4 days and counting until The Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland launches on Kickstarter

It's quite common for Kickstarter projects to come with rewards for Early Bird backers. Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland doesn't have that, but it does have some very limited rewards that fans of gamebooks in particular are sure to want to grab before anyone else does.

For example, fans of vampires or Warhammer should check out the RED QUEEN reward (limited to 10 backers):

And then there's the MAD HATTER reward for all the Alice fans and cosplayers out there (also limited to 10 backers):

But possibly most exciting of all for gamebook fans, there's the DODO (not quite an Early Bird) pledge level (limited to 20 backers):

Well, I say most exciting, but there are a couple more... But you'll just have to wait until the Kickstarter launches on Saturday to find out what they are*. ;-)

So remember to set your alarm for 1.00pm BST on Saturday 4th July.

* Just like you'll have to wait a little longer to find out what a QUEEN OF HEARTS pledge gets you.

The Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland launches in 5 days

The Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland launches in 5 days' time. The countdown has begun...

Whether you're a fan of the works of Lewis Carroll, a Steampunk fanatic, or a gamebook aficionado, then Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland is for you! Click on the image below to read the book's blurb.

Check back tomorrow for another blog post with more information about the gamebook everyone is going to be talking about this year.

Thought for the Day

"There are two types of writers. There are the writers that get up every day and say, ‘I’m going to write for two hours, and then I’m going to go to work at Kinkos, where I have a job.’ And I was that guy. I had a real job while I managed to make a feature. So in the morning, I would write for two hours and then go to the bank and work in real estate. For that type of writer, it’s so precious those two hours that you do. 

"The other type of writer is, most of the time you say, ‘I’m gonna take Saturday and Sunday.’ And you end up surfing the web for 80% of your time; 10% of the time you write something what you hate; and then you don’t come back the next day. You come back a week later. You have to do it every day. Whether you do it in a notebook or a computer, you have to put your thoughts on paper."

~ Guillermo Del Toro, film director

The Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland Kickstarter launches on Alice's Day one week today!

It's the news you've been waiting for...

My latest Kickstarter project, Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland, launches one week today at 1.00pm BST here in the UK (which is 8.00am New York time and 10.00pm in Melbourne, Australia) on Saturday 4th July - a.k.a. Alice's Day!

So set your alarm (there are some limited rewards that gamebook fans and Alice aficionados are going to want to get their hands on before anyone else does) and keep checking out my blog this week for more updates about the rewards that are going to be on offer.

Join the Facebook group for the book and watch this space...

Coming to

at 1.00pm BST on Saturday 4th July 2015

Tie-in Tuesday: Still to come in 2015...

Thought for the Day

"Writing a first draft, no matter how f*****, is more than most people ever accomplish. And a f***** story can nearly always be unf******."

- Chuck Wendig, author.

Thought for the Day

Happy 40th Birthday, Jaws!

Sharkpunk Saturday - The Shark, by Lord Alfred Douglas

The Shark

Lord Alfred Douglas

A treacherous monster is the Shark 
He never makes the least remark.

And when he sees you on the sand, 
He doesn’t seem to want to land.

He watches you take off your clothes, 
And not the least excitement shows.

His eyes do not grow bright or roll, 
He has astonishing self-control.

He waits till you are quite undressed, 
And seems to take no interest.

And when towards the sea you leap, 
He looks as if he were asleep.

But when you once get in his range, 
His whole demeanour seems to change.

He throws his body right about, 
And his true character comes out.

It’s no use crying or appealing, 


He seems to lose all decent feeling.

After this warning you will wish 
To keep clear of this treacherous fish.

His back is black, his stomach white, 
He has a very dangerous bite.

Gamebook Friday: Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland

In case you couldn't tell from the change to this blog's wallpaper and the new banner heading, I'm gearing up to launch my newest Kickstarter project, Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland.

It's a gamebook (very much in the style of Fighting Fantasy and Choose Your Own Adventure), it's a little bit Steampunk, a little bit horror, and a whole lot of Lewis Carroll's iconic characters given the JG treatment. What more do you need to know?

