Jonathan Green's Blog, page 103
December 19, 2016
Thought for the Day
"Read as much as you can."~ J K Rowling
December 18, 2016
Review of the Year - 2016
On New Year's Eve last year I posted a review of 2015. I'm a little earlier this year, seeing as nothing major is going to happen writing-wise between Christmas and New Year, so here's my review of 2016.
Last year I had an unprecedented nine books published. This year there were only four books, and one video game that I worked on, that saw the light of day. The first of those was a re-issue, but the second was a brand-new Doctor Who gamebook, Night of the Kraken !
Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu - funded via Kickstarter - was a concept I thought couldn't fail, and yet it has yet to really find a committed readership, which is a shame.
Of course the number of projects published this year doesn't reflect the work I've done this year that is yet to see print, such as The Wicked Wizard of Oz or a brand new Pax Britannia short story.
And there were other things that happened this year that have made a big impact on my writing/career.
For one thing, I took on the mantle of Warlock for www.FightingFantasy.com and have started planning Fighting Fantasy Fest 2 which is taking place on Saturday 2nd September 2017, to mark the 35th anniversary of the publication of the very first Fighting Fantasy gamebook, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain .
I was also editor on the new Freeway Fighter comic that is coming out from Titan Comics next year.
I was invited to write the novelisation of Robin of Sherwood: The Knights of the Apocalypse at the end of 2015 and met some of my childhood heroes (or at least their 20th century counterparts) in 2016.
With some of the cast of the audio drama Robin of Sherwood: The Knights of the Apocalypse. (I'm the one second from the left, dressed like an estate agent.)
And there were two more projects that I worked on that won't see the light of day until 2017.
Talking of 2017, I have a few projects in the pipeline already, including SHARKPUNK 2 - a second anthology of killer shark stories - and a new novel, which I am outlining at the moment. I also hope to start work on YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2 , also to mark Fighting Fantasy's 35th anniversary. And then there are yet more projects that either I can't talk about yet or which may still come to nothing, or both!
I attended fewer conventions than ever before this year - although I did attend the European premiere of Fantastic Beast And Where To Find The m - mostly because they clashed with other commitments.
Among the many celebrity deaths this year, sadly 2016 will also be remembered as the year that Joe Dever, creator of the Lone Wolf gamebook series, passed away.
Joe Dever - 1956-2106
One of the biggest things for me writing-wise in 2016, in terms of its importance to me and also, hopefully, bringing my work to a new readership was the Robin of Sherwood gig, so I think 2016 will be listed in my autobiography as The Year of Robin of Sherwood.
But what will 2017 be remembered as?
We will just have to wait and see...
Last year I had an unprecedented nine books published. This year there were only four books, and one video game that I worked on, that saw the light of day. The first of those was a re-issue, but the second was a brand-new Doctor Who gamebook, Night of the Kraken !
Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu - funded via Kickstarter - was a concept I thought couldn't fail, and yet it has yet to really find a committed readership, which is a shame.
Of course the number of projects published this year doesn't reflect the work I've done this year that is yet to see print, such as The Wicked Wizard of Oz or a brand new Pax Britannia short story.
And there were other things that happened this year that have made a big impact on my writing/career.
For one thing, I took on the mantle of Warlock for www.FightingFantasy.com and have started planning Fighting Fantasy Fest 2 which is taking place on Saturday 2nd September 2017, to mark the 35th anniversary of the publication of the very first Fighting Fantasy gamebook, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain .
I was also editor on the new Freeway Fighter comic that is coming out from Titan Comics next year.
I was invited to write the novelisation of Robin of Sherwood: The Knights of the Apocalypse at the end of 2015 and met some of my childhood heroes (or at least their 20th century counterparts) in 2016.
With some of the cast of the audio drama Robin of Sherwood: The Knights of the Apocalypse. (I'm the one second from the left, dressed like an estate agent.)And there were two more projects that I worked on that won't see the light of day until 2017.
Talking of 2017, I have a few projects in the pipeline already, including SHARKPUNK 2 - a second anthology of killer shark stories - and a new novel, which I am outlining at the moment. I also hope to start work on YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2 , also to mark Fighting Fantasy's 35th anniversary. And then there are yet more projects that either I can't talk about yet or which may still come to nothing, or both!
