Thought for the Day

"Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do…Try to be better than yourself."

~ John Steinbeck

Steampunk Thursday: Pax Britannia at the Sci-Fi Weekender 5

I will be driving up to North Wales today to take part in the Sci-Fi Weekender 5 and I have some new badges to sell...

As well as selling my books and badges, I shall be taking part in the following panels:

Friday 28 March 2014

12:00pm - 1:00pm - Far Fetched fiction... From Steampunk to Dystopia. Why are satirical fantasies so appealing? David J Howe, Raven Dane, Jonathan Green, Danie Ware.

3:00pm - 4:00pm - Writing into known universes. Jonathan Green, Gareth Powell, Raven Dane, Sam Stone, Debbie Bennett, Dez Skinn.

Saturday 29 March 2014

5:00pm - 6:00pm - What makes Science Fiction Sci-Fi? An exploration of Science Fiction writing from Space Opera to Dystopian futures. Gareth Powell, Sam Stone, Jonathan Green, Bryony Pearce, Sara Jane Townsend, Simon Clark.

I shall look forward to seeing some of you there, as will Archimedes, the original Steampunk Parrot.

Thought for the Day

"The writer is an explorer. Every step is an advance into a new land."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

The Sci-Fi Weekender 5

There's only four days to go now until the Sci-Fi Weekender 5 kicks off in North Wales, and I have now received more details about when the panels I'm taking part in will be on.

Friday 28 March 2014

12:00pm - 1:00pm - Far Fetched fiction... From Steampunk to Dystopia. Why are satirical fantasies so appealing? David J Howe, Raven Dane, Jonathan Green, Danie Ware.

3:00pm - 4:00pm - Writing into known universes. Jonathan Green, Gareth Powell, Raven Dane, Sam Stone, Debbie Bennett, Dez Skinn.

Saturday 29 March 2014

5:00pm - 6:00pm - What makes Science Fiction Sci-Fi? An exploration of Science Fiction writing from Space Opera to Dystopian futures. Gareth Powell, Sam Stone, Jonathan Green, Bryony Pearce, Sara Jane Townsend, Simon Clark.

I shall look forward to seeing some of you there, as will Archimedes.

Tie-in Tuesday: A Multitude of Moshi Monsters

Well, three books anyway.

All of the above are now available to order here.

A couple of years ago now, I posted about the proud moment when my son started reading one of my books to himself for the first time. Well I had another proud moment this weekend when my daughter did the same thing. The book in question? The novelisation of the Moshi Monsters Movie. :-)

Engrossed.

Thought for the Day

"Art is not about thinking something up. It is the opposite — getting something down."

~ Julia Cameron

 

 

The London Super Comic Con

One of the advantages of living in London is that a wide variety of conventions and genre events are readily accessible. The latest was the London Super Comic Con which three-quarters of Family Green attended yesterday, dragging a couple of friends along for company this time as well.

The event was rather like a cut-down MCM or Kapow! featuring cosplayers - including the funkiest Predator I've ever seen, as well as an utterly awesome Iron Man - comic geeks and sci-fi nerds, and a cross-section of ages too.

During the course of the day I briefly caught up with Ben Smith and Michael Molcher of 2000AD/Abaddon Books/Rebellion Developments, Kev Crossley, Ian Edginton, Al Ewing, Si Spurrier and Lavie Tidhar. My son's friend enjoyed himself so much, the two boys are already planning their costumes for MCM in May, so I'd say a good day was had by all.

Gamebook Friday: Temple of the Spider God now available on Humble

Along with all manner of other Gamebook Adventures from Tin Man Games. To find out more, click this link.

JG at Sci-Fi Weekender 5

Two weeks today I shall be in North Wales, taking part in the Sci-Fi Weekender. As well as selling my books and badges, and chatting with sci-fi fans, I shall also be taking part in various panels. I don't yet know when each of the following will take place, but here's what I've got lined up for the weekend.


Far Fetched fiction... From Steampunk to Dystopia. Why are satirical fantasies so appealing? Raven Dane, Jonathan Green, Danie Ware.

What makes Science Fiction Sci-Fi? An exploration of Science Fiction writing from Space Opera to Dystopian futures. Gareth Powell, Sam Stone, Jonathan Green, Bryony Pearce, Sara Jane Townsend, Simon Clark.

Writing into known universes. Jonathan Green, Gareth Powell, Raven Dane, Sam Stone, Debbie Bennett, Dez Skinn.

Maybe I'll see you there.

Steampunk Thursday: Vampires, Dinosaurs, and Resurrection from the Dead

That's how the latest 5-star review of the German edition of Pax Britannia: Unnatural History begins. It goes on to say "an excellent, well thought-out Steampunk world" and ends with "for Steampunk fans there can hardly be a better novel". Which is nice.

