Happy Thanksgiving!

If you are reading this and you celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you have a great day with your family and friends.

Interestingly, for a UK author, my blog receives far more visits from North America than is it does from the British Isles. Of course, many of my books are available in the US but there is only one that has been directly commissioned by an American publisher.

The title in question is Scottish Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Scotland the Brave, which is being re-released by Skyhorse Publishing with a new cover next January, a week before Burns' Night.

Skyhorse Publishing also released a new edition of Christmas Miscellany a few years ago, so if you're looking for a convenient, informative and fun Christmas stocking filler or Secret Santa, you can pick up a copy here.

Happy St Andrew's Day!

Seeing as how it is the date in the calendar which is dedicated to the patron saint of Scotland, here's a quick plug for my non-fiction book Scottish Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Scotland the Brave, which is published by Skyhorse Publishing.

Also available now from Skyhorse Publishing is a brand-new edition of my perennially popular Christmas Miscellany.

Happy St Andrew's Day from Scottish Miscellany!

Seeing as how it's St Andrew's Day - hello to all my Scottish fans - I thought it worth reminding you that I wrote a book about all things Scottish, once upon a time.

And do you know what's really good about this book? My Scottish Miscellany is now in a new edition - and yes, you did read that right, it does say that I'm the best-selling author of Skyhorse Publishing's Christmas Miscellany. Speaking of which, it's 1st December tomorrow...

Happy St Andrew's Day!

That's right, it's the day Scots all over the world celebrate the life of the patron saint of Scotland. And you could celebrate too by picking up a copy of my very own Scottish Miscellany here.

Of course, as it's St Andrew's Day, that means that tomorrow is Stir-up Sunday, when people traditionally make their Christmas puddings. To find out more about this and other customs, pick up a copy of my Christmas Miscellany here.

Only one month to go...

... until Christmas Day!

Which means it won't be long before I dust off The Chrismologist's advent calendar, ready for another year.

So, come 1 December, make sure you check out TheChrismologist.com for a new fascinating festive fact every day...

Call the Chrismologist!

It's getting to be that time of year again. In only five weeks' time people all over the world will be making their final preparations for Christmas. For some, those preparations include producing items of media, whether they be radio shows, TV programmes, or newspaper articles.

So, if you're wondering what to include this year, why not Call the Chrismologist? I am very happy to appear on radio or TV and have been interviewed for numerous pieces for the press before. Ask me your Christmas questions or simply consult my Christmas book What is Myrrh Anyway? to gather some ideas.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About...

I've had two titles published in America (by Skyhorse Publishing) in the Miscellany range.

Scottish Miscellany came out in 2010 but has only just received its first Amazon review - but it was worth the wait!

Fantastic book! It is full of great history on Scotland, Scottish lore, famous Scots, just about anything you want to know about the land, it's people and customs! A great read and a good reference book you'll go back to time and again! (5 out of 5)

Christmas Miscellany (called What is Myrrh Anyway? in the UK) came out a year earlier, in 2009, and has so far received two reviews on Amazon.com. One was 5 out of 5 again, but the one which really interested me was this:

This book is meant to give insight into Christmas traditions and is kind of a hodge podge of of tidbits with no particular order. It does contain good information like answering the question about what are the twelve days of Christmas? What is the yule log,etc.? The author is not a historian however, and makes, in my opinion, wrong historical assessments. For example, the fact is that there is more historical evidence for the birth of Jesus being on December 25th than there is against. Yet the author does not share any arguments in either direction, but parrots those who say that Jesus was not born in December. This book, though having some good information does take a poor view of the Church.

Wrong historical assessments, eh? The writing of Christmas Miscellany involved a very great deal of research and I would love to know what research the reviewer has to back up the statement, "there is more historical evidence for the birth of Jesus being on December 25th than there is against". Really?

Oh and I do not feel that I, "take a poor view of the Church". I was raised as a Christian and have great respect for the Church. What I don't have great respect for is people who's faith is so easily shaken by having elements of dogma challenged and questioned.

Anyway, if you've not read  Scottish Miscellany or Christmas Miscellany yet, do so and then you can make your own assessment of the quality of my historical research.