I attended fewer conventions than ever before this year - although I did attend the European premiere of Fantastic Beast And Where To Find The m - mostly because they clashed with other commitments.
Among the many celebrity deaths this year, sadly 2016 will also be remembered as the year that Joe Dever, creator of the Lone Wolf gamebook series, passed away.
Joe Dever - 1956-2106One of the biggest things for me writing-wise in 2016, in terms of its importance to me and also, hopefully, bringing my work to a new readership was the Robin of Sherwood gig, so I think 2016 will be listed in my autobiography as The Year of Robin of Sherwood.
But what will 2017 be remembered as?
We will just have to wait and see...
Christmas Explained: S is for Snowballs
You might think that snowball fights are a relatively modern invention, but snowball fights have been taking place ever since there was snow and people to mould it into balls to throw at each other.
A Medieval snowball fight.
Talk of snowball fights may make you wonder when the first snowman was built. Well, you can find out more about the history of the snowman* in Christmas Explained: Robins, Kings and Brussel Sprouts.
But, in the meantime, meet Angus.
He was built in the western Maine town of Bethel ten years ago, and when this photo was taken he was the tallest snowman in the world.
Angus, King of the Mountain, stood 113 feet, 7 inches tall. He weighed 9,000,000 lbs, was made up of 200,000 cubic feet of snow, had 4 ft. wreathes for eyes, his carrot nose was made from 6 ft. of chicken wire & muslin, 6 automobile tires formed his mouth, with another 3 skidder tires for his buttons, he had a 20 ft. fleece hat, a 120 ft. fleece scarf and two 10 ft. trees for arms.
The photo above was taken on 19 February 1999. Angus didn't melt until 10 June 1999.
There are plenty more facts like this to be found in What is Myrrh Anyway? and Christmas Miscellany , both of which can be bought by clicking the appropriate link in the left-hand sidebar.
* Yes, seriously.
A Medieval snowball fight.Talk of snowball fights may make you wonder when the first snowman was built. Well, you can find out more about the history of the snowman* in Christmas Explained: Robins, Kings and Brussel Sprouts.
But, in the meantime, meet Angus.
He was built in the western Maine town of Bethel ten years ago, and when this photo was taken he was the tallest snowman in the world.
Angus, King of the Mountain, stood 113 feet, 7 inches tall. He weighed 9,000,000 lbs, was made up of 200,000 cubic feet of snow, had 4 ft. wreathes for eyes, his carrot nose was made from 6 ft. of chicken wire & muslin, 6 automobile tires formed his mouth, with another 3 skidder tires for his buttons, he had a 20 ft. fleece hat, a 120 ft. fleece scarf and two 10 ft. trees for arms.
The photo above was taken on 19 February 1999. Angus didn't melt until 10 June 1999.
There are plenty more facts like this to be found in What is Myrrh Anyway? and Christmas Miscellany , both of which can be bought by clicking the appropriate link in the left-hand sidebar.
* Yes, seriously.
Shakespeare Sunday: New review of Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu
Another pleasing review of
Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu
was posted on Amazon this week."I rarely support book kickstarters as I usually prefer just buying the book once it's available, however this seemed like a fun idea so I backed it. And I'm glad I did... The design is taken from play manuscripts of the time and adds a sense of visual aesthetic to the read. It also helps ground the stories it contains... While the variance in quality can be expected in an anthology like this, it's strength also stems from that variety. The range of stories from Shakespeare is impressive, as is how they were handled. There's some lovely craft here. So I liked this a lot, it was a fun concept, that delivered on its premise. Highly recommended."
You can pick up your own copy of Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu here. And, once you've read it, why not post your own review?
December 17, 2016
Christmas Explained: R is for Radio
Before the Age of the Television, people used to listen to the Queen's Speech on the radio. And thanks to my Christmas book, I have made a number of radio appearances around Christmas time.
Last year I was on BBC Wilshire, as I had been the previous year, and I was actually on air on Christmas Day 2008, along with Dom Joly and Danny Wallace.
However, the highlight of my Christmas radio appearances probably has to be when I sang on Radio 1. Yes, really...
I'm second to 'sing', and yes, this really did get a brief airing on Radio 1 around Christmas 2007. So there you go.
Last year I was on BBC Wilshire, as I had been the previous year, and I was actually on air on Christmas Day 2008, along with Dom Joly and Danny Wallace.
However, the highlight of my Christmas radio appearances probably has to be when I sang on Radio 1. Yes, really...
