The Choice is yours...but don't choose wrong

So I'm currently in the process of getting Dice Book Publishing's first "Dice Book" put together. In the mean time I thought I'd create a post to enlighten and share a few Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) works I'm familiar with and enjoy.Now in my last post I briefly mentioned that most traditional CYOA books give you a variety of options to progress the story, but only one of them is actually going to further the story. The others will in fact end the story (usually with the protagonist's death) and then invite you to try again. Still fun, but can be frustrating at times, especially when the context of the situation gives absolutely no hint as to what the right course of action is. Now, despite this form of CYOA writing, when you're immersed in a well written story, potentially in a world that you've already become invested in, the book is a blast no matter what. Growing up Animorphs was that series for me. It followed a team of teenagers that were granted the ability to absorb the DNA of any sentient life form they touched, and then "Morph" into that life form. They used this power to fight against an alien invasion. Growing up I already loved these books. I felt like I knew the characters, and was invested in them. So when I got the chance to become an Animorph through a CYOA novel, I was thrilled. In the novel I got to meet characters like: Jake, Marco, Rachel, and Cassie, all of whom I'd followed on their adventures for years. Not only did I get to meet them, I got to be one of them. Absorbing my own animals, morphing and going on missions with them. It was exciting. So even though I sometimes chose the wrong path, and got me and the rest of the Alien fighting team killed, the experience still connected on a deeper level. Which is why I'd recommend these despite its classical CYOA style.Author K.A Applegate does such a great job of making you part of an already established world, that regardless of what happens within the story, you'll have a great time reading.Now, part of what Dice Book Publishing is trying to do with the upcoming "Dice Books" is separate ourselves from the classical CYOA style, by providing multiple outcomes for a single story. One wrong choice doesn't have to mean the end of the adventure. Until recently I hadn't seen this type of CYOA done before.However I recently came across "Slay the Blood Witches" By Nathaniel Dale Epperson. While Nathaniel's book doesn't utilize the RPG dice progression system that Dice Book Publishing is striving to integrate, he has created an adventure in which more than one choice brings you to a survivable outcome. He manages to do so all while painting a vivid fantasy world for the reader, laced with dry and subtle humor.Although he doesn't use a traditional dice progression system, there are moments and encounters within his book that if navigated correctly will aide you later on in the story. Your choices matter; not just to get through to the end of the book. The overall experience can change based on how you react to given situations. You can still get to the end utilizing your quick thinking and gut instinct, but Nathaniel rewards readers with a hunger for adventure and a risk taker attitude. Sure you may put yourself in a bit more danger, but the potential pay off of such risks add a fresh element to CYOA books I hadn't yet seen. Definitely worth checking out, especially if you are familiar with the traditional CYOA genre. Finally my last suggestion is for all of you future CYOA writers out there, who love the genre and want to try their hand at writing their own CYOA novel. I can tell you from experience that writing this type of story can be tricky. The more interactive the work, the more difficult the writing becomes...potentially.Karen Woodward's fittingly titled "How to Write a CYOA story" is a great way to learn the fundamental In's and Out's of writing it. Woodward provides helpful tips and advice on how to organize and develop your stories, so that they are in fact "Stories" and not just a series of choices. This is important. The reader needs to be invested in the world they are now a part of. One of my favorite things Woodward does is that she chooses examples from the wildly popular world of Harry Potter. She takes snippets from the Harry Potter books and applies those situations to a CYOA format, touching on how particular situations could be adapted into "Decision Nodes" ( The point in the story where you as the reader make a direct choice which will determine how the story will progress). Its an easy read with easy to follow examples and a great resource for anyone interested in the genre.Thank you all for reading. Check out our recent Coming of Age novel "If Only" if you have't yet, and stay tuned for our first "Dice Book"