NEVERLAND - Here Be Colouring Books!

Coming soon from Snowbooks...

Email emma@snowbooks.com for your exclusive first printing copy!

Gamebook Friday: White Rabbits

Today is the first of May, and on the first day of the month people often say "White rabbits! White rabbits!"*

So in honour of the occasion, I thought you might like to see Kev Crossley's** new map of Wonderland that will appear in the fifth anniversary hardback of Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland that is being published later this year.

If you're looking for something calming to do during lockdown, you could do a lot worse than check out the Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland Colouring Books, featuring lots and lots of Kev's artwork.

And in other ACE Gamebooks-related news, due to events such as the UK Games Expo being cancelled this year, I have some spare hardbacks of NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters!, Beowulf Beastslayer, and 'TWAS - The Krampus Night Before Christmas for sale. If you would like one (or more), drop me a line at info@jonathangreenauthor.com.

* Don't ask me why.

** Check out Kev's Batman-themed re-imagining of Alice and the Cheshire Cat here.

Alice's Nightmare in Lockdown-Land

Having to occupy restless children while the schools are shut due to the Corona Crisis? Feeling stressed and need something to help you relax, now that you can't go to the gym or down the pub?

Then you need the Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland Colouring Books, illustrated by Kev Crossley and published by Snowbooks.

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...

Alice Day 2017

If you're a fan of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, adventure gamebooks, adult colouring books, or even steampunk, you could do a lot worse than check out the Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland line, published by Snowbooks, this Alice Day.

Click on the book covers below for more information and to purchase the titles.

Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland

(The first ACE Gamebook)

 Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland

(The Adult Colouring Book)

 

Through the Looking-Glass, and the Horrors Alice Found There

(Another Adult Colouring Book)

New Book Day - The Wicked Wizard of Oz!

The Wicked Wizard of Oz is a portal to another world - the world of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

In The Wicked Wizard of Oz you take on the role of the one of the protagonists of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and undertake a new and perilous quest as you find yourself called upon to save the world once more.

Hunted by the Wicked Witch of the West's winged monkeys and joined by her friends – the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Lion – Dorothy sets off for the Emerald City. Surrounded by enemies on all sides, will you uncover the secrets of The Wicked Wizard of Oz?

YOU decide which route to take, which perils to risk, and which of Oz’s strange denizens to fight. But be warned – whether you succeed in your quest or meet a dire end, somewhere over the rainbow, will be down to the choices YOU make.

Are you ready to return to Oz?

You can purchase your copy of The Wicked Wizard of Oz here.

You can download the official The Wicked Wizard of Oz Gamebook Companion, by Mark Stoneham, here.

Join the fun playing through the opening passages of The Wicked Wizard of Oz on Twitter tonight - simply search for #WickedOz.

And, coming soon...

The Wicked Wizard of Oz is published today!

The Wicked Wizard of Oz is a portal to another world - the world of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

In The Wicked Wizard of Oz you take on the role of the one of the protagonists of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and undertake a new and perilous quest as you find yourself called upon to save the world once more.

Hunted by the Wicked Witch of the West's winged monkeys and joined by her friends – the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Lion – Dorothy sets off for the Emerald City. Surrounded by enemies on all sides, will you uncover the secrets of The Wicked Wizard of Oz?

YOU decide which route to take, which perils to risk, and which of Oz’s strange denizens to fight. But be warned – whether you succeed in your quest or meet a dire end, somewhere over the rainbow, will be down to the choices YOU make.

Are you ready to return to Oz?

You can purchase your copy of The Wicked Wizard of Oz here.

And, coming soon...

Gamebook Friday: The Resurgence of the Printed Word

Apparently sales of printed books have grown for the first time in four years, lifted by the adult colouring book craze and 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland, as eBooks suffered their first ever decline.

Now, I wouldn't want to claim I had anything to do with the resurgence of printed book sales, but it just so happens that both Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland and the Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland Colouring Book would have been counted among those sales. And for anyone who enjoyed the first colouring book, there is now a second one available.

The Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland books published by Snowbooks.

We wouldn't want the sales of traditional printed books to slide again in 2017 now, would we? So, with that in mind, make sure you place your pre-order for The Wicked Wizard of Oz, which will be out very soon, also from Snowbooks.

And while we're on the subject of gamebooks, it's not too late to place a Late Pledge for YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2, which is slowly starting to take shape.

Steampunk Thursday: Through the Looking-Glass and the Horrors Alice Found There

So these arrived today...

I'm sure you'll agree that Kev Crossley and Snowbooks have done a fantastic job with the book. Here's one of the pictures to be coloured in the book...

And here's what makes this colouring book unlike any other - guidance from the artist himself with regards to how you should go about colouring the images.

You can purchase Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland Colouring Book Two: Through the Looking-Glass and the Horrors Alice Found There here, if you're in the UK, and here, if you're in the US.

Enjoy!

Steampunk Thursday: Alice returns...

Alice is back in Wonderland and it's just as nightmarish as it was the first time around!

That's right, Kev Crossley has produced another 24 unique drawings, inspired by the Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland adventure gamebook, but this time he has drawn them to be coloured - by you!


Here's Kev's first rough for the cover...

... which then became this...

... before finally ending up like this!

Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland Colouring Book 2 - or as I like to call it, Through the Looking-Glass and the Horrors Alice Found There - is unlike any other colouring book you have ever tried because it even includes tips from the artist on how to colour the images inside the book!

So don't delay - order your copy of Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland Colouring Book 2 today!

