Gamebook Friday: Fighting Fantasy Fest 6

ACE Gamebooks will be at Fighting Fantasy Fest 6 on Saturday 5th September 2026, at the University of West London in Ealing. Doors open at 9:00am!

If you're going along, you will be able to pick up hardbacks of the ACE Gamebooks Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come, Dracula: Curse of the Vampire, Beowulf Beastslayer, and 'TWAS: The Krampus Night Before Christmas. (FYI - the illustrator of 'TWAS, Tony Hough, will be in attendance too.)

You will also be able to buy my latest Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook, The Kingsport Metamorphosis, and the first Warcradle Gamebook, Valiant.

If you don't have your ticket yet, there's still time to buy one here.

See you on Saturday!

Cthulhu Thursday: Happy Birthday, H P Lovecraft!

Today would have been H P Lovecraft's 136th birthday. An ever-increasing number of my books have been inspired - either directly, or indirectly - by Mr Lovecraft's cosmic horror creations.

Among the most recently published are the ACE Gamebook adventure Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come, and the Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebooks published by Aconyte Books.

In fact, purely by chance, today I am writing a pitch for another Lovecraftian gamebook. You will have to continue to follow this blog to find out if it graduates beyond just a pitch.

National Massachusetts Day - The Arkham Horror Invesitgators Gamebooks

Today it National Massachusetts Day. The Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebooks I have written to date are all set within Massachusetts. So why not click on the covers below and check one out today?

Gamebook Friday: The Kingsport Metamorphosis - Rave Reviews!

The Kingsport Metamorphosis, my third Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook, has been out for over five months now, but I only came across these reviews the other day.

The Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub loved it:

"I’m pretty sure I say this every time, but this might be my favorite Investigators Gamebook to date." 

And here's what they had to say about the series in general:

"I truly love the Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebooks. Part Choose-Your-Own-Adventure, part table-top roleplaying game, these books are just flat-out fun. The Kingsport Metamorphosis continues in this vein, bringing hours of entertainment and tons of creativity."

And here's what Luna Gauthier had to say over on Cosmic Circus:

"I would definitely say that I returned to this one more times than any of the other Investigators Gamebooks that I’ve read so far. The re-readability makes The Kingsport Metamorphosis the best installment of the Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebooks to date and worth picking up."

You can purchase your copy of The Kingsport Metamorphosis here.

Gamebook Friday: Gamebooks Update

I have just updated the Gamebooks page on my blog. It hadn't been updated since December 2018, at which time I had only had 20 gamebooks published. The total currently stands at 30, with two more already written and waiting to be published.

There are so many ACE Gamebooks now* that I am considering producing a leaflet for events to give out to people, with summaries of what each one is about, unusual rules, and total number of sections.

I have so far written gamebooks for 12 different series or IPs, but the three that are currently on the writing desk, as it were, are...

ACE Gamebooks

Classic works of literature or well-known legends reimagined with a gamebook twist. To find out more, click the image below.

Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebooks

Interactive adventures set within the Arkham Horror universe of the 1920s, inspired by the cosmic insanity of H P Lovecraft. To find out more, click the image below.

Warcradle Gamebooks

A news series set within the Dystopian Age setting of Warcralde Studios' games. Expect James Bond-esque derring-do within a souped up late 19th century. The first book in the series is called Valiant. To find out more, click the cover image below.

* I am currently writing the tenth. 

Gamebook Gifts that can still arrive in time for Father's Day!

It's Father's Day this Sunday, 21st June 2026. If you're still not sure what to get the important Dad, or Dads, in your life*, you could still order one of these gamebook titles to arrive in time for Sunday.

You could even place a Late Pledge to 100 Aker Wood and dedicate it to your Father/Father figure.

* Or if, like me, you buy your own Father's Day gifts. :-p

Gamebook Friday: JG at UK Games Expo 2006

I am attending the UK Games Expo this weekend, at the NEC just outside Birmingham, from Friday 29th - Sunday 31st May 2026.

You will find me in Hall 2, sharing Stand 2-359 with Sir Ian Livingstone.

Click to enlarge.

I will have copies of all the ACE Gamebooks currently in print for sale, including
Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come, and the 5th anniversary collector's hardback of Dracula: Curse of the Vampire.

I will also have all three of my Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebooks for sale, but primarily The Kingsport Metamorphosis, which was published earlier this year.

Wayland Games will also be in attendance - in Hall 2, at Stand 2-502 - and will have copies of my Valiant gamebook for sale, which you can then bring to Stand 2-359 to be signed.

If you are attending the UK Games Expo this year, I look forward to seeing you over the course of the weekend.

Gamebook Friday: JG at Play Bologna

I will be attending PLAY: Festival del Gioco in Bologna this weekend. I will be arriving in Italy on Friday and hope to be able to pop in briefly that evening. However, I will be at the event all day Saturday, signing books at the Raven Distribution stand as well as taking part in these two events:

4pm - The Lone Wolf Award

5pm - Green's Mind: Descent Into Horror

I will also be at the Raven Distribtion stand on Sunday, signing books - specifically the new Italian editions of The Darkness Over Arkham and Neverland: Here Be Monsters! - although I hope to get the chance to have a look at Bologna as well.

So, if you're going to be at PLAY: Festival del Gioco, do stop the Raven Distribution stand and say, "Ciao!"

Gamebook Friday: ACE Gamebooks at UK Games Expo 2026

Four weeks today, I will be attending the UK Games Expo at the NEC in Birmingham*. You will find me sharing Stand 2-359 with Sir Ian Livingstone.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the UK Games Expo. Checking back on my blog**, my first visit was in 2010, the fith year it had been on, when it was still in Edgbaston. Since that time, I have only missed two years - 2020, when it wasn't on, and 2021, when it returned after Covid but clashed with my son's birthday.

On sale at this year's UK Games Expo for the first time will be Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come.

I will also have copies of The Kingsport Metamorphosis, my third Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook, with me.

So, if you are visiting the Expo this year, please do stop by Stand 2-359 and say hello.

* Which means that three weeks today I will be travelling to Italy, ready for Play: Bologna.

** I knew I kept this up for a reason.

Gamebook Friday: L'Oscurità su Arkham

This arrived at my home today...

L'Oscurità su Arkham (published by Vincent Books*) is the Italian language edition of the first Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook, The Darkness Over Arkham, and a very nice hardback it is too.

It also means that The Darkness Over Arkham is now available in four different languages - English, Spanish, Hungarian, and Italian.

As you can see, L'Oscurità su Arkham varies from the other editions in that is has new cover art. And while the book does not feature any full page illustrations, Vincent Books have commissioned some adventure-specific fillers, including the ones shown below.

Recently, I was interviewed by Riccardo Scaringi for the Il Gioco In Tavolo podcast. During the course of our discussion we talked about Fighting Fantasy as well as exploring the world of Arkham Horror through gamebooks, which you can watch below.

Make sure you pop back tomorrow, because it will be new book day - again!

* Who have also published Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland and The Wicked Wizard of Oz in Italian.

Gamebook Friday: Words in Watchet Literary Festival

Tomorrow, Saturday 21st February 2026, you will find me at the Words in Watchet Literary Festival. 

At 11:30am, I will be giving a talk about Writing Fantasy Gamebooks, and signing copies of my books afterwards, at the East Quay Creator Space, Harbour Road.

You can find out more and book your ticket (although entry to FREE) here.

So, if you're in the area and would like to find out how I turn a story idea into an interactive gamebook, like Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come, or how I plotted the latest Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook, The Kingsport Metamorphosis, why not pop along?