Jonathan Green's Blog, page 82
January 13, 2018
Short Story Saturday - Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters II
Just a quick reminder that Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters II is currently funding on Kickstarter and is already at 30% (as of writing).
January 11, 2018
Steampunk Thursday: The Charles Dickens Museum
On the twelfth day of Christmas I visited the
Charles Dickens Museum
in Holborn. Despite having lived in West London for over 20 years, this was my first visit and I couldn't have timed it better, since the house was decorated for Christmas.
Unless this is the first time you have visited my blog, you may have noticed that I've been a little bit obsessed with Dickens' A Christmas Carol of late. Unsurprisingly, considering the season, the museum was hosting an exhibition about the most famous Christmas story in the world (after the Nativity), which included costumes from the recent film The Man Who Invented Christmas , and delved into the origins of the story.
If you've not been before, and you're down London way, it's definitely worth a visit. You can see the actual desk and chair that Dickens wrote at in his study, along with his personal collection of books.
It may not be Christmas any longer, but the first Scrooge and Marley (Deceased) tale, The Haunted Man , is still available as an eBook from Amazon, and I fully intend to write further stories over the coming year, as long as there's enough support for the books.
On a side note, is it just me or is The Carol of the Bells absolutely everywhere now around Christmas time? Ten years ago I don't think I'd even heard of it, but now it's everywhere, in adverts, on TV shows and film soundtracks... there's no getting away from it. Not that I'm complaining, I think it's great - especially this version.
Unless this is the first time you have visited my blog, you may have noticed that I've been a little bit obsessed with Dickens' A Christmas Carol of late. Unsurprisingly, considering the season, the museum was hosting an exhibition about the most famous Christmas story in the world (after the Nativity), which included costumes from the recent film The Man Who Invented Christmas , and delved into the origins of the story.
If you've not been before, and you're down London way, it's definitely worth a visit. You can see the actual desk and chair that Dickens wrote at in his study, along with his personal collection of books.
It may not be Christmas any longer, but the first Scrooge and Marley (Deceased) tale, The Haunted Man , is still available as an eBook from Amazon, and I fully intend to write further stories over the coming year, as long as there's enough support for the books.
On a side note, is it just me or is The Carol of the Bells absolutely everywhere now around Christmas time? Ten years ago I don't think I'd even heard of it, but now it's everywhere, in adverts, on TV shows and film soundtracks... there's no getting away from it. Not that I'm complaining, I think it's great - especially this version.
January 10, 2018
Warhammer Wednesday: Black Library Open Submissions
Exciting news,
Black Library
fans! Not only is the Black Library open for submissions from new authors, but
Inferno!
magazine is coming back!For anyone who doesn't know, Inferno! was a bi-monthly magazine packed full of comics, short stories and artwork. During its run, I had thirteen short stories published in the magazine - set in the worlds of Warhammer, Warhammer 40K, and Necromunda - along with a couple of comic strips. This led to me writing novels for Black Library, which eventually led to me writing Doctor Who books and creating the Pax Britannia for Abaddon Books.
Incredibly, 2018 marks two decades of the Black Library and to celebrate Inferno! is being given a new lease of life as a collection of short stories, penned by new authors and old, and showcasing the best works from across our many universes, including Warhammer Age of Sigmar, Warhammer 40,000, Necromunda and Blood Bowl.
If you think you have what it takes to write for the Black Library, now's your chance! You can find out more about the kinds of stories the editorial team are looking for, how long you have to submit ideas, and how to format your submissions, plus full terms and conditions, here .
January 9, 2018
January 8, 2018
Thought for the Day
"I'm growing increasingly convinced that genre (fantasy, sci fi, etc.) are more window dressing than category and that the stories are more broken down into heists, coming of age, revenge story, etc. So, you know, stuff to keep in mind when you're writing. The genres are loose enough to fit the kind of story you want to tell. Build the genre around the story."~ Sam Sykes, American epic fantasy author
January 6, 2018
Short Story Saturday - Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters II
I am involved with a new Kickstarter project but just for once I'm not running it. The Kickstarter in question is being run by
Outland Entertainment
to fund production of a second monster-sized anthology of kaiju stories, called, appropriately enough,
Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters II
.
I was thrilled when Nick Sharps, the project's creator, invited me to contribute a short story, which is something wholly original and not set in any of my existing ongoing worlds.
If you're a fan of my short stories, you may be interested to know that there is a unique reward on offer. If you would like your name to feature in my story, The Ghost in the Machine , then you need to select the 'Jonathan Green gets Stompy!' reward.
