Thought for the Day

"Good advice is always certain to be ignored, but that's no reason not to give it."

~ Agatha Christie

Gamebook Friday: Wendy Darling, Shipwreck Survivor

I am well into editing NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters! now and thought you might like to have a sneak peek at one of the four different openings of the adventure - that of shipwreck survivor Wendy Darling.

Click on the first page of the extract below, and you will be taken to a web-page where you can download the first 16 sections of the adventure. Please note that these are obviously not muddled up yet, and haven't been proof-read either, but the extract should give you an idea of what to expect when the entire adventure is finished and fully edited.

Enjoy!

Click the image above to download the extract.

It's 43 years since you thought it safe to go back into the water

43 years ago today, Jaws was released upon unsuspecting cinema-goers for the first time!

Which means that 3 years ago, this happened.

SHARKPUNK - an anthology of killer shark stories - is still available from Snowbooks in both pulped tree format and as one of those new-fangled electronic books. You can even listen to it in the bath or in the car!

Come on in. The water's fine....

You've gotta love that original Simon Coleby cover!

Space Invaders turns 40

Space Invaders has turned 40. Possibly the most iconic arcade game of all time, it was first released in 1978, and in the years since has gone on to influence the entirety of culture. Its consequences have been felt not only in games, but across various media, including speculative fiction.

It was certainly an influence on the creation of the short story anthology GAME OVER that I edited, and that came out in 2015, even if no-one actually wrote a story about an alien invasion for the book.

GAME OVER is still available in both processed tree carcass format and as a collection of zeroes and ones, and can be purchased here.

Thought for the Day

Free RPG Day 2018

Saturday 16th June 2018 is Free RPG Day, and as a special treat to all you role-players out there, Snowbooks are offering a FREE eBook edition of either of my ACE Gamebooks, Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland or The Wicked Wizard of Oz.

All you have to do to receive yours is email info@snowbooks.com today!

     

Steampunk International is available to pre-order on Kindle

You may have seen my post about Steampunk International last month. Well, if you prefer your reading material as a series of zeroes and ones, rather than in the more traditional processed tree carcass format, you will be pleased to hear that the anthology is now available to pre-order on Kindle here.

Steampunk International officially goes on sale on 17th July and features a brand new Ulysses Quicksilver short story entitled Reckless Engineering.

Don't forget that the previous Pax Britannia short story Worthless Remains features in Clockwork Cairo, which is also available for your Kindle.

Thought for the Day

Thought for the Day

Gamebook Friday: ACE Gamebooks at the UK Games Expo

Last weekend, I spent a very rewarding three days at the UK Games Expo.

I first attended the convention when it was held at the Clarendon Suites in Edgbaston, and its incredible to consider what Tony Hyams and Richard Denning have achieved, when you think that this year the Expo took over both Hall 1 and Hall 2 of the NEC as well as the Hilton hotel.

I was based in Hall 2, along with Ian Livingstone, and I had a fine array of Snowbooks-published books to sell, including my YOU ARE THE HERO histories and the ACE Gamebooks Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland and The Wicked Wizard of Oz.

I had a great time meeting Facebook friends, Kickstarter backers, and John Robertson of The Dark Room fame. I even caught up with an old university friend who I'd not seen in 22 years, as well as fellow author and editor George Mann and ace artist, and former collaborator, Ralph Horsley.

The Wicked Wizard of Oz was very well received, and plenty of people were still keen to pick up a copy of Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland as well.

The UK Games Expo is one of my favourite conventions and I'll already looking forward to next year's event, as well as planning what I'm going to take with me, which will definitely include NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters!

Download Bloodbones for free with Fighting Fantasy Classics

As of today, Wednesday 6th June, Fighting Fantasy Classics is available on Steam, ready to be downloaded to you computer.

Ready your sword, pack your provisions and prepare to embark upon quests in which YOU are the hero! Choose what happens at every turn of the page with Fighting Fantasy Classics – text-based role-playing adventures remastered.

The game is a free-to-play download for all Steam users, with every player receiving one full-length gamebook for free with their download - my very own swashbuckling pirate adventure Bloodbones!

Bloodbones sees you take on the role of a traveller seeking vengeance against the powerful Pirate Lord Cinnabar. The dread Captain raided your village and murdered your family many moons ago, and YOU have journeyed to the Port of Crabs to hunt him down and have your revenge.

Written by Yours Truly, the original gamebook is notorious for being the 'lost' Fighting Fantasy title*. Despite being written for publication by Puffin Books, it eventually say the light of day in 2006, when it was published by Wizard Books. And now Bloodbones is making its triumphant return as part of the Fighting Fantasy Classics library.

There are currently seven other classic Fighting Fantasy gamebooks available for purchase, including The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, The Citadel of Chaos, The Forest of Doom, City of Thieves, Deathtrap Dungeon, Island of the Lizard King, and Caverns of the Snow Witch, all of which are currently 25% off!

So don't delay, pick up Fighting Fantasy Classics today! And may your STAMINA never fail!

* You can read more about the mystery surrounding Bloodbones in YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks.

Thought for the Day

"Writing a novel is like putting a grizzly bear through college. You know there's a vague chance this might work out and maybe even change the world, but you are still being mauled constantly by something ungrateful."

~ Sam Sykes, American epic fantasy author

Jonathan Green and ACE Gamebooks at the UK Games Expo 2018

Please note that you will now find me on Stand 2-C2, with Ian Livingstone.

I will be at the UK Games Expo all this weekend, from 9.30am on Friday until 4.00pm on Sunday.

I will be selling copies of my ACE Gamebooks, Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland and The Wicked Wizard of Oz, as well as hardback copies of YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2. (I'm afraid that the hardbacks of Part 1 have sold out.)


ACE Gamebooks

If you buy an ACE Gamebook from me, you will also receive a FREE copy of The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus Volume 2 - containing the Pax Britannia novels Evolution Expects, Blood Royal, and Dark Side - while stocks last. So that's potentially four books for a tenner!

YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2

As I am sharing a table with Ian Livingstone, you may well get the chance to have your copy of YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2 signed by him as well as me.

Spellbreaker 25th Anniversary Prize Draw

June 2018 marks 25 years since the publication of my first book, the Fighting Fantasy adventure Spellbreaker. If you buy a book from me over the weekend - any book - you will be entered into the Spellbreaker 25th Anniversary Prize Draw for the chance to win a signed, limited hardback collector's edition of my latest gamebook, NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters!

And the winner is...

Unfortunately, although both The Wicked Wizard of Oz and YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2 were entered into the UK Games Expo Awards, neither of them were shortlisted, but you may well find me in the event programme anyway, so keep your eyes peeled!

I also hope to attend Ian Livingstone's Deathtrap Dungeon Reading, which is taking place on the Friday evening from 5.00pm.

And if you are visiting the UK Games Expo this weekend, do stop by Stand 2-C2 and say hello. Maybe I'll see you there. ;-)