The Countdown to Christmas...

... starts here! Or rather here.

There's only one month to go until the Feast of the Nativity of the Christ Child* and so from now until then, I'll be posting an A to Z of Christmas over at TheChrismologist.com. Some of the subjects chosen will be familiar, some not so much, but all shall be enlightening and maybe, sometimes, amusing.

So why not stop by every day of the working week to see what nugget of Christmas lore I shall be unearthing next? And remember that you can find many such tasty information morsels in my book What is Myrrh Anyway? - and its American counterpart Christmas Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Christmas.

* a.k.a. Christmas Day.

Happy Independence Day!

It's 4 July so that means that in America it's

INDEPENDENCE DAY!

As American fans of my books are hopefully already aware a number of my titles are available in American editions. There's Christmas Miscellany and Scottish Miscellany (both available from Skyhorse Publishing) but then there are also my Pax Britannia books and of course Black Library's Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 novels sell widely in the US.

So why not celebrate Independence Day today by picking up your favourite Jonathan Green US edition - and then let me know what you think of it!

C is for Christmas

I know, I know... It's only 4 April and here I am talking about Christmas. But this time two years ago I was writing my festive non-fiction book What is Myrrh Anyway? Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Christmas for Icon books.

I have to admit, it was strange listening to Christmas carols in the spring and boring people with facts about Santa Claus at supper parties, but due to the nature of publishing, that was when my book for the festive season had to be written.

I had actually conceived the basic idea for the book years before, at first envisioning it as a Dorling Kindersley-style large format book full of beautiful colour photographs, but that was not to be. Instead I ended up with this.

Which later became this (which was closer to my original vision) when the American published Skyhorse Publishing bought the US rights to the book:

And each year now I find myself updating my TheChrismologist.com blog with fun festive facts and figures, and revealing a little more about the origins, traditions and eccentricities of Christmas along the way.

Christmas Miscellany

I came across this very pleasing review of Christmas Miscellany the other day:

Although this book is obviously written by a Brit for Brits, I thought it was very interesting and informative. I knew that many of our Christian Christmas customs were derived from pagan beliefs - I just didn't know how many! Anybody who celebrates Christmas should read this book.

Rather appropriately, the reviewer's name is Mary. So thanks, Mary.

Christmas shopping ideas

If you're still finalising Christmas presents, remember it's not too late to buy your loved ones (or yourself!) something from my book store.

If it's steampunk action and adventure that they're into, try my Pax Britannia books.

If they love gamebooks and fantasy adventures, try my Fighting Fantasy gamebooks.

If it's Doctor Who or Star Wars, try these, and remember that you can have a Clone Wars story, written by me, personalised.

If it's non-fiction they enjoy, try Match Wits with the Kids, or one of my Miscellanies.

And if its the grim darkness of the far future where there is only war, or the grim darkness of a quasi-Medieval world that gets them buzzing, then try one of my Black Library novels.

TheChrismologist.com

As long time followers of this blog (and my many others) will already know, I currently juggle about eight blogs, updating people on various aspects of my writing, and - to be honest - it was all getting a bit much, especially when there are effectively two blogs for the same book, only one of them for the American market and one for the UK.
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So, I've decided to merge the two blogs for Christmas Miscellany and What is Myrrh Anyway? in one, easy to manage, dot com, called...
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Click this link and check it out for yourself. In fact, why not bookmark the site and add it to your favourites today?

It's still a work in progress at the moment, but over the coming weeks I'll be adding more features and content all the time. And you can already email me all your Christmas questions direct at info@thechrismologist.com.

I look forward to seeing you there.

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Scottish Miscellany - four months and counting...

I can hardly believe it's only about four months now until my next non-fiction title - Scottish Miscellany - is published by Skyhorse Publishing.

If you liked What is Myrrh Anyway? (a.k.a. Christmas Miscellany in the States) then you'll love this book too. From Scottish culture to the ancient history of the country to modern pastimes, this book has all this and more.