Other contributors to the book include Lee Murray, Melanie R. Meadors, Cullen Bunn, Kane Gilmour, Guadalupe Garcia McCall, Jeremy Robinson, Nick Cole, Steven Diamond, Marie Brennan, Mari Murdock, Sabrina Vourvoulias, Zin E. Rocklyn, Dan Wells, and M. L. Brennan.
The project launches on Tuesday 9th January 2018 and you can check out the project's preview page here.
The awesome cover art for Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters II by Tan Ho Sim.
I was thrilled when Nick Sharps, the project's creator, invited me to contribute a short story, which is something wholly original and not set in any of my existing ongoing worlds.
If you're a fan of my short stories, you may be interested to know that there is a unique reward on offer. If you would like your name to feature in my story, The Ghost in the Machine , then you need to select the 'Jonathan Green gets Stompy!' reward.
Other contributors to the book include Lee Murray, Melanie R. Meadors, Cullen Bunn, Kane Gilmour, Guadalupe Garcia McCall, Jeremy Robinson, Nick Cole, Steven Diamond, Marie Brennan, Mari Murdock, Sabrina Vourvoulias, Zin E. Rocklyn, Dan Wells, and M. L. Brennan.
The project launches on Tuesday 9th January 2018 and you can check out the project's preview page here.
The awesome cover art for Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters II by Tan Ho Sim.January 5, 2018
Gamebook Friday: NEVERLAND Late Pledges
Just a reminder that if you missed the Kickstarter for my latest ACE Gamebook
NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters!
you can still put in 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 reward levels below and select the one you would like.Look through the list of add-ons and decide if you would like to add any of these to your pledge.Add the cost of any add-ons to the cost of the reward level you have selected, finally adding the correct postage for your country, to calculate the total amount you will need to pay.Email info@jonathangreenauthor.com, making the title of your email 'NEVERLAND Late Pledge' and listing the reward and add-ons you have selected, along with the amount of money you will need to pay, including postage. I will then get back to you with details of how to make your payment via PayPal.
Please note - you can find out more about precisely what comes with each reward level by visiting the NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters! project page here .
(No postage required)
(No postage required)
(No postage required)
(Post and packing: UK £6 - European Union £16 - Rest of World £22)
(Post and packing: UK £6 - European Union £16 - Rest of World £22)
(Post and packing: UK £6 - European Union £17 - Rest of World £24)
(Post and packing: Free in the UK or if included with another reward - European Union £6 - Rest of World £8)
(Post and packing: Free in the UK or if included with another reward - European Union £6 - Rest of World £8)
(Post and packing: Free in the UK or if included with another reward - European Union £6 - Rest of World £8)
(Post and packing: Free in the UK or if included with another reward - European Union £6 - Rest of World £8)
* Probably until the end of January. I will inform everyone when Late Pledges are closing.
Here's what you need to do if you would like to make a Late Pledge to the Kickstarter:
Look through the list of reward levels below and select the one you would like.Look through the list of add-ons and decide if you would like to add any of these to your pledge.Add the cost of any add-ons to the cost of the reward level you have selected, finally adding the correct postage for your country, to calculate the total amount you will need to pay.Email info@jonathangreenauthor.com, making the title of your email 'NEVERLAND Late Pledge' and listing the reward and add-ons you have selected, along with the amount of money you will need to pay, including postage. I will then get back to you with details of how to make your payment via PayPal.
Please note - you can find out more about precisely what comes with each reward level by visiting the NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters! project page here .
(No postage required)
(No postage required)
(No postage required)
(Post and packing: UK £6 - European Union £16 - Rest of World £22)
(Post and packing: UK £6 - European Union £16 - Rest of World £22)
(Post and packing: UK £6 - European Union £17 - Rest of World £24)
(Post and packing: Free in the UK or if included with another reward - European Union £6 - Rest of World £8)
(Post and packing: Free in the UK or if included with another reward - European Union £6 - Rest of World £8)
(Post and packing: Free in the UK or if included with another reward - European Union £6 - Rest of World £8)
(Post and packing: Free in the UK or if included with another reward - European Union £6 - Rest of World £8)
* Probably until the end of January. I will inform everyone when Late Pledges are closing.
December 31, 2017
Review of the Year - 2017
It's that time of year again when I like to look back over the achievements of the last twelve months, before looking forward to what the next year has in store writing-wise.
I only had four books come out in 2016*, but I made up for that this year, with a grand total of fourteen titles that I was associated with in some way being released throughout 2017. (And that doesn't include the three German Edition Pax Britannia eBooks released in May**.)
They include one re-issue, three short story anthologies that I have short stories in, Hacking the Curriculum , to which I contributed a chapter about using interactive fiction in the classroom, two colouring books based on my ACE Gamebooks, one new gamebook, the second volume in my history of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, a Doctor Who tie-in title, a Minecraft tie-in title, a graphic novel that compiles the four-part comic mini-series I edited, and two titles I have self-published.
