

So right now I'm working on my first Warhammer 40,000 gamebook but the projects that are currently seeing the light of day include:

• Temple of the Spider God - my first digital gamebook released by Tin Man Games.
• Red-Handed - part one of my new Pax Britannia novel Time's Arrow, available as an ebook only.
• The Doll's House - a short story that appears in the House of Fear horror anthology (edited by Jonathan Oliver).
• Ephrael Von Stern: Sister of Sigmar - my Warhammer Warped Visions comic strip that appears in the complete Daemonifuge from Black Library.

And then today I discover that Monstrous Missions - which features my Doctor Who story Terrible Lizards (published Feburary 2012) - has a cover! Unfortunately it doesn't feature any dinosaurs* but it stil makes the book feel just that little bit more real.

I'm particularly excited about this release because it will be the first book of mine** that my First Born will be able to read for himself.


* The 'monster' is inspired by Gary Russell's story Horror of the Space Snakes.

** Other than Go Go, Crazy For Those Bones.