Thought for the Day

"Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you."

~ Carlos Ruiz Zafón

"Except... you also see the landscape behind you in a different way."

~ Jan Siegel

The Publishing Innovation Conference

This is taking place tomorrow, Thursday 26th April 2018, and I will be on the panel discussing the topic “Beyond Print: Redefining Storytelling.”

You can find out more about the event, and my fellow speakers, using these handy flyers. Simply click on the images to enlarge them.

Maybe I'll see you there...

Happy Birthday, Mr William Shakespeare!

Today is possibly* William Shakespeare's birthday but it is most definitely his deathday.

As is traditional at this time of year, I like to remind people that you can read an alternative take on Shakespeare's life, work, and even death, in Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu, an anthology of stories inspired by the Bard and the literary endeavours of H. P. Lovecraft.

Featuring stories by the likes of Adrian Tchaikovsky, Graham McNeill, James Lovegrove, Jan Siegel, Andrew Lane, Jonathan Oliver, and John Reppion, if you've not already picked up a copy, do so today and treat yourself to what one reviewer called "a fun concept, that delivered on its premise."

And if you have read the book, a review on Amazon is always much appreciated.

* I say 'possibly' because we know when he was baptised, 26th April 1554, but not actually when he was born.

Thought for the Day

"I can officially report to younger writers: no, it does not EVER ever ever get easier!!! Writing = hard!!! and the best fun ever."

~ Brian Michael Bendis, comic book writer

Gamebook Friday: Spellbreaker's 25th Anniversary

This June marks 25 years since my first ever book was published, the Fighting Fantasy adventure gamebook Spellbreaker.

I have many strong memories of the preceding year, during which I wrote the adventure, saw the illustrations coming in, proofed the typeset pages, and the first time I was presented with a copy by commissioning editor Richard Scrivener at Penguin Books' offices in London. I also remember seeing it on the bookshelf in WHSmith in Leamington Spa, and the subsequent parking ticket I received because I got distracted reading my own book in the shop!

Of course, Spellbreaker marking its silver jubilee also means that it's a quarter of century since I became a published author, and I've been published every year since*. The book I am currently writing - NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters! - will be my 72nd published book**.

However, six weeks from today***, I will be at the UK Games Expo, selling copies of my ACE Gamebooks - Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland and The Wicked Wizard of Oz - as well as my history of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks, YOU ARE THE HERO.

Anyone who buys a book from me at the event will be entered into a prize draw to mark 25 years since the publication of Spellbreaker. I'm not sure what the prize will be yet, but whatever it is, you've got to be in it to win it!

Maybe I'll see you at the UK Games Expo. :-)

* Even if, during a fallow period in the late Ninties to early Noughties, it was only in the form of magazine articles and short stories, written for Games Workshop, rather than actual books.

** Thank the Lord for Moshi Monsters!

*** And not six years, as I originally typed!

April Events

Fighting Fantasy signing at Forbidden Planet
Tuesday 17th April 2018

Although I am not officially signing at the event, I will nonetheless be attending the Fighting Fantasy signing at the Forbidden Planet Megastore in London this evening.

Steve Jackson, Ian Livingstone and Charlie Higson will all be there, signing their latest releases, and if you happen to have a copy of YOU ARE THE HERO with you, I will happily sign that for you too.


The Publishing Innovation Conference
Thursday 26th April 2018

I have been invited to speak at the 14th Annual Publishing Innovation event at the London College of Communication. This is an annual event that gathers together students and industry professionals to explore emerging issues in publishing across all sectors.

This year, the theme of the event is Redefining Storytelling, and I will be taking part in the second panel, entitled “Beyond Print: Redefining Storytelling.”

Thought for the Day

“A writer takes earnest measures to ensure his solitude and then finds endless ways to squander it.”

~ Don DeLillo, American novelist, playwright and essayist

Thought for the Day

"What your peers think about your work is of interest, but what your readers think of your work is of value."

~ Garen Ewing, writer and illustrator

ACE Gamebooks at the UK Games Expo 2018

A week ago I was getting ready for the Chatham Dockyard Festival of Steam and Transport, but eight weeks from today I shall be in the thick of things at UK Games Expo 2018.

After last year's debacle*, you'll be pleased to hear that I will be transporting copies of The Wicked Wizard of Oz, as well as reprints of Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland, there myself. I will also have YOU ARE THE HERO Parts 1 and 2 for sale, and I'm even toying with the idea of printing up some chapbook editions of Scrooge and Man (Deceased): The Haunted Man to take with me.

Plans of the trading halls have now been made public and, as you can see, I will be in Hall 2, close to the entrance to Hall 1 and The Playtest Zone, and not too far from Guest of Honour Ian Livingstone's table either.

June 2018 also happens to mark 25 years since my very first book, Spellbreaker, was published. I would like to do something special to mark the occasion, possibly linked to the UK Games Expo, but I'm still trying to decide what.

Anyway, watch this space for further news on that, and maybe I'll see you at the Expo in June. :-)

* Which was entirely the fault of the delivery company TNT, who failed to deliver in any shape or form.

Gamebook Friday: #AprilTTRPGMaker

This month, @Kiranansi is encouraging Tabletop RPG designers to share information about themselves and their work using the hashtag #AprilTTRPGMaker, answering one question each day from this list:

I'm hoping that adventure gamebooks are included under the umbrella term 'Tabletop RPG' since I have joined in and you can read my tweets here, @jonathangreen.

Thought for the Day

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself."

~ Joseph Campbell