Tie-in Tuesday: Sherlock Holmes and the Beast of Bodmin published today!

Huzzah! It's new book day!

George Mann's latest anthology of Sherlock Holmes' stories is published today. Entitled Further Associates of Sherlock Holmes, it contains my first published Sherlock Holmes short story, itself entitled Sherlock Holmes and the Beast of Bodmin.

The premise behind the anthology is that each story is told by one of Holmes' associates, in my case Sir Henry Baskerville, the poor put upon subject of the murder plot in The Hound of the Baskervilles (which is one of only four Sherlock Holmes novels written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle).

The following is taken from the book and explains why I chose Sir Henry to be the narrator of my tale.

The Hound of the Baskervilles has long been my favourite Sherlock Holmes story, so it was only natural that I would choose that as my jumping off point. This time last year I was in Cornwall, and crossed Bodmin Moor, which is allegedly home to its own beast.

This year I am in Cornwall again and on the way down visited Lanhydrock House, which could easily pass for Baskerville Hall - or even Trelawny Hall from Sherlock Holmes and the Beast of Bodmin.

Further Associates of Sherlock Holmes is available from Titan Books, and via Amazon, now!

Thought for the Day

"Read everything - trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it."

~ William Faulkner

Tie-in Tuesday: Tales of the Lost Isles available now!

The Ghost Archipelago has returned.

A vast island chain, covered in the ruins of ancient and otherworldly civilizations, the Archipelago appears every few centuries, far out in the southern ocean.

At such times, pirates, adventurers, wizards, and legendary heroes all descend upon the islands in the hopes of finding lost treasures and powerful artefacts. A few, drawn by the blood of their ancestors, search for the fabled Crystal Pool, whose waters grant abilities far beyond those of normal men.

It is only the bravest, however, who venture into the islands, for they are filled with numerous deadly threats. Cannibal tribes, sorcerous serpent-men, and poisonous water-beasts all inhabit the island ruins, guarding their treasure hordes and setting traps for the unwary.

This book of fiction collects all-new stories set within the Ghost Archipelago, including my own A Nice Little Nest Egg.

You can order your copy of Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago: Tales of the Lost Isles, edited by Joseph A. McCullough, here.

Thought for the Day

"Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt."

~ William Shakespeare

The Wicked Wizard of Oz at GamesFest 2017

Just a quick reminder that this Saturday, 21st October, I shall be attending GamesFest 2017.

GamesFest is a one day tabletop gaming convention based in Tring, in Hertfordshire, that aims to introduce new tabletop games alongside some well loved classics in an informal atmosphere. Gamesfest events continue to gather fans and plaudits as they encompass war-gaming, RPGs, board games, comics, cosplay and much more.

It's been a while since I first attended GamesFest but the event is now firmly established in the annual convention calendar, providing a platform for new entrants and a great day out for all those attending.

So why not come along, participate and try something new?

I'll be there selling my ACE Gamebook The Wicked Wizard of Oz, as well as YOU ARE THE HERO Parts 1 & 2. And I also hope I'll be able to preview the forthcoming NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters.

You can find out more about the event here.

Thought for the Day

“But for my own part, if a book is well written, I always find it too short.”

~ Jane Austen

Gamebook Friday: World Egg Day

Back in March this year, following the success of the Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland Colouring Book, Kev Crossley and I put out a second volume of illustrations, inspired by the adventure, but this time designed to be coloured, subtitled Through the Looking-Glass and the Horrors Alice Found There.

One of the scenes that there just wasn't the time or the budget to include in the gamebook itself was this image of Alice encountering Humpty Dumpty.

Now what can possibly have hatched from an egg like this? I'll give you a clue...

I would love to be able to put out a second edition of Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland one day, including the extra illustrations Kev produced for the second colouring book. Maybe I should run a Kickstarter to do just that...

International Day of the Girl 2017

Today is International Day of the Girl. Having a daughter myself, I have become more aware of how books are marketed to girls. For example, the other day I stumbled across one all about make-up and waxing and the like, for pre-teens!

Why should girls have books about make-up forced upon them while boys get action and adventure and brave heroes saving the day? I know this is an outrageous sweeping generalisation, but it is broadly true.