I'm second to 'sing', and yes, this really did get a brief airing on Radio 1 around Christmas 2007. So there you go.
December 16, 2016
Christmas Explained: Q is for the Queen's Speech
The Queen’s Speech is as much a part of Christmas as over-eating and spending far too much money on presents. And yet it is also one of the more recently-developed popular Christmas traditions.
The practice of the monarch making a speech to the nation was begun in 1932, when the then king George V, father of our own monarch, broadcast a Christmas message to the British people over the radio.
Recently I was fortunate enough to be at Broadcasting House, where the original microphones used by George V (and that you can see in the image above) are on display. And here they are...
The practice of the monarch making a speech to the nation was begun in 1932, when the then king George V, father of our own monarch, broadcast a Christmas message to the British people over the radio.
Recently I was fortunate enough to be at Broadcasting House, where the original microphones used by George V (and that you can see in the image above) are on display. And here they are...
December 15, 2016
Christmas Explained: P is for Presents
Ask most children - in fact, ask most people - what they look forward to most about Christmas and the venal lot will probably say, "Presents!"*
The Twelve Days of Christmas is one of the most popular Christmas carols, telling of a zealous suitor’s extravagant Christmas gifts to his sweetheart. The familiar words of the carol were published in London, around the year 1780, in a collection of children’s rhymes called Mirth without Mischief . It was included in this context as a memory game with accompanying forfeits for the forgetful.
The Twelve Days of Christmas is the source of much amusement among mathematicians in that it provides the basis for a suitably festive mathematical brainteaser, that of ‘How many gifts does the young lady, who narrates the carol, receive?’
Looking at the lyrics closely it soon becomes apparent that on day two his sweetheart receives two turtle doves and another partridge. On the third day of Christmas she gets the French hens, another pair of turtle doves and yet another partridge, pear tree, the works. And so it goes on...
There is actually a mathematical formula you can use to work out the total number of gifts given by the extravagant ‘my true love’ celebrated in The Twelve Days of Christmas on any one day of the twelve days. Where N is a particular day out of the twelve, the total number of gifts given on that day = N(N+1)(N+2)/6.
So, rather than receiving a total of 78 gifts over the twelve days, the narrator of the carol actually receives 364 individual items, one for each day of a traditional year, minus Christmas Day.
You can find out more about why we give presents each Christmas inside Christmas Explained: Robins, Kings and Brussel Sprouts , which would itself make the perfect present for your loved ones this Christmas.
* And if they don't, then they probably deserve a present for being so virtuous!
The Twelve Days of Christmas is one of the most popular Christmas carols, telling of a zealous suitor’s extravagant Christmas gifts to his sweetheart. The familiar words of the carol were published in London, around the year 1780, in a collection of children’s rhymes called Mirth without Mischief . It was included in this context as a memory game with accompanying forfeits for the forgetful.
The Twelve Days of Christmas is the source of much amusement among mathematicians in that it provides the basis for a suitably festive mathematical brainteaser, that of ‘How many gifts does the young lady, who narrates the carol, receive?’
Looking at the lyrics closely it soon becomes apparent that on day two his sweetheart receives two turtle doves and another partridge. On the third day of Christmas she gets the French hens, another pair of turtle doves and yet another partridge, pear tree, the works. And so it goes on...
There is actually a mathematical formula you can use to work out the total number of gifts given by the extravagant ‘my true love’ celebrated in The Twelve Days of Christmas on any one day of the twelve days. Where N is a particular day out of the twelve, the total number of gifts given on that day = N(N+1)(N+2)/6.
So, rather than receiving a total of 78 gifts over the twelve days, the narrator of the carol actually receives 364 individual items, one for each day of a traditional year, minus Christmas Day.
You can find out more about why we give presents each Christmas inside Christmas Explained: Robins, Kings and Brussel Sprouts , which would itself make the perfect present for your loved ones this Christmas.
* And if they don't, then they probably deserve a present for being so virtuous!
December 14, 2016
Christmas Explained: O is for Outstanding!
On 14 December 1911, the first expedition to reach the geographic South Pole, led by the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, arrived at the pole, exactly 105 years ago today!Amundsen's party arrived five weeks ahead of a British party led by Robert Falcon Scott as part of the Terra Nova Expedition. Amundsen and his team returned safely to their base, but later learned that Scott and his four companions had died on their return journey.
