Jonathan Green's Blog, page 75
June 11, 2018
June 8, 2018
Gamebook Friday: ACE Gamebooks at the UK Games Expo
Last weekend, I spent a very rewarding three days at the
UK Games Expo
.
I first attended the convention when it was held at the Clarendon Suites in Edgbaston, and its incredible to consider what Tony Hyams and Richard Denning have achieved, when you think that this year the Expo took over both Hall 1 and Hall 2 of the NEC as well as the Hilton hotel.
I was based in Hall 2, along with Ian Livingstone, and I had a fine array of Snowbooks-published books to sell, including my YOU ARE THE HERO histories and the ACE Gamebooks Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland and The Wicked Wizard of Oz .
I had a great time meeting Facebook friends, Kickstarter backers, and John Robertson of The Dark Room fame. I even caught up with an old university friend who I'd not seen in 22 years, as well as fellow author and editor George Mann and ace artist, and former collaborator, Ralph Horsley.
The Wicked Wizard of Oz was very well received, and plenty of people were still keen to pick up a copy of Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland as well.
The UK Games Expo is one of my favourite conventions and I'll already looking forward to next year's event, as well as planning what I'm going to take with me, which will definitely include NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters!
I first attended the convention when it was held at the Clarendon Suites in Edgbaston, and its incredible to consider what Tony Hyams and Richard Denning have achieved, when you think that this year the Expo took over both Hall 1 and Hall 2 of the NEC as well as the Hilton hotel.
I was based in Hall 2, along with Ian Livingstone, and I had a fine array of Snowbooks-published books to sell, including my YOU ARE THE HERO histories and the ACE Gamebooks Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland and The Wicked Wizard of Oz .
I had a great time meeting Facebook friends, Kickstarter backers, and John Robertson of The Dark Room fame. I even caught up with an old university friend who I'd not seen in 22 years, as well as fellow author and editor George Mann and ace artist, and former collaborator, Ralph Horsley.
The Wicked Wizard of Oz was very well received, and plenty of people were still keen to pick up a copy of Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland as well.
The UK Games Expo is one of my favourite conventions and I'll already looking forward to next year's event, as well as planning what I'm going to take with me, which will definitely include NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters!
June 6, 2018
Download Bloodbones for free with Fighting Fantasy Classics
As of today, Wednesday 6th June,
Fighting Fantasy Classics
is available on Steam, ready to be downloaded to you computer.Ready your sword, pack your provisions and prepare to embark upon quests in which YOU are the hero! Choose what happens at every turn of the page with Fighting Fantasy Classics – text-based role-playing adventures remastered.
The game is a free-to-play download for all Steam users, with every player receiving one full-length gamebook for free with their download - my very own swashbuckling pirate adventure Bloodbones !
Bloodbones sees you take on the role of a traveller seeking vengeance against the powerful Pirate Lord Cinnabar. The dread Captain raided your village and murdered your family many moons ago, and YOU have journeyed to the Port of Crabs to hunt him down and have your revenge.
Written by Yours Truly, the original gamebook is notorious for being the 'lost' Fighting Fantasy title*. Despite being written for publication by Puffin Books, it eventually say the light of day in 2006, when it was published by Wizard Books. And now Bloodbones is making its triumphant return as part of the Fighting Fantasy Classics library.
There are currently seven other classic Fighting Fantasy gamebooks available for purchase, including The Warlock of Firetop Mountain , The Citadel of Chaos , The Forest of Doom , City of Thieves , Deathtrap Dungeon , Island of the Lizard King , and Caverns of the Snow Witch , all of which are currently 25% off!
So don't delay, pick up Fighting Fantasy Classics today! And may your STAMINA never fail!
* You can read more about the mystery surrounding Bloodbones in YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks .
June 4, 2018
Thought for the Day
"Writing a novel is like putting a grizzly bear through college. You know there's a vague chance this might work out and maybe even change the world, but you are still being mauled constantly by something ungrateful."~ Sam Sykes, American epic fantasy author
June 1, 2018
Jonathan Green and ACE Gamebooks at the UK Games Expo 2018
Please note that you will now find me on Stand 2-C2, with Ian Livingstone.