Find out why the thistle is the floral emblem of Scotland, how Scotch whisky is made, why the Scots celebrate Hogmanay, how to play the bagpipes, and much more. This delightful book is the perfect gift for anyone planning a visit to Scotland, with an interest in Scottish history, or a drop of Scottish blood.

Scottish Miscellany - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Scotland the Brave

So, time to come clean...

I'm onto the final stretch of my newest non-fiction book. Entitled Scottish Miscellany, in the best-selling tradition of What is Myrrh Anyway?, it answers all the questions you never knew you had about the Land of the Scots.

How do you play the bagpipes? What's the deal with men in skirts - sorry - kilts? What should haggis really taste like? Why is the thistle the national flower of Scotland? How do you toss the caber (and why would you want to)? When does a broth become Scotch Broth? Why is Scotland called Scotland? And is there really a prehistoric monster living in Loch Ness?

All these questions - and more! - are answered in the book, which includes recipes for traditional Scottish fare and even a beginner's guide to Gaelic. And to support its publication in the autumn, I've started a dedicated blog, which you can find here.


Scottish Miscellany is being produced by Skyhorse Publishing, who are based in New York. They were the guys behind the American edition of What is Myrrh? entitled Christmas Miscellany. (Do you see a pattern forming here?)

Here's Bill Wolfsthal to tell you a little more about the company...

Non-Fiction

I have written a number of non-fiction titles. There is the highly popular Go, Go Crazy For Those Bones (2008), Match Wits with the Kids: A Little Learning For All The Family (2008), and What is Myrrh Anyway? Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Christmas (2008) which now has an American edition, re-titled as Christmas Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Christmas (2009).

What is Myrrh Anyway? at Ealing's leading Art and Craft fair

Just a reminder that I will be at St James' Art and Craft Fair tomorrow - Saturday 7 November - between 10.00am and 4.00pm, selling - and of course signing! - copies of What is Myrrh Anyway? Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Christmas.


I also have a limited number of copies of the brand new American edition of the book Christmas Miscellany available, as well as some of my latest Fighting Fantasy adventure gamebook Stormslayer.


Admission is free, so if you're in the area, why not pop along and say "Hello"?

An early Christmas present

A parcel arrived this morning from the good old U S of A, containing a couple of copies of Christmas Miscellany, the American hardback edition of What is Myrrh Anyway? published by Skyhorse Publishing.

Christmas Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Christmas will be available to buy from November 1 and you can pre-order your copy here.

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It's a very smart publication too, in full colour throughout and fully illustrated throughout.

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Even if you've already got What is Myrrh Anyway? yourself, Christmas Miscellany would make the perfect stocking filler or under-the-tree-present for a loved one, so pre-order a copy today!

Free mince pie!

Drop by my Christmas Miscellany blog now and receive a mince pie, absolutely free!


And keep an eye on the Christmas Miscellany blog over the coming weeks as people the world over start to prepare for the big day.

An update

We're over half way through 2009 now (where did the time go?) so I thought it an appropriate moment to give you an update on what you can see in print from me between now and Christmas.

First up there's Evolution Expects, my fourth Pax Britannia novel featuring dandy adventurer and agent of the crown, Ulysses Quicksilver. More steampunk action than you can shake a sword-cane at.


Then, in August, there's the timely release of The Official Doctor Who Annual 2010. I've contributed about a third of this and I'm excited to see how many puzzles and factual write-ups have turned out.


Demons: A Clash of Steel Anthology - this should also be out in August and features an original short story by myself entitled The Pact.


Stormslayer, my sixth Fighting Fantasy adventure gamebook, hits the shelves in September and it would be an understatement to say that I'm looking forward to how this one is received by the established fans and new readers alike.


The American edition of last year's Christmas offering What is Myrrh Anyway? is out around October/November time. It's being published by Skyhorse Publishing and it's called Christmas Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Christmas. I've set up a new blog to accompany its release which you can access here.


And then, just in time for Christmas (if I pull my finger out) is Blood Royal, the fifth UQ PB adventure and the start of a new four-book story arc. You're not going to want to miss this one.

And then in the new year... well, let's just say, there's plenty more where that came from...