Jonathan Green's Blog, page 24

Gamebook Friday: Dracula - Curse of the Vampire Collector's Edition

Coming soon, to mark the 125th anniversary of the publication of Bram Stoker's Dracula on 26th May 2022, the Dracula - Curse of the Vampire Collector's Edition. Limited to 50 signed copies in total.

Fighting Fantasy Fest 4 - Tickets on sale now!

 Tickets are on sale now for Fighting Fantasy Fest 4, and are strictly limited to 400* in total.

The Convention of Firetop Mountain  is returning to the University of West London, three years since FFF3, on Saturday 3rd September 2022, to celebrate 40 years of  The Warlock of Firetop Mountain  and the Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks series co-created by Steve Jackson and Sir Ian Livingstone.

Everyone who purchases an adult ticket will receive:A uniquely numbered 40th anniversary ticket (strictly limited to 400 in total)A souvenier programme and autograph bookA pair of Fighting Fantasy diceAccess to the event, including the Traders' Hall and Artists' Alley, and all signing opportunitiesAccess to all talks and panelsAccess to a special screening of Martin Gooch's new film  Argh and the Quest for the Golden Dragon Skull , featuring Sir Ian Livingstone!

Attendees may also pre-order an exclusive Fighting Fantasy 40th anniversary T-shirt and enamel pin badge, ready for collection at the event.
There are also a limited number of Young Adult and Children tickets. (Please note that anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult ticket holder.)

Steve Jackson and Sir Ian Livingstone will be attending as Guests of Honour, and other guests include authors Rhianna Pratchett, Jamie Thomson, Peter Darvill-Evans, and Jonathan Green, artists John Sibbick, Malcolm Barter, Tony Hough, Mel Grant, and Rob Ball, and original commissioning editor Geraldine Cooke.
Fighting Fantasy Fest 4  is likely to be a very popular event and entry is by pre-paid ticket only*.
If you've been before, you will know what to expect and will doubtless be keen to attend again. If you've not been before, then this is the year to attend your first Fighting Fantasy convention!
So, don't delay and make sure you secure your place at  Fighting Fantasy Fest 4  now!

* Tickets are limited to 400 adult tickets, plus 50 Young Adult tickets, and 50 Children tickets.

Livres-jeux Alkonost

I am delighted to report that the recent crowdfunding project run by Alkonost Editions, to bring about the publication of 11 gamebooks this year, has funded, having raised 1,069% of its original funding goal of €4,000. Congratulations to all concerned and thank you to everyone who backed it!

This means that French editions of  The Wicked Wizard of Oz ,  NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters! , and Beowulf Beastslayer - will all be available later in the year from  Alkonost Editions .
In other news, Czech publisher Mytago is currently running on offer on the first three ACE Gamebooks . So, if you're a Czech speaker or a collector, you know what to do.

Gamebook Friday: ACE Gamebooks at Somerset Comic Con

This weekend I will be at the Somerset Comic Con and Gaming Festival, on Saturday 30 April 2022, at the Wellsprings Leisure Centre in Taunton.

I will be selling signed copies of my ACE Gamebooks , including  Dracula - Curse of the Vampire , in both paperback and hardback formats. So, if you happen to be in Taunton this weekend, or live in the surrounding area, why not drop by on and say hello? You can find out more about the event  here , and  buy tickets here .

Happy Birthday, Mr Shakespeare!

It's that time of year when I like to remind everyone that I edited an anthology of short stories called Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu, back in 2016, featuring tales inspired by the Bard and the literary endeavours of H. P. Lovecraft.

Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu includes stories by the likes of Adrian Tchaikovsky, Graham McNeill, James Lovegrove, Jan Siegel, Andrew Lane, Jonathan Oliver, and John Reppion. So, if you've not already picked up a copy, do so today and treat yourself to what one reviewer called "a fun concept, that delivered on its premise."

And if you have read the book, a review on Amazon is always much appreciated.

Dracula: Curse of the Vampire LIVE - Part 4!

Ken Boyter is back this evening with the fourth (and possible final) part of his live readthrough of Dracula: Curse of the Vampire. He is still tackling the adventure as Count Dracula, and is currentl on board the Demeter travelling to Whitby. Tune in at 7:00pm GMT this evening to see if he manages to reach England successfully.

And if you have yet to grab a copy of the adventure yourself - which currently has 30 five star ratings on Amazon - you can buy a signed one direct from the author here.

In other vampire-related news, on Easter Sunday, Family Green visited the Small is Beautiful art exhibition on the Old Brompton Road before walking through London to Leicaster Square for a spot of lunch.
On the way, we passed 138 Piccadilly, which - according to the Dracula Society, among others - is the house where Bram Stoker imagined the Count and the Crew of Light had a face off, as indeed they do in  Dracula: Curse of the Vampire .
138 Piccadilly, one of Dracula's London haunts.

Gamebook Friday: Alice in the New Forest

Earlier this week, on our way to the coast for a couple of days, three quarters of Family Green stopped off at Lyndhurst in the New Forest, for a spot of lunch and a walk. Said walk took us through Lyndhurst itself and past the church of St Michael and All Angels, where a certain Mrs Reginald Hargreaves is buried.

St Michael and All Angels, Lyndhurst.
The Hargreaves family plot in the churchyard.

Why am I sharing this information with you? Because before she married profressional cricketeer Reginald Hargreaves, Mrs Hargreaves' maiden name was Liddell, and her Christian name was Alice.

The plaque beside the Hargreaves plot.
Naturally, just down the hill from the church are the Mad Hatter Tea Rooms . I mean, why wouldn't they be?
The Mad Hatter Tea Rooms, Lyndhurst.
The eponymous Hatter.
If you have yet to experience Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland , the original ACE Gamebook , you can pick up a copy here . I will also have some signed copies for sale at the Somerset Comic Con at the end of the month.

JG on the 'Inside the Rookery' Podcast

 

Dracula: Curse of the Vampire LIVE - Part 3!

Ken Boyter is back this evening with the third part of his live readthrough of Dracula: Curse of the Vampire. He is tackling the adventure as Count Dracula, and has just arrived in the 19th century. Tune in at 7:00pm GMT this evening to see if he manages to reach England successfully.

And if you have yet to grab a copy of the adventure yourself - which currently has 30 five star ratings on Amazon - you can buy a signed one direct from the author here.

ACE Gamebooks at Somerset Comic Con

Somerset Comic Con and Gaming Festival is a new one for me, but I will be there a month today, on Saturday 30 April 2022, at the Wellsprings Leisure Centre in Taunton.

This will be the first event at which I am selling Dracula - Curse of the Vampire . The next, assuming I don't sell out at  Somerset Comic Con , will be the UK Games Expo in June.

So, if you live in Taunton, or the surrounding area, why not drop by on and say hello? You can find out more about the event here, and buy tickets here.