I will be at the
UK Games Expo
all this weekend, from 9.30am on Friday until 4.00pm on Sunday.
I will be selling copies of my ACE Gamebooks, Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland and The Wicked Wizard of Oz , as well as hardback copies of YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2 . (I'm afraid that the hardbacks of Part 1 have sold out.)
ACE Gamebooks
If you buy an ACE Gamebook from me, you will also receive a FREE copy of The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus Volume 2 - containing the Pax Britannia novels Evolution Expects , Blood Royal , and Dark Side - while stocks last. So that's potentially four books for a tenner!
YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2
As I am sharing a table with Ian Livingstone, you may well get the chance to have your copy of YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2 signed by him as well as me.
Spellbreaker 25th Anniversary Prize Draw
June 2018 marks 25 years since the publication of my first book, the Fighting Fantasy adventure Spellbreaker . If you buy a book from me over the weekend - any book - you will be entered into the Spellbreaker 25th Anniversary Prize Draw for the chance to win a signed, limited hardback collector's edition of my latest gamebook, NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters!
And the winner is...
Unfortunately, although both The Wicked Wizard of Oz and YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2 were entered into the UK Games Expo Awards, neither of them were shortlisted, but you may well find me in the event programme anyway, so keep your eyes peeled!
I also hope to attend Ian Livingstone's Deathtrap Dungeon Reading , which is taking place on the Friday evening from 5.00pm.
And if you are visiting the UK Games Expo this weekend, do stop by Stand 2-C2 and say hello. Maybe I'll see you there. ;-)
I will be at the
UK Games Expo
all this weekend, from 9.30am on Friday until 4.00pm on Sunday.I will be selling copies of my ACE Gamebooks, Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland and The Wicked Wizard of Oz , as well as hardback copies of YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2 . (I'm afraid that the hardbacks of Part 1 have sold out.)
ACE Gamebooks
If you buy an ACE Gamebook from me, you will also receive a FREE copy of The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus Volume 2 - containing the Pax Britannia novels Evolution Expects , Blood Royal , and Dark Side - while stocks last. So that's potentially four books for a tenner!
YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2
As I am sharing a table with Ian Livingstone, you may well get the chance to have your copy of YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2 signed by him as well as me.
Spellbreaker 25th Anniversary Prize Draw
June 2018 marks 25 years since the publication of my first book, the Fighting Fantasy adventure Spellbreaker . If you buy a book from me over the weekend - any book - you will be entered into the Spellbreaker 25th Anniversary Prize Draw for the chance to win a signed, limited hardback collector's edition of my latest gamebook, NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters!
And the winner is...
Unfortunately, although both The Wicked Wizard of Oz and YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2 were entered into the UK Games Expo Awards, neither of them were shortlisted, but you may well find me in the event programme anyway, so keep your eyes peeled!
I also hope to attend Ian Livingstone's Deathtrap Dungeon Reading , which is taking place on the Friday evening from 5.00pm.
And if you are visiting the UK Games Expo this weekend, do stop by Stand 2-C2 and say hello. Maybe I'll see you there. ;-)
May 31, 2018
Steampunk Thursday: The Great Ulysses Quicksilver Giveaway
This weekend, I will be attending the
UK Games Expo
, from 9.30am on Friday until 4.00pm on Sunday.If you buy an ACE Gamebook from me, over the course of the weekend, you will also receive a FREE copy of The Ulysses Quicksilver Omnibus Volume 2 - containing the three Pax Britannia novels Evolution Expects , Blood Royal , and Dark Side - while stocks last. So that's potentially four books for a tenner!
Sounds like a win-win to me. ;-)
May 30, 2018
JG at the UK Games Expo
There's an element of doubt regarding where I will be at the
UK Games Expo
this weekend. I will definitely be there - barring flood, fire or act of God - but I'm not entirely sure whether I'll be on the Mercia Books stand at 2-D4 or sharing a stand with Ian Livingstone at 2-C2.