Please join the Facebook group for the book and watch this space for more news, coming soon... Oh, and tell all your friends (and your enemies too). :-)

Coming soon to

When The Boot Was On The Other Foot

When The Boot Was On The Other Foot

A poem to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo on 18th June 1815

In 1815, the French said 'Adieu!' 

When Wellington showed them just what he could do. 

The Iron Duke's boots 

Met Napoleon's glutes, 

And old Boney met his Waterloo.

(c) Jonathan Green, 2015

Better get used to the idea, bud.

A Surfeit of Peaches

A Surfeit of Peaches

Or

Too Much of a Good Thing Can Be A Bad Thing

A poem to commemorate the 800^th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta on 15^th June 1215

King John was a rogue and a tartar.

(He murdered his poor nephew Arthur.)

At fair Runnymede,

His Barons decreed,

He agree to the terms of their charter.

But for Lackland things soon got much worse.

(Some said he was under a curse.)

Legend has it a monk

Off’t a cup, which when drunk,

Made him call for the aid of a nurse.

Was it dysentery? Poison? Malaise?

(‘Twas at Newark John ended his days.)

A surfeit of peaches,

So History teaches,

Caused his death, due to gluttonous ways.

(c) Jonathan Green, 2015

Thought for the Day

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”

~ Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

International Steampunk Day - Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland

Coming soon to

Sharkpunk Saturday - Under the Sea

How cool is this?

SHARKPUNK fan Richard Verby is also a fan of diving, and here he is diving with SHARKPUNK!

In other news, there's only a month to go until SHARKPUNK makes an appearance at Edge-Lit 4. Snowbooks is sponsoring the following panel at the event:

Short and Sweet – Writing and Selling Short Stories (5:15pm-6:05pm)
Those taking part in the panel are Andrew Hook, Kim Lakin-Smith, Alison Littlewood, Gav Thorpe and Adele Wearing.

Kim is, of course, also a contributor to SHARKPUNK, so come along on the day, pick up a copy of the book, and get two of us to sign it for you.

Gamebook Friday: The Frankenstein Wars

Looking for funding now on Kickstarter, The Frankenstein Wars by Cubus Games.

Warhammer Wednesday: The Space Marines Omnibus is back in print

Eleven Warhammer 40,000 omnibuses are back in print for a limited time from the Black Library, including Space Marines: The Omnibus.

This particular omnibus features three of my short stories But Dust in the Wind, The Relic and Liberator

So why not grab yourself a copy now, while you can?

Gamebook Wednesday: La Malédiction de la Momie en Français

Twenty years after it was first published in English, my third published Fighting Fantasy Gamebook (and my third published book) Curse of the Mummy has been published in a French translation by Gallimard Jeunesse.

Dans une tombe enfouie sous les sables du Désert des Crânes repose, au milieu de fabuleux trésors, la momie d'Akharis, roi cruel allié aux forces du mal ayant régné sur le Djarat en des temps reculés. C'est pour la retrouver, et surtout, il faut bien l'avouer, pour vous emparer de ses incroyables richesses, que vous avez accepté d'aider Jerran Farr, archéologue pour certains, pilleur de tombeaux pour les autres. Mais vous n'êtes pas le seul sur les traces du monarque diabolique. Des dévots du redoutable Culte du Cobra sont également à la recherche de la momie. Leur but : redonner vie au roi afin que l'antique malédiction se réalise. Parviendrez-vous à empêcher Akharis de détruire le monde ? Et n'oubliez jamais que, dans les sombres couloirs menant à la chambre mortuaire, rôdent nombre de créatures chargées de la garder...

If you are an avid collector of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, or a Francophile, you can pick up a copy of La Malédiction de la Momie here.

World Oceans Day 2015

Today is World Oceans Day. And do you know what lives in the ocean? That's right - sharks!

Some of the stories in SHARKPUNK have a particularly oceanic feel, including Sharkbait by Richard Salter, and Rise of the Übershark by Robert Spalding.

So why not mark World Oceans Day by picking up a copy of SHARKPUNK today?

And now for a video of a woman called Ocean swimming with a Great White. Yes, really.