At the start of the year I launched the
SHARKPUNK 2
Kickstarter, which unfortunately gained no traction at all. However, the next two Kickstarters -
YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2
and
NEVERLAND
- did fund, fortunately!
YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2
funded on 1st April and the finished book was delivered to me on 1st September, just in time for
Fighting Fantasy Fest 2
!
As well as organising Fighting Fantasy Fest 2, and the world's first Fighting Fantasy pub quiz, I attended far more events than last year, including the Steampunk Author Showcase at the Essex Book Festival, the Freeway Fighter signing at Forbidden Planet, the UK Games Expo 2017, the Steampunk Essextraordianaire III, Dragondaze, GamesFest, ArmadaCon, and Dragonmeet. (I also received a very warm welcome when I visited the Barnes and Noble store in New York back in April, but that's another story!)
There are a number of projects I've worked on this year that won't see print until 2018. One of those jobs was working on a brand-new Fighting Fantasy gamebook with Charlie Higson, of all people, which was nice.
Another highlight of the year was meeting Iain McCaig at FFF2, who greeted me like an old friend, even thought it was the first time we had even spoken!
As one year comes to an end, I already have plenty of work lined up for 2018, including a couple of short stories, NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters! , and hopefully some more Scrooge and Marley (Deceased) .
But of all the amazing memories I have from this year, what will I remember most from 2017? 2013 was the Year of Moshi Monsters, 2014 was the Year of YOU ARE THE HERO , 2015 was the Year of Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland , and 2016 was the Year of Robin of Sherwood. However, I think I will always remember 2017 as the Year of The Wicked Wizard of Oz .
Thank you for reading my books and supporting my Kickstarters in 2017, and here's to 2018. And talking of 2018, German gamebook fans have this to look forward to...
* And one of them was a re-issue.
** Or the new edition of YOU ARE THE HERO Part 1 that was released to accompany the YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2 Kickstarter, or the Print on Demand reprint of Status: Deadzone available now from Black Library.
I only had four books come out in 2016*, but I made up for that this year, with a grand total of fourteen titles that I was associated with in some way being released throughout 2017. (And that doesn't include the three German Edition Pax Britannia eBooks released in May**.)
They include one re-issue, three short story anthologies that I have short stories in, Hacking the Curriculum , to which I contributed a chapter about using interactive fiction in the classroom, two colouring books based on my ACE Gamebooks, one new gamebook, the second volume in my history of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, a Doctor Who tie-in title, a Minecraft tie-in title, a graphic novel that compiles the four-part comic mini-series I edited, and two titles I have self-published.
At the start of the year I launched the
SHARKPUNK 2
Kickstarter, which unfortunately gained no traction at all. However, the next two Kickstarters -
YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2
and
NEVERLAND
- did fund, fortunately!
YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2
funded on 1st April and the finished book was delivered to me on 1st September, just in time for
Fighting Fantasy Fest 2
!As well as organising Fighting Fantasy Fest 2, and the world's first Fighting Fantasy pub quiz, I attended far more events than last year, including the Steampunk Author Showcase at the Essex Book Festival, the Freeway Fighter signing at Forbidden Planet, the UK Games Expo 2017, the Steampunk Essextraordianaire III, Dragondaze, GamesFest, ArmadaCon, and Dragonmeet. (I also received a very warm welcome when I visited the Barnes and Noble store in New York back in April, but that's another story!)
There are a number of projects I've worked on this year that won't see print until 2018. One of those jobs was working on a brand-new Fighting Fantasy gamebook with Charlie Higson, of all people, which was nice.
Another highlight of the year was meeting Iain McCaig at FFF2, who greeted me like an old friend, even thought it was the first time we had even spoken!
As one year comes to an end, I already have plenty of work lined up for 2018, including a couple of short stories, NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters! , and hopefully some more Scrooge and Marley (Deceased) .
But of all the amazing memories I have from this year, what will I remember most from 2017? 2013 was the Year of Moshi Monsters, 2014 was the Year of YOU ARE THE HERO , 2015 was the Year of Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland , and 2016 was the Year of Robin of Sherwood. However, I think I will always remember 2017 as the Year of The Wicked Wizard of Oz .
Thank you for reading my books and supporting my Kickstarters in 2017, and here's to 2018. And talking of 2018, German gamebook fans have this to look forward to...
* And one of them was a re-issue.
** Or the new edition of YOU ARE THE HERO Part 1 that was released to accompany the YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2 Kickstarter, or the Print on Demand reprint of Status: Deadzone available now from Black Library.
December 25, 2017
Thought for the Day
"I will honour Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year."
~ Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
~ Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
