Jonathan Green's Blog, page 44

Thought for the Day

"How to be a writer:
First, plant the tree on which the leaves of your book will be printed.
Next, hatch the bird from whose quill your ink will flow.
Water the tree.
Feed the bird.
Learn the patience of things that grow and the joy of things that sing.
Make tea: you've got time."

~ Joanne Harris, author

Short Story Saturday: Fabled Journey

This one rather slipped under my radar, as it actually came out in January, but available now from Remastered Words is the audio anthology Fabled Journey IV .

Here's the blurb:

"This collection of fantasy short stories are from the three winners of Remastered Words 2019 audio anthology, including a tale from Jonathan Green with "Who Walks with Death" which was first published in Legend, an anthology released in 2013 in honour of David Gemmell.

Once again, a theme has developed when there were none prescribed and each story follows a significant journey in the life of its protagonist. Whatever the direction though and wherever the roads may lead, you'll be glad of a warm fire and comfy chair whilst the fabled journey plays out."

Who Walks with Death is narrated by me old mucker Sam Burns, who was also one of the narrators on the Sharkpunk audiobook.

So if you fancy listening to one of my stories, rather than reading one, why not download Fabled Journey IV today?

Gamebook Friday: Old Knights, Late Pledges, and Grinning Cats

Every once in a while I stumble across an illustration someone has produced, based on one of my old art briefs for the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks I have written. (You can find out why this keeps happening in YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2 .)

Anyway, yesterday I stumbled across another one. This time it was a new take on the Old Knight's Ghost you encounter in Night of the Necromancer . Here he is, as drawn by the gamebook's original illustrator Martin McKenna ...
And here he is, as re-imagined by Alicia Poon , who now works as a 2D artist at Serenity Forge...


In case you hadn't noticed, Dracula - Curse of the Vampire funded on Kickstarter earlier this week, in the end raising 150% of its original funding goal. I hope you've enjoyed the respite from remorseless Facebook, Twitter and Instagram updates since then. However, if you happened to miss the Kickstarter, and would now like to get in on the action, you can place a Late Pledge here.


If you're in lockdown at the moment, it may be that you have some more time on your hands. If that's the case, maybe you've finally got round to playing one of my previous ACE Gamebooks . And if that's the case, please can I ask you to post a review on Amazon once you're done?

One of the gamebooks you might have played/read, is the first ACE Gamebook, Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland. And talking of re-imaginings, Kev Crossley recently re-imagined his Cheshire Cat illustration from the book, as a Joker/Batgirl homage. Enjoy...

International Children's Book Day 2020

Today is International Children's Book Day*, an occasion to celebrate children's literature from right around the world.

Three classics of children's literature inspired the first three titles in the ACE Gamebooks series, Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland , The Wicked Wizard of Oz , and NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters! which are all available as eBooks as well as paperbacks.

       
* And Hans Christian Andersen's birthday.

DRACULA - Curse of the Vampire Late Pledges

Even if you missed the Kickstarter for my latest ACE Gamebook,  DRACULA - Curse of the Vampire , you can still place a Late Pledge.

Here's what you need to do if you would like to make a Late Pledge to the Kickstarter:
Look through the list of Rewards below and select the one you would like by clicking on the PayPal button underneath it.Look through the list of Add-ons and select any you would like by clicking on their PayPal buttons.Once you have selected your Reward and Add-ons, you will need to checkout through PayPal to actually place your Late Pledge.If you have selected any physical rewards, you will need to pay for postage at a later date, when the books are ready to ship in Spring 2021.Please note - you can find out more about precisely what comes with each reward level by visiting the  DRACULA - Curse of the Vampire  project page  here .

Dracula - Curse of the Vampire... 18 hours to go!

Dracula - Curse of the Vampire has just 18 hours left to run on Kickstarter. If you haven't backed the project yet, now's the time to do so, and if you have, now's the time to make sure you've selected all the Add-ons you require, from Playing Cards and Dice, to T-shirts and copies of my other ACE Gamebooks .

 

Thought for the Day

"Measures of success change depending who we talk to – my accountant probably doesn't care that my book has won awards, but I know my publisher does."

~ Damian Barr , writer

Gamebook Friday: Alice's Nightmare in Italy

Next week I was supposed to be attending PLAY: The Games Festival , held in the Italian city of Modena. The Italian language version of Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland was due to launch at the event, and I was going to be signing copies of the book.

As things stand, PLAY has been postponed until the end of May, but I really can't say for certain at this time whether (a) the event will still go ahead, or (b) whether I'll be there.

However, in anticipation of the launch of L'Incubo di Alice nel Paese Delle Meraviglie , I was interviewed for Librograme's Land Magazine . You can read the interview, if you can read Italian, here .


I was also supposed to be giving a talk to The Lewis Carroll Society in London this evening, but, unsurprisingly, it has been cancelled.

In other gamebook-related news, Dracula - Curse of the Vampire now has just four days left to run on Kickstarter and has already passed Stretch Goal #1. Can we reach Stretch Goal #2 before Tuesday lunchtime? If everyone keeps spreading the word, I am sure we can!


I must have been subconsciously influenced by the Coronavirus Pandemic, as there are four places in the adventure where you can pick up infectious diseases!

Dracula - Curse of the Vampire... One week to go!

The Dracula - Curse of the Vampire Kickstarter concludes one week today, at 1:00pm on Tuesday 31st March.

Currently, we're about £800 away from hitting the first stretch goal, which would pay for additional art for the book.

In terms of the writing, I am now more than halfway through the Vampire Hunters' adventure, but once that's done I will still have to write Dracula's narrative path through the book.

So if you've yet to back the project, don't delay and do so today. And if you have already backed the project, thank you very much and please keep spreading the word.

Thought for the Day

"There is no shame in having another job: Kurt Vonnegut managed a car dealership and Harper Lee was a travel agent. But, yes, it bewilders and depresses me that even the crappiest footballer is paid more than our finest literary novelists."

~  Damian Barr , writer