So it's important to me that two of my recent books are focused on female heroines - Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland and The Wicked Wizard of Oz.

And of course the forthcoming NEVERLAND will focus on a certain Wendy Darling, and that's no coincidence.

I wonder if she's a girl?

Thought for the Day

"A writer should have the precision of a poet and the imagination of a scientist."

~ Vladimir Nabokov

Gamebook Friday: YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2

So backers of the YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2 Kickstarter project have received their copies of the book and a few reviews have started to appear on Amazon (although there's always room for more).

Here's what a few readers have had to say about the book:

"Jonathan Green has a very friendly writing style in these books, you get the impression of someone excitedly showing you, a friend, all the wonders of his own collection, and it's an enthusiasm that shines through the book."

"It was quite evident that Jon had gained more than enough further information to fill the book with entertaining, educational and inspiring information and interviews which make the book a great read."

"If you, like me, are as obsessed with Fighting Fantasy today as you were all those years ago, then this is clearly a no brainier first day buy."

"It's great to read about the additional fan projects that are in the works... Another plus is the number of full page artworks. Artwork obviously means a lot to FF fans, and to see them in full colour, full page glory is beautiful."

You can leave your own review, or indeed pick up a copy of the book yourself, here. And may your STAMINA never fail!

Super Thursday

Today is Super Thursday, the day in the publishing calendar when many major publishers release the books they hope you will be buying in the lead up to Christmas. Apparently, 505 new hardbacks will be released today in the UK. I think you'll agree, that's quite a lot of books. And none of them are mine.

However, before the end of the year you can look forward to these three releases which all feature work by Yours Truly.


Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago: Tales of the Lost Isles
Edited by Joseph A. McCullough and published by Osprey Games (19th October 2017)

The Ghost Archipelago has returned. A vast island chain, covered in the ruins of ancient and otherworldly civilizations, the Archipelago appears every few centuries, far out in the southern ocean.

At such times, pirates, adventurers, wizards, and legendary heroes all descend upon the islands in the hopes of finding lost treasures and powerful artefacts. A few, drawn by the blood of their ancestors, search for the fabled Crystal Pool, whose waters grant abilities far beyond those of normal men.

It is only the bravest, however, who venture into the islands, for they are filled with numerous deadly threats. Cannibal tribes, sorcerous serpent-men, and poisonous water-beasts all inhabit the island ruins, guarding their treasure hordes and setting traps for the unwary.

This book of fiction collects all-new stories set within the Ghost Archipelago, including my own A Nice Little Nest Egg.

You can pre-order your copy of Tales of the Lost Isles here.

Further Associates of Sherlock Holmes

Edited by George Mann and published by Titan Books (31st October 2017)

Once again, famous associates of the Great Detective - clients, colleagues and, of course, villains - tell their own stories in this collection of brand-new adventures. Meet Lucy Hebron years after Holmes's only ever failed deduction; follow your nose down the streets of London with Toby the Dog; join Mrs Hudson on her first ever case; greet an ambassador from Mars alongside Lord Holdhurst; and confess your sins to your cellmate, Professor James Moriarty…

My own contribution to this anthology is Sherlock Holmes and the Beast of Bodmin, as related by Sir Henry Baskerville.

You can pre-order your copy of Further Associates of Sherlock Holmes here.

Doctor Who: 100 Illustrated Adventures

Published by BBC Children's Books (2nd November 2017)

A brand new guide illustrated with over 100 pieces of original fan art, showcasing the best stories from 54 years of Doctor Who.

Profiling 100 of the most beloved Doctor Who TV stories, this book is filled with essential information and original art drawn by fans themselves. From thousands of entries, the illustrations inside were chosen as winning pieces as part of an official Puffin Doctor Who fan art compeition held in early 2017.

Spanning the First Doctor's era to the Twelfth, this stunning book is a must-have Christmas gift and keepsake for any Doctor Who fan.

I wrote quite a few of the story summaries that feature inside the book, and here's one of them.

You can pre-order your copy of Doctor Who: 100 Illustrated Adventures here.

Thought for the Day

“Picking five favourite books is like picking the five body parts you’d most like not to lose.”

~ Neil Gaiman