Jonathan Green's Blog, page 132

The BFS Awards 2015

I suppose I should have guessed how today was going to go when I was refused breakfast for wearing jeans...

Anyway, leaving London I headed to Nottingham by train, to attend the last day of FantasyCon and, more particularly, the BFS Awards. I usually drive to such events, but this time I thought I would get the train, so that I could do some work on the journey and enjoy a drink with friends at FCon after the awards. Next time I'll drive.

Screaming toddlers are not conducive to a productive working atmosphere and as it turned out, the event was a very sober one for me, so I may as well have driven after all. At least that way I could have got back home earlier and seen the family, rather than have to wait at Nottingham station for my allotted train.

As I understand it, FantasyCon 2015 was a resounding success and people had a great time. I was not one of them. All I'll say is, it was a long way to go to not win an award and then not catch up with anybody in the bar afterwards.

The trouble was I arrived at 1.45pm, in time for the BFS Awards but not in time to register, as it turned out. With registration closed there was no way of getting hold of my attendee badge. It also turned out that guest goodie bags had run out the day before. I had paid for a Sunday day pass (although there was no one on duty to check that I had) so there should have been bags left for people who couldn't turn up until the Sunday.

I'll admit it - I was disappointed that YOU ARE THE HERO didn't win in the Best Non-Fiction category. (Thanks to everyone who gave a whoop when it was read out on the shortlist, though.) I didn't really expect it to, but then a part of you starts to wonder, "What if?" and so you psyche yourself up, in case you do win, and then have to deal with the comedown when you don't. And I would have been annoyed if I'd been nominated, not attended, and then won.

That aside, I was looking forward to catching up with various people afterwards but it turned out that many had left before the awards and the rest left pretty promptly afterwards. Deciding to make the best of the situation and get some work done, I was then asked to leave the convention centre as they were closing because FCon was over. It was just one of those days, I guess.

Congratulations to all the winners - especially  SHARKPUNK  and  GAME OVER  contributor Laurel Sills who, along with Lucy Smee, won the award for Best Magazine for Holdfast Magazine.

But have no fear, I'll bounce back. After all, next year both SHARKPUNK and GAME OVER will be eligible to be nominated in the Best Anthology category, and all the stories that featured within them will be eligible for the Best Short Story award.

So, watch this space...

Thought for the Day

“The writer has to force himself to work. He has to make his own hours and if he doesn’t go to his desk at all there is nobody to scold him.”

~ Roald Dahl (1916-1990)

Gamebook Friday: Herald of Oblivion and Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland

Herald of Oblivion

In case you hadn't already heard, Herald of Oblivion is back - and this time it's appearing as the first part of a trilogy of Imperial Fists gamebook apps.



Legacy of Dorn: Herald of Oblivion  is available now, on all good platforms, from Tin Man Games.


Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

In other gamebook-related news, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has been typeset, and is being proof-read, even as you read this.
Have you ever wondered what would have happened if Alice hadn’t drunk from the bottle labelled ‘Drink Me’, or if she hadn’t joined the Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse for tea? Well now you can find out.
In Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland, YOU decide which route Alice should take, which perils to risk, and which of Wonderland’s strange denizens to fight. But be warned – whether Alice succeeds in her quest or meets a dire end as the nightmare escalates will be down to the choices YOU make.
Are you ready to go back down the rabbit-hole?

Legacy of Dorn: Herald of Oblivion

Legacy of Dorn: Herald of Oblivion is available from today, on all platforms, from Tin Man Games.

Warhammer Wednesday: Herald of Oblivion

Legacy of Dorn: Herald of Oblivion
Tomorrow (15 October 2015) Tin Man Games will be releasing their very first Warhammer 40,000 licensed digital gamebook, Herald of Oblivion . It will be hitting the iOS App Store, Google Play and Amazon Appstore all at the same time!

Tin Man have taken the tale of Brother Nabor of the Imperial Fists Chapter and given it the Tin Man treatment. When you play the app, it will turn your digital device into a cogitator, complete with a holographic combat simulator.

This new feature removes the dice-rolling elements of the original gamebook and turns them into a turn-based, first-person combat scenario, where your placement in the battle arena (4-axis movement), weapon choice (ranged or melee) and the decisions of the enemies can impact the outcome of the fight.

This is a completely new departure for Tin Man Games, but one which the team felt would really enhance the experience of battling the denizens of a space hulk. It looks awesome, and reminds me that I need to crack on with Legacy of Dorn Part 2 - Pits of Commorragh ...

Thought for the Day

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”

~ Anton Chekhov (1860-1904)

Steampunk Thursday: Abaddon X, Tempus Fugit, and The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus Volume 2!

Two weeks ago* I was fortunate enough to attend Abaddon Books' 10th birthday party, although unfortunately I was also late enough to miss the speeches at the start. On the up side there was cake, great company, and copies of Abaddon X available to the guests, a slim volume that features my first new Ulysses Quicksilver story in three years, Tempus Fugit.

 And lo, there was cake. With little Abaddon 'A's on top.
Writers, editors and their ilk. A sober bunch.
Pax Britannia: Tempus Fugit.

You can read more about the event here, as well as see a rather embarrassing photograph of Yours Truly. Apart from catching up with the likes Pat Kelleher, Lavie Tidhar, Jonathan Oliver, Jasper Bark, Jenni Hill, Scott Andrews and Rob Power (to name but a few) one of the highlights of the evening was meeting long-time Pax Britannia fan Matt Zitron.

Matt and Pat.

In other Steampunk Thursday-related news, this has been seen in the wild. Or rather, in captivity at the Abaddon offices.


Now that's one chunky book!


And that's a whole lotta Steampunk action right there!

The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus: Volume 2 will be published on 3 December 2015.


* On a Steampunk Thursday, as it so happens.

Thought for the Day

“If you write one story, it may be bad; if you write a hundred, you have the odds in your favor.”

~ Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950)

The Snowbooks Super September Sale Spectcular - still on in October!

Snowbooks - publishers of YOU ARE THE HERO , Christmas Explained , and the forthcoming Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland - are currently have a sale on all eBooks, which means that you can pick up both SHAKRPUNK and GAME OVER for your Kindle, or other eReader of your choice, for only £1.99 each!

So what are you waiting for? Go here now!

Short Story Saturday: Time for more short stories

The short stories in question being my first brand new Pax Britannia short story in three years, Tempus Fugit...

Pax Britannia: Tempus Fugit
... and The Thief of Time, my contribution to Frostgrave: Tales of the Frozen City , which is available now in both print format and as an eBook, direct from Osprey Publishing.

Frostgrave: The Thief of Time