Jonathan Green's Blog, page 174

Thought for the Day

"I am often accused of being childish. I prefer to interpret that as child-like. I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things. I tend to exaggerate and fantasize and embellish. I still listen to instinctual urges. I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind. I never water my garden without soaking myself. It has been after such times of joy that I have achieved my greatest creativity and produced my best work."

~ Leo Buscaglia, American author

Steampunk Thursday: Win Tickets to the Frome Steampunk Extravaganza!

Fancy coming along to the Frome Steampunk Extravaganza on from Friday 30th - Sunday 1st June but you haven't purchased your tickets yet?

Then you've still got until 11:59pm BST to enter this competition to win a pair.

And who knows, if you win maybe I'll see you there...

Thought for the Day

Short Story Saturday: One-Way Ticket - Part 2

I can't believe a month has passed since the first part of my latest Judge Dredd short story appeared in Megazine #347. But it clearly has, because Megazine #348 arrived in the post today with this inside...

Lovin' that picture of Dredd on his Lawmaster with Lawgiver in hand.
Part 1 was mainly the build-up for the story and in Part 2 the action really kicks off. You can read a preview of the issue here, and purchase a copy for yourself here.

Enjoy.

Gamebook Friday: El Aullido Del Hombre Lobo and Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014

This week I had a very productive meeting with Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone at which we decided to make the following public...


Fighting Fantasy Fest is the first dedicated Fighting Fantasy convention, featuring guest appearances by the co-creators of the world's premier gamebook series, artists who have contributed to the books over the years, and the official book launch of YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks . You can register your interest in attending the con here.

When I arrived at the pub... I mean, our meeting... Steve had a rather nice surprise waiting for me - copies of the first Spanish translation of one of my gamebooks.

German, French and Spanish editions of just three of my fifty books. 
El Aullido Del Hombre Lobo is unusual because it is the first time I have been credited as Jon Green in any published work. Although I refer to myself as Jon, I always use my full name for published projects. This was something of a surprise, but then so was the publication of Howl of the Werewolf in Spanish. ;-)

Steampunk Thursday: Alice Aid

Last Saturday I attended Alice Aid, the fundraiser event held at The Pipeline in East London to raise money to turn Robert Rankin's novella Alice on Mars into a movie, directed by Martin Gooch.

Other guests included Kit Cox (who did a stand-up comedy set), Andrew O'Neill (who was MC for the evening), a couple of Elvis impersonators, Lady Raygun on the steel drums*, various other actors and musicians and even Mr Robert Rankin himself.

Archimedes the Steampunk Parrot was in attendance too and really got into the groove, as you can see here.



You can see some photos of the event here.

If you would like to help make Alice on Mars - The Movie a reality, you can pledge your support for the project here.


* I've never heard 'I Gotta Feeling' played on the steel drums before, or 'Birdhouse in your Soul', but they sounded great!

Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014

I am very proud to announce that the first ever dedicated Fighting Fantasy convention will be held on Sunday 7 September 2014 in Ealing, West London. Featuring guest appearances by Mr Steve Jackson and Mr Ian Livingstone, it will also include the official book launch of YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks .

Save the date, register your interest here, and tell your friends. Tickets go on sale soon!

Thought for the Day

"Writing a book is like telling a joke and having to wait two years to know whether or not it was funny."

~ Alain de Botton   

Short Story Saturday: Sharks, Shakespeare and Shirley Jackson

On this Short Story Saturday I am delighted to be able to tell you that I am branching out and trying something new with my writing this year. I'm going to be editing not one but two short story anthologies for Snowbooks.

The first, and heading your way this time next year, is SHARKPUNK - an anthology of pulpy shark-themed stories that cover every speculative fiction sub-genre from steampunk to urban horror, by way of war-time tales of terror and post-modernist dark fantasy. SHARKPUNK features all new stories, from a host of genre writers, working at the top of their game, that includes the likes of Gary McMahon, Al Ewing and Toby Frost.

And after that, there's Mr William Shakespeare's Tales of Cthulhu*, which blends some of the Bard's most well-known and best-loved plays with the eldritch squamous horrors of H P Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.

In other Short Story Saturday-related news, The Book of the Dead , edited by Jared Shurin, and which features my mummy-themed love story Egyptian death and the afterlife: mummies (Rooms 62-3), has been nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award, for Best Anthology, which is nice.




* Working title.

Steampunk Thursday: Alice Aid - A Night of Alternative Music & Comedy

Just a quick reminder that I shall be attending the Alice Aid night of alternative music and comedy, to help raise funds for the production of Alice on Mars - The Movie, this Saturday 10 May 2014, from 7.00pm until midnight!


To find out more about Alice Aid, click this link. To find out more about Alice on Mars - The Movie, follow this link, and pledge your support today!