Thought for the Day

"Everybody seems to earn more than you when you're an author. It's a very painful fact but it's true."

~ Michael Jecks, author

Gamebook Friday: Walk the Path to Victory

You wait a week for a new Gamebook Friday post to appear, and then two come along on the same day.

The reason? Black Library are selling off the rest of their stock of Print on Demand titles, specifically their Path to Victory adventure gamebooks, including my Vampire Counts title Shadows Over Sylvania.

According to New@BL, Shadows Over Sylvania "tells a compelling Warhammer... story that unfolds through your decisions – but watch out, because death could be around any corner (well, on any page)."

It seems that there are just a handful of each Path to Victory book remaining, and when they’re gone, they’re gone.

So if you want to star in your very own Warhammer adventure, you’d best hurry over to blacklibrary.com and secure yours.

Gamebook Friday: YOU ARE THE HERO, the UK Games Expo Awards 2015, Pod Your Own Adventure, and Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland

A quick round up of all the gamebook news for you this week.

First off, I took YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks, to the UK Games Expo last weekend... and it only received an Honourable Mention in the UK Games Expo Awards 2015!

On the Saturday evening of the Expo I also recorded an episode of Pod Your Own Adventure, during which I played through Bloodbones with host Robin, and died four times before we gave up having only got about halfway through the adventure.

Now this will doubtless cause many people much amusement, and some may whisper comments like "Karma" and "Hoist by his own petard". But in my defence, Bloodbones was my 6th book and my 53rd book was published yesterday, and I can't even remember details of books I wrote two years ago, never mind twenty years ago.

And before I go, I just wanted to draw your attention to this. If you're a fan of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Steampunk, horror, or gamebooks (or even all of the above), then please consider joining the Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland Facebook group, which will be the first step leading to the launch of a new Kickstarter, and getting a brand new gamebook published, in this the 150th year since the publication of Lewis Carroll's seminal children's portal fantasy.

Thank you.

World of Warriors!

My 53rd book is published today. :-)

World of Warriors is the latest game world concept from Mind Candy, the people behind Moshi Monsters, and I've written a couple of titles for the launch of the book line.

First up is the Warrior Quest Sticker Activity Book, with the Official Sticker Book to come later in the year.

Does what it says on the tin, as it were.

Some sample pages.

Warhammer Wednesday: Ebook Bundles going, going, gone!

Black Library are discontinuing some of their eBook bundles, as of this Friday, and doubtless creating some newly revamped ones from the remains. But for the time being, if you would like to pick up my Warhammer 40K story The Relic, or my last Warhammer story Sticks and Stones, then don't delay - grab them today!

YOU ARE THE HERO at the UK Games Expo 2015

At the weekend I attended the UK Games Expo. It was the first time I had attended since it moved from central Birmingham to the NEC Metropole and a very impressive venue it was too. Graham Bottley of Arion Games kindly let me share his table, so Fighting Fantasy was well represented at the expo, with his Advanced Fighting Fantasy books on sale alongside some of the few remaining hardbacks of YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks.

Graham Bottley and Simon Strafford on the Arion Games stand.

Despite being stuck behind a table for most of the weekend (and so not getting to see much else that was going on) I had a great time, with people stopping by to pick up YOU ARE THE HERO (some of whom had seen it mentioned in the programme), backers of the original Kickstarter stopping by to get their copies signed or to pass on their very kind comments about the book, and old friends turning up just to say hello (people like Jim Swallow, James Wallis, and Matt Elliott). On Saturday night I recorded a podcast for Pod Your Own Adventure (but more on that another time), and then on Sunday afternoon this happened...

 The now officially 'award-winning'

YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks.

The 10th UK Games Expo was a fantastic event, excellently organised and brilliantly run, and that's thanks to Tony Hyams, Richard Denning, John Dodd, and a host of others, so a big thank you to all concerned who helped make this run in such a smooth and relaxed way. And here's to the UK Games Expo 2016. (I might have something new to promote games-wise by then.)

Thought for the Day

"You might not write well every day, but you can always edit a bad page. You can't edit a blank page."

~ Jodi Picoult, American author