I suspect it will be the latter, as that's what is printed in the programme, but I won't know for sure until I get to the NEC and set up on Thursday.
So, if you were hoping to stop by this weekend and say hello, it might be best to check both stands in your quest to find the author of YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2 and The Wicked Wizard of Oz .
I suspect it will be the latter, as that's what is printed in the programme, but I won't know for sure until I get to the NEC and set up on Thursday.
So, if you were hoping to stop by this weekend and say hello, it might be best to check both stands in your quest to find the author of YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2 and The Wicked Wizard of Oz .
May 28, 2018
New Newsletter - Subscribers Welcome!
Having launched my blog 11 years ago, to keep readers informed about my various projects, I've finally got round to setting up a subscriber list, so that I can keep interested parties informed even more effectively.
If you sign up to receive my Newsletter, you will get the lowdown on all the different things I'm working on - from short stories to novels, and gamebooks to anthologies - as well as advance notice of when new Kickstarter projects are launching and information about events I'll be attending.
It would be great to have you along for the ride, and if you would like to subscribe, you can do so at the end of this link.
You can read more about my Privacy Policy and how I'll use your data here .
If you sign up to receive my Newsletter, you will get the lowdown on all the different things I'm working on - from short stories to novels, and gamebooks to anthologies - as well as advance notice of when new Kickstarter projects are launching and information about events I'll be attending.
It would be great to have you along for the ride, and if you would like to subscribe, you can do so at the end of this link.
You can read more about my Privacy Policy and how I'll use your data here .
Thought for the Day
"I try to create sympathy for my characters, then turn the monsters loose." ~ Stephen King
May 25, 2018
Gamebook Friday: Stormslayer, Martin McKenna, and Spellbreaker
A had a surprise on Facebook on Wednesday when I was tagged on Facebook, on a post showing a series of stills from Channel 4's 24 Hours in A&E. Why had I been tagged? Because the photos showing a man in the waiting room playing a Fighting Fantasy gamebook to help pass the time, and the gamebook in question was
Stormslayer
*.
Was this you? If it was drop me a line!
Talking of my Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, of the seven I have written, one was illustrated by Stephen Player ( Stormslayer ), one was illustrated by Alan Langford ( Spellbreaker ), two were illustrated by Tony Hough ( Knights of Doom and Bloodbones ), and three were illustrated by Martin McKenna ( Curse of the Mummy , Howl of the Werewolf , and Night of the Necromancer ).
Martin has recently listed a number of his Fighting Fantasy illustrations on
ArtPal
, including the covers he produced for the Wizard Books' edition of
Bloodbones
and
Spellbreaker
. You can marvel at his artistry here and order prints of his illustrations yourself.
While we're on the subject of Spellbreaker, next month marks 25 years since its publication. To commemorate the occasion I will be running a prize draw at the UK Games Expo next weekend. If you buy a book from me over the course of the three days, you will be entered into the prize draw for a chance to win a signed, limited hardback collector's edition of my latest gamebook, NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters!
* Penned by Yours Truly, in case you didn't already know.
Was this you? If it was drop me a line!
Talking of my Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, of the seven I have written, one was illustrated by Stephen Player ( Stormslayer ), one was illustrated by Alan Langford ( Spellbreaker ), two were illustrated by Tony Hough ( Knights of Doom and Bloodbones ), and three were illustrated by Martin McKenna ( Curse of the Mummy , Howl of the Werewolf , and Night of the Necromancer ).
Martin has recently listed a number of his Fighting Fantasy illustrations on
ArtPal
, including the covers he produced for the Wizard Books' edition of
Bloodbones
and
Spellbreaker
. You can marvel at his artistry here and order prints of his illustrations yourself.While we're on the subject of Spellbreaker, next month marks 25 years since its publication. To commemorate the occasion I will be running a prize draw at the UK Games Expo next weekend. If you buy a book from me over the course of the three days, you will be entered into the prize draw for a chance to win a signed, limited hardback collector's edition of my latest gamebook, NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters!
* Penned by Yours Truly, in case you didn't already know.
