YOU ARE THE HERO ends today!

The YOU ARE THE HERO Kickstarter ends at 3.00pm GMT today!

It's still not too late to back the project yourself - or to up your reward level if you've already pledged - so check out the YOU ARE THE HERO page today and help make this the very best book it can be!

Thank you. :-)

YOU ARE THE HERO - 24 hours to go!

That's right, we're down to the last day of the YOU ARE THE HERO Kickstarter, which means there's not long left in which to make sure you're a part of history. The History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks!

Tell all your friends, blog about it, post on Facebook and Twitter, and make sure you've pledged to receive one of the unique rewards on offer. Oh, and don't forget to add the correct amount of postage. ;-)

See you again at 3.00pm GMT tomorrow!

YOU ARE THE HERO - Upgrade of the Spider God!

The SPIDER level reward over on the YOU ARE THE HERO Kickstarter has been upgraded, thanks to the generosity of the Tin Man himself!

Now, if you add £10 to your existing pledge and you will receive not only a copy of GAMEBOOK ADVENTURES 7: TEMPLE OF SPIDER GOD, written by Yours Truly, you will also receive Gamebook Adventures 1-6 for either PC or Mac.

So that's...
GA1: An Assassin in Orlandes
GA2: The Siege of the Necromancer
GA3: Slaves of Rema
GA4: Revenant Rising
GA5: Catacombs of the Undercity
GA6: The Wizard from Tarnath Tor
and
GA7: Temple of the Spider God

...and all for just £10!

So don't delay! Pledge today and tell all your friends. There's less than 37 hours to go!

The Gamebook Renaissance: Knightmare

If you were a child at the end of the 80s or start of the 90s, then you probably remember Knightmare. It was, for its time, an innovative virtual reality adventure set within a magical dungeon world, and it was on children's television.

Being a loyal devotee of the cult of Fighting Fantasy it seemed obvious to me that the programme was born off the back of the success of the gamebook phenomenon (and RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons of course).

It was a much tamer experience than your average FF adventure. There were no orcs to gut or horrifically described death scenes, but there was still the wandering around a labyrinth of gothically-decorated rooms, weird quasi-medieval characters to chew the fat with, and even some monsters (like the green-screened pet tarantula).

For those of you who remember Knightmare and the dungeon master Treguard (the fantastic Hugo Myatt), then the following will probably fill you with feelings of nostalgia. If you were born after the advent of real VR interactive gameplay and the phenomenal rise of the games consoles, then you don't know what you've missed.

Except that you can find out today (and tomorrow) at 2.00pm on CITV!



I have a feeling I'll probably end up mentioning Knightmare in YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks too! ;-)

YOU ARE THE HERO - 54 hours to go!

That's right, there's only two days left until the YOU ARE THE HERO Kickstarter comes to an end. If you've been umm-ing and ahh-ing about pledging (or wondering about upping your existing pledge) here why you really should do so today.

1) This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! YOU ARE THE HERO is likely to become a collector's item, even more so if it's signed by gaming legends Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson (which is what you'll get with the MINOTAUR level reward).

2) The majority of the art prints available with the GHOUL level reward have not been available as prints before and will not be again!

3) The Adventurer's set available from the WEREWOLF level is unique to this project; it will never be made again, so make sure you don't miss out.

4) YOU ARE THE HERO is going to be the definitive history of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks. Imagine not only owning such a book but actually featuring within its pages. Well that's what will happen if you pledge at the DRAGON reward level.

5) For many of us Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone were childhood heroes, their books impacting upon and even shaping the course of our adult lives. So imagine sitting down for a relaxed lunch with the two of them, being able to ask them face to face about their experiences of writing The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, or about the early days of Games Workshop. Well that's what the WARLOCK level will get you - and there are still places available!

6) Iain McCaig is a legend in his own lifetime. He illustrated Deathtrap Dungeon and painted the iconic images of the Shapechanger from The Forest of Doom, the Bloodbeast from Deathtrap Dungeon, and the Lizard King from Island of the Lizard King. He was also the artist behind City of Thieves and Casket of Souls. And as if that wasn't enough, he created Darth Maul from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace! And now you could have him paint your portrait! (Check out the SAPPHIRE, EMERALD and DIAMOND level rewards.) Come on, you know you want him to. Besides, you only live once.

So don't delay - pledge today! And tell all your friends, and Tweet about it, and post on Facebook...

Let's give YOU ARE THE HERO one final push to ensure that it becomes the book all of us want it to be!

Thank you.

Released today!

These two bad boys are unleashed upon an unsuspecting public today!

Moshi Monsters C.L.O.N.C Sticker Activity Book

Dr. Strangeglove and his fellow fiends at C.L.O.N.C. (The Criminal League of Naughty Critters) are determined to beat the Super Moshis and find a way to take over Monstro City in this awesome sticker book! Meet this mish-mash of monstrous misfits and use the stickers to complete the activities.


Moshi Monsters: Music Stars
Meet the hippest stars in Moshi Music, from Zack Binspin to Missy Kix, Bobbi Singsong to Blingo and many more! With interviews, lyrics, tips on making it in the music biz from Simon Growl and loads of monstrous music facts from the Monstro City music scene!


And just in case you're wondering, yes, there are more Moshi books written by Yours Truly coming later this year. ;-)

Have your portrait painted by Iain McCaig!

Yes, you read that right. THE Iain McCaig - Star Wars concept artist, creator of Darth Maul, Ian Livingstone's favourite FF artist, and illustrator of such classic Fighting Fantasy adventures as City of Thieves and Deathtrap Dungeon, and cover artist for The Forest of Doom and Island of the Lizard King.

Iain has been very supportive of this project since the start and I was absolutely blown away when he offered his services for the following three - yes THREE - rewards!

SAPPHIRE - Iain will produce one black and white illustration of YOU as a character in a typical Fighting Fantasy interior illustration (of Iain's choice).

EMERALD - Iain will produce one digital colour illustration of YOU as a character in a typical Fighting Fantasy interior illustration, giving you the choice of a range of characters or situations.

DIAMOND - Iain will produce one traditional painting, the subject matter to be chosen by YOU in discussion with Iain, and as long as it fits within the FF world, anything goes!

So what are you waiting for? Check out these new rewards on the YOU ARE THE HERO Kickstarter page today!