You can pick up the German edition from LUZIFER-Verlag here, and the original English edition from Abaddon Books here. Or you could wait and purchase a signed copy of The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus (which contains not only Unnatural History, but also Leviathan Rising and Human Nature) from me at the Sci-Fi Weekender in North Wales at the end of the month.

Warhammer Wednesday: Mission Games Workshop - Uxbridge

I was in Uxbridge at the weekend and so stopped by the (relatively) new Games Workshop store there. I'd not been to a GW store since White Dwarf stopped being a monthly and became a weekly, so I made the most of the opportunity to pick up a couple of the most recent copies, featuring the awesome 'new' Imperial Knights and Chaos Helbrutes. And what's not to love about both of those?

Now just imagine a story featuring those too brute forces going up against each other...

Tie-in Tuesday: Moshi Monsters, The Movie Sticker Book

Last year, the Moshi Monsters Movie was released on an unsuspecting public and I wrote the novelisation of the screenplay. I also wrote the Moshipedia which came out in time for the Christmas push.

Well now my latest Moshi Monsters book has been released, and this time it's a sticker activity book linked to the movie. The puzzles follow the plot of the film and the book is a must for the Moshi fan in your life. ;-)

Thoughts for the Day

"Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us get up and go to work."

"If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that."

~ Stephen King

Short Story Saturday: Dark Heart

Recently I've been plugging the German horror short story anthology DIABOLOS MMXIV, which includes a translation of my story The Doll's House. If you don't read German, you might be pleased to hear that the story is available in English as part of the collection of sinister stories that's called Dark Heart.

Talking of Dark Heart, I recently came across a couple of delightful reviews of my first short story collection, one of which cleverly summarised each of the stories, whilst also giving them all an individual rating out of 10. Here's what they had to say about The Doll's House:

"The Doll's House (10/10) When a struggling new mother finds that home life is running her ragged, she decides to root out the problem."

And here's what the other reviewer had to say about the whole collection:

"Seeing the name Jonathan Green on a cover of a novel, for me, sells it instantly, knowing this is a collection of short horror stories again, sells it. The best thing for me about collections like this is it generally cuts down the genre to just the bare essentials instead of giving authors way too much space to fill up and distract from the bones of the business and this is where Green is always at his best anyway. Direct, creepy as hell, and worth every second of your time."

If you've not yet picked up a copy of Dark Heart for yourself, you can do so here, in both ebook and processed-tree-carcass formats.

Gamebook Friday: Stormslayer

"If you don't already know, a gamebook is something like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, but more like a solo Dungeons & Dragons adventure. You create a character with stats and equipment, then wander through the book exploring the world and solving challenges. You fight monsters (dice are required) and accumulate treasure, in the hopes of beating the final villain at the end of the book. 

"Stormslayer is a great example of the genre, with lots of interesting wrinkles. The quest has you making your way to four different areas in the hopes of acquiring powers of the elements - fire, earth, air and water - all in the hopes of eventually facing off against an evil weather-controlling wizard. There are lots of items and different abilities to find, as well as mini-games and wrinkles like a day-of-the-week system. In addition, the writing is quite well executed, with memorable characters, epic battles and a subtle humor throughout. Recommended!"

You can pick up your own copy of Stormslayer here!

World Book Day

Today is World Book Day, and if you're looking for something to read, why not check out one of the following?

Black Library Gamebooks

Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks

Pax Britannia Steampunk Novels

Doctor Who

DIABOLOS MMXIV

This is the poster that those lucky enough to be visiting the Leipzig Book Fair next week will be able to pick up from the Luzifer-Verlag stall - as long as stocks remain, that is.

Designed by Timo Kümmel, the poster is of course promoting the horror anthology DIABOLOS MMXIV, which includes a German translation of my story The Doll's House, and which you can find out more about here.

Thought for the Day

"The first draft of anything is sh!t."

~ Ernest Hemingway

What price words?

The other day I was lamenting the poor sales of a relatively recent publication of mine. I openly invited people to have their say as to why they thought the book hadn't sold and the overwhelming response - in many cases voiced by exactly the people you might have expected to have bought the book themselves - was the price.

Now I agree that £13 is a lot for a gamebook, except that I don't think it is. Yes, it costs more than other similar books, but why should £13 for a book be seen as a lot of money? I know we are living in the Age of Austerity, but one adult ticket to see the latest 3D blockbuster release costs almost as much and if you take the family it's a lot more. If we continue with the movie ticket comparison, say you go to see a 2D movie, off peak, and pick up a snack at the same time. You're probably looking at spending somewhere in the region of £13 anyway, and that doesn't include transportation to and from the cinema. And you're paying this for an experience that lasts a couple of hours, if that.

Now I'm not bashing cinemas or movie makers. I love cinema, and happily shell out that sort of money to see a film that's been hyped to death for a year or more. But I will also happily shell out £13 or more for a book that will give me pleasure for more than just a couple of fleeting hours. When it comes to gamebooks in particular - and even more so in the case of Shadows Over Sylvania - you can re-read the book over and over again and experience a different story every time. And then in years to come you can pick up the book and enjoy the adventure it contains once more, enjoying it again almost as if for the first time, or recommend it to a friend, or pass it on to your children. And all for £13 (which is less than one round of drinks costs down at my local on Quiz night).