To find out more about snow and ice and its festive associations, read Christmas Explained: Robins, Kings and Brussel Sprouts , available now, appropriately enough, from Snowbooks.
December 13, 2016
Christmas Explained: N is for Nutcracker
At Christmas time it is not uncommon for many families to attend the only ballet the will see all year. The name of that ballet? The Nutcracker. But how did a ballet about a mechanical device for cracking nuts become such a popular festive tradition?The story itself is quite old, older than the one we see portrayed on stage, which is actually an adaptation by the French author Alexandre Dumas, possibly better known for such titles as The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo.
The Nutcracker was actually Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky's final and least satisfying ballet, after he took on the project with a marked lack of enthusiasm. It is ironic then that it would be The Nutcracker that was to become one of the most beloved Christmas traditions.
The Nutcracker premiered in Tchaikovsky's native Russia in 1892. It wasn't until 1944 that an American ballet company decided to perform the entire ballet. That year, the San Francisco Ballet took on the task, from then on performing the ballet as an annual tradition.
But it was really George Balanchine who really set The Nutcracker on the path to popular fame. In 1954 he choreographed the ballet for a New York company, and not a year has passed since when the ballet hasn't been performed in New York City.
You will find many other such tasty morsels of information in my book Christmas Explained: Robins, Kings and Brussel Sprouts.
Tie-in Tuesday: Robin of Sherwood and The Knights of the Apocalypse
It's arrived! Six and a half months after I completed the manuscript, I am now in possession of copies of my novelisation of Richard 'Kip' Carpenter's
Robin of Sherwood:
The Knights of the Apocalypse
.
A number of people have already received theirs and have given glowing reports of the book, which is always pleasing, but the best thing I've seen online to date is this!
I'm a big fan of the Series 3 episode 'Cromm Cruac', so inevitably I love cuddly Cromm.
I loved Robin of Sherwood as a child, and it is one of those things that has influenced me as a writer, with my early books in particular often referencing elements of the show. When I was watching it on TV back in the 1980s I certainly never imagined that one day I would end up authoring a Robin of Sherwood book.
I grew up close to where much of the series was filmed and I must remember to take a copy to the Tithe Barn in Bardford-on-Avon* next time I'm down in Wiltshire, for another photo op.
One day, when I have more time, I must write a blog post about my experience of Robin of Sherwood fandom, and the path that lead me to adapt Kip Carpenter's last Robin of Sherwood script - including the part my university friend Mike played in it all - but for now all that there remains for me to say is thank you, to Barnaby Eaton-Jones for offering me this once in a lifetime opportunity, and to everyone who has been lucky enough to snag themselves a copy, enjoy! (I shall look forward to reading your reviews online.)
And remember, nothing's forgotten... Nothing is ever forgotten...
The typo that got away; 'crenulated' should of course read 'crenellated'.
* Which stood in for the interior of Nottingham Castle. (I also lived in Nottingham for two years, and visited Sherwood Forest many times.)
A number of people have already received theirs and have given glowing reports of the book, which is always pleasing, but the best thing I've seen online to date is this!
I'm a big fan of the Series 3 episode 'Cromm Cruac', so inevitably I love cuddly Cromm.I loved Robin of Sherwood as a child, and it is one of those things that has influenced me as a writer, with my early books in particular often referencing elements of the show. When I was watching it on TV back in the 1980s I certainly never imagined that one day I would end up authoring a Robin of Sherwood book.
I grew up close to where much of the series was filmed and I must remember to take a copy to the Tithe Barn in Bardford-on-Avon* next time I'm down in Wiltshire, for another photo op.
One day, when I have more time, I must write a blog post about my experience of Robin of Sherwood fandom, and the path that lead me to adapt Kip Carpenter's last Robin of Sherwood script - including the part my university friend Mike played in it all - but for now all that there remains for me to say is thank you, to Barnaby Eaton-Jones for offering me this once in a lifetime opportunity, and to everyone who has been lucky enough to snag themselves a copy, enjoy! (I shall look forward to reading your reviews online.)
And remember, nothing's forgotten... Nothing is ever forgotten...
The typo that got away; 'crenulated' should of course read 'crenellated'.* Which stood in for the interior of Nottingham Castle. (I also lived in Nottingham for two years, and visited Sherwood Forest many times.)