Happy π Day!

That's right π , as in Pi the mathematical constant.

And why is today called Pi Day? Because according to the American dating system, the 3rd of March is 3.14, which is Pi to three significant figures.

On such occasions as this, I try to link the event to my books, and in the case of Pi Day, the most suitable candidate is Match Wits With the Kids.

However, since that particular book is out of print, I'm going to go with Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland instead, because Alice's creator, Lewis Carroll, was really Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a mathematics don at Oxford University. My gamebook even features a few mathematical teasers.

As regular readers of this blog will already know, Alice's Nightmare produced a spin-off colouring book, which went down a storm in the States, and so artist Kev Crossley has drawn a whole new set of pictures, specifically for colouring this time, so expect to see Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland Colouring Book 2 hitting virtual bookstore shelves very soon.

Gamebook Friday: The Wicked Wizard of Oz

There is just over a week to go until the funding period for The Wicked Wizard of Oz ends and there is still almost £2,000 to raise.

If you're a fan of Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland, or my Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, then you'll want to back The Wicked Wizard of Oz.

Kev Crossley, who will be illustrating the book, has finished the line-art for his version of Dorothy, and Oz backer, Kevin Abbotts has already coloured it digitally.

Kev Crossley's line-art of Dorothy Gale.

Kevin Abbotts digital colouring of Kev's line-art.

Remember, one of the rewards is to receive a colouring book of artwork from The Wicked Wizard of Oz, which you can either select by itself or add to any other pledge. Check out the POLYCHROME reward - and tell all your friends!

Gamebook Friday: Official Fighting Fantasy Colouring Books - YOU are the Colourist!

Now available from Snowbooks, are the first four Official Fighting Fantasy Colouring Books!

The adult colouring book craze has been gaining momentum over recent months, but you have never seen a set of colouring books like these before.

A4 format, they feature the black and white line art from the FF gamebooks The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, The Forest of Doom, Deathtrap Dungeon and City of Thieves, by the fantasy art legends Russ Nicholson, Malcolm Barter and Iain McCaig. The Warlock of Firetop Mountain also features the cover art of Martin McKenna.

The books are available to buy from here in the UK, and from here in the US.

Gamebook Friday: YOU are the Colourist!

Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone present

Fighting Fantasy Colouring Books

  

Fighting Fantasy gamebooks have sold over 17 million books worldwide, in over 30 languages. YOU were the hero in stories such as Deathtrap Dungeon, The Forest of Doom, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, and City of Thieves, fighting monsters and foes with a pencil, two dice and an eraser. And now –

YOU ARE THE COLOURIST!

Bring your favourite wizards, monsters and fantastic settings to life, colouring the original emotive illustrations by artists Iain McCaig, Malcolm Barter and Russ Nicholson.

About the authors

Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone co-founded iconic games company Games Workshop in 1975, launching Dungeons & Dragons and Warhammer in Europe. They co-authored The Warlock of Firetop Mountain,which was published in 1982, and went on to write over 20 titles in the best-selling Fighting Fantasy gamebook series. Ian became Executive Chairman of Eidos in 1995 where he launched global video games franchises includingLara Croft: Tomb Raider andHitman. Steve became a Director of Lionhead, the award-winning video games studio best known for developing Fable.

About the illustrators

Russ Nicholson is an illustrator of Fantasy, well known for his contribution to the Fighting Fantasy series, including the first such book, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain. He has also produced illustrations for Games Workshop publications, including White Dwarf Magazine, and more recently has worked with Le Grimoire, Scriptarium, and Tin Man Games, amongst others.

Malcolm Barter studied Illustration & Design at Ipswich School of Art. He has freelanced in Publishing, Editorial & Advertising, notably illustrating Ian Livingstone’s classic Fighting Fantasy gamebook The Forest of Doom. His recent work has included more Fighting Fantasy, having been tracked down and lured back by French publishers in 2013.

Iain McCaig is an award-winning artist and one of the most sought-after conceptual designers working in the entertainment industry today. His work includes the landmark designs for Queen Amidala and Darth Maul, for Lucasfilm, as well as several Fighting Fantasy covers, and the internal illustrations for the seminal City of Thieves and the bestselling Deathtrap Dungeon.

Martin McKenna has illustrated covers and internal illustrations for twenty-two of the Fighting Fantasy series from Puffin Books/Wizard Books. He also produces concept and production art for computer games, and film and television productions, which have included the BAFTA-nominated The Magician of Samarkand for the BBC and Gulliver's Travels for 20th Century Fox.

About the books

Available 28th July 2016  |  297 x 210 mm | Published by Snowbooks http://snowbooks.com

Available worldwide from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, Snowbooks.com and all good bookshops

9781911390039 • The Warlock of Firetop Mountain Colouring Book • £9.99, $14.95 • paperback

9781911390046 • The Warlock of Firetop Mountain Colouring Book • £25, $40 • hardback

9781911390053 • The Forest of Doom Colouring Book • £9.99, $14.95 • paperback

9781911390060 • The Forest of Doom Colouring Book • £25, $40 • hardback

9781911390091 • Deathtrap Dungeon Colouring Book • £9.99, $14.95 • paperback

9781911390107 • Deathtrap Dungeon Colouring Book • £25, $40 • hardback

9781911390077 • City of Thieves Colouring Book • £9.99, $14.95 • paperback

9781911390084 • City of Thieves Colouring Book • £25, $40 • hardback

Pre-order at http://snowbooks.com/ff

Read more at www.fightingfantasy.com