I was reading a sobering piece about the current climate in the world of literary fiction earlier today. That painted an even darker picture. The trouble, it seems, is that many people just don't appear to be prepared to pay a fair price for fiction. The fact that it only takes you a weekend to read a book should not detract from the fact that it might have taken the author a year to write it.

A writer friend of mine recently told me he'd been asked to write a book based on a popular IP but not through a conventional publishing house. As a result, those commissioning the story didn't know the going rate for such work and paid him a small fortune (in writing terms). Except that why shouldn't he be paid that amount? The company clearly thought it was worth it and were willing to pay that amount, and obviously had the money.

Or look at it this way. When I was commissioned to write my first ever book Spellbreaker, I was paid an advance. It wasn't a record-breaking amount, but it was very gratefully received. The book went on to earn back my advance and more money in royalties too, so clearly this was a fair amount. However, the problem is that over 20 years later, books that are twice the length come with an advance that it only slightly more, if they come with an advance at all. Prices have continued to rise, along with the cost of living, and yet advances on books haven't.

There seems to be an attitude among some that writers should just be grateful for being published at all, as if that is some worthy goal deserving of all manner of sacrifices to be achieved. And yet, if someone thinks your book is good enough to be published, then why isn't the author considered deserving of being paid a decent wage to write it in the first place?

I realise there are writers out there who are still paid healthy advances, thanks to the input of agents and the like, but why should us mid-listers - without whom many publishers would struggle to put enough books on shelves to keep themselves in business - be paid a pittance when it takes the same amount of time and effort to produce a book in the first place. Also, of all the amazing debut two-book deals you hear of in the publishing press, how many do you hear of signing another, equally impressive deal a few years down the line? There are some, I know some of them, but there aren't many. And then there are those of us who keep plugging away, writing book after book, who never reach the heady heights of literary stardom and yet who keep getting published and in the process hope to earn enough to be able to keep doing the same thing.

Is self-publishing in part to blame for this? Or is it the Age of Austerity I spoke of earlier, which has seen writers' earnings from schemes such as the Public Lending Right system threatened in recent years? At this point I'm minded of the occasion when Winston Churchill was asked to cut arts funding in favour of the war effort and he replied, "Then what are we fighting for?"

So where am I going with this? I realise that I'm very fortunate to be published*, that I continue to be published, and that people seem to enjoy reading what I write. But is it too much to be asked that writers are paid a decent wage at the same time as entertaining thousands of readers the world over, helping them to escape the miseries of modern life through their writing? Well, is it?


* But I also believe in making your own luck.

Short Story Saturday: Happy Birthday Nazi Zombie Army!

It's a year since Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army was unleashed upon the world, which means my accompanying story Götterdämmerung has been out for just slightly longer. It's still available through Amazon, and considering it's free you really can't go wrong.

Just in case you need persuading, here's the latest 5-star review:

"This is a ripping yarn that takes one of the world's favourite subjects - zombies - adds them to Nazis and then has them destroyed. What more could you want?"

I did offer to write an accompanying story for Nazi Zombie Army 2, but the offer wasn't taken up. In other news, word is that Nazi Zombie Army will be heading towards a console near you soon.

Short Story Saturday: Dreadnoughts, Knights and Vampires

Today marks the fifth year of Black Library Live! I've never been to what has become BL's premier event (other than the BL Weekender) but this week, the BL blog has been asking the attending authors what the favourite story is that they've written in that time.

Over the last five years, I have had four short stories published by Black Library* and two Path to Victory gamebooks.

The Relic - It's got Black Templars, Orks, Armageddon, Dreadnoughts, snow and ice... What more do you need to know?

But Dust in the Wind - Imperial Fists face off against the ancient and implacable Necrons on another ice world.

Sir Dagobert’s Last Battle - A Bretonnian village beset by forest goblins find salvation from an unlikely source.

Liberator - The story of a noble Space Marine's fall to Chaos, told in reverse.

Herald of Oblivion - You are Brother Nabor, an Imperial Fists Terminator, tasks with cleansing the drifting space hulk Herald of Oblivion of xenos filth.

Shadows Over Sylvania - You are a vampire, servant of one of the masters of the night who would claim dominion of Sylvania in the aftermath of Vlad von Carstein's failed attempt to become the first vampire Emperor. Which bloodline will you choose? Which allies will you recruit for the final battle? And at the end, whose side will you really be on?

My favourites out of all of these are the two Warhammer-related tales, Sir Dagobert’s Last Battle and Shadows Over Sylvania, not that Warhammer seems to be BL's cup of tea at the moment.

So which are your favourites?


* I've actually written six, one of which will never see print and as to the other, who knows?