Jonathan Green's Blog, page 158

Gamebook Friday: YOU ARE THE HERO at Dragonmeet 2014

I shall be at Dragonmeet 2014 tomorrow, attending as a guest author, and I shall have a few remaining hardback copies of YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks with me. Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone are also going to be in attendance, and will be signing copies of the book after 2pm. I'm also hoping that FF illustrator and long-time collaborator Tony Hough that will be there as well.

If you would like to pick one up, make sure you drop by the Author area. I'll also have some badges and dice for sale. After all, Dragonmeet wouldn't be Dragonmeet without the dice. And remember, if you are planning on popping along, this year Dragonmeet is being held at the Ibis Hotel Earls Court and ILEC Convention Centre (47 Lillie Road, London, SW6 1UD).

Maybe I'll see you there...

YOU ARE THE HERO at Dragonmeet '14

I shall be at Dragonmeet at the ILEC Convention Centre, London, this Saturday 6th December, along with the few last hardback copies of YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks. 

Tickets are just £8 until Friday night, and £10 on the day. It's free entry for children under 16 attending with an adult and there's are free local parking. (You can find out more at www.dragonmeet.co.uk.)

Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone are also going to be in attendance. They will be giving a talk about their Top 10 Games at 1.00pm and afterwards (at around 2.00pm) they will be stopping by my table to sign copies of  YOU ARE THE HERO . So if you've yet to pick up a copy and missed Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014, why not pop along on Saturday?

Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014

It is almost three months since the world's first international Fighting Fantasy convetion was held in London but two videos from the day have just been uploaded to YouTube by Fighting Fantasy Fest attendee, and YOU ARE THE HERO Kickstarter backer, James Aukett.

The first is Steve and Ian's excellent talk with Philippa Dickinson and Geraldine Cooke about the origins of Fighting Fantasy. The second is the Art of Fighting Fantasy panel that I hosted.

If you were there, they will doubtless bring back fond memories of the day. If you weren't this is the moment you've been waiting for. Enjoy.

Thought for the Day

Happy Saint Andrew's Day!

Ever wondered why Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland? Or why the thistle is the floral emblem of Scotland? How Scotch whisky is made, or why the Scots celebrate Hogmanay?

If so, then you need my Scottish Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Scotland the Brave.

Steampunks in Space - update

Having been really looking forward to attending this weekend's Steampunks in Space at the National Space Centre in Leicester, unfortunately I have had to pull out due to ill health.

There are still plenty of other authors attending, including the inestimable Toby Frost and the incomparable Kit Cox, so if you are going along have a great weekend.

I'm hoping I might be able to attend next year (if they'll have me) and should be fighting fit by next Saturday in time for Dragonmeet 2014.

Black Friday 2014

Black Friday is the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Of course, the sensible thing would be to do all your Christmas shopping here. ;-)

First off there's my brand new stocking filler  Christmas Explained: Robins, Kings and Brussel Sprouts .


Then, for the gamer in your life, there's YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks.


And if anyone you know is into Steampunk culture, or simply enjoys thrilling action-adventure-oriented page-turners, then you can't go wrong with my Pax Britannia series.


Happy shopping! :-)

Steampunk Thursday: Steampunks in Space

Just a quick reminder that I shall be one of the guests authors appearing at Steampunks in Space at the National Space Centre in Leicester this weekend (Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th November 2014).

So if you're in the area, why not come along and say "Hi!" and pick up one of my  Pax Britannia  novels while you're there? After all,  Dark Side  is set in space as well as on the Moon!

You could also pick up a signed copy of YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks , or Christmas Explained: Robins, Kings and Brussel Sprouts , and get your Christmas shopping sorted too.

You can find out more about this splendid event here.

Thought for the Day

"The ideas aren't the problem - it's choosing the ones to go with, and then getting the work done..." 

~ Michael Marshall Smith

Christmas Explained: Robins, Kings and Brussel Sprouts

Available now from Snowbooks (appropriately enough) Christmas Explained: Robins, Kings and Brussel Sprouts is the perfect stocking filler for anyone remotely interested in how the Christmas we celebrate today came to be.

Why do we send cards at Christmas time?
When was there a Frost Fair on the River Thames?
Who is the real Father Christmas?
Why do people build snowmen?

All of these questions, and more, are answered within the pages of Christmas Explained . The book also features an A to Z of Christmas. So don't delay, pick up your perfect Christmas present today!