The Lowdown with… Jonathan Green

Tomorrow sees the release of Snowbooks' GAME OVER anthology! So, of course, for the last in this special edition of The Lowdown, we could only interview one man: its editor, Jonathan Green, (aka The Evil Genius Without Whom The Anthology Would Not Exist.) Jonathan is a writer of speculative fiction, with more than fifty books to his name. Well known for his contributions to the Fighting Fantasy range of adventure gamebooks, he has also written fiction for such diverse properties as Doctor Who, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000, Sonic the Hedgehog, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Moshi Monsters, LEGO and Judge Dredd.

He is the creator of the Pax Britannia series for Abaddon Books and has written eight novels set within this steampunk universe, featuring the debonair dandy adventurer Ulysses Quicksilver. Jonathan also the author of an increasing number of non-fiction titles, including the award-winning YOU ARE THE HERO – A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks.

GAME OVER is his second anthology as editor, the first being the critically-acclaimed SHARKPUNK, also published by Snowbooks. To find out more about his current projects visit www.JonathanGreenAuthor.com and follow him on Twitter here.

1. Tell us three things about yourself.

The artist who designed the masks used in Mad Max: Fury Road illustrated my first published comic strip. I once directed Colin Firth (yes, the Colin Firth). Leeta from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine once bought me dinner.

2. What was the first thing you had published?

Spellbreaker, a Fighting Fantasy gamebook published by Puffin Books in 1993. I’ve been published every year since.

3. Of which piece of writing are you most proud?

YOU ARE THE HERO – A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks. It was a real labour of love and took me almost two years to write. It is also the only thing I’ve written that has featured on the BBC News website or won an award.

4. …and which makes you cringe?

I’m proud of everything I’ve had published, to a greater or lesser extent, but some passages in my early novels were just too overblown and featured far too many adjectives.

5. What’s a normal writing day like?

Is there such a thing? For me, at the moment, a ‘normal’ writing day never seems to include enough actual writing time, and ends up with me going to bed far later than is sensible – but then my kids are half way through their school summer holidays at the moment.

6. Which piece of writing should someone who’s never read you before pick up first?

It depends on what they’re into really, as I’ve been fortunate to have written a whole range of different things for different age groups.

The best example of my non-fiction work is YOU ARE THE HERO, which I’ve been told can be enjoyed as a social history of the 1980s and as a fantasy art book, even if you have never actually heard of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks before.

If short horror fiction is your thing, then check out my short story The Doll’s House. In terms of long-form fiction, give my Steampunk novel Pax Britannia: Dark Side a go. And if you love adventure gamebooks, then Howl of the Werewolf would be the one to go for, if you can find a copy; if not, try Night of the Necromancer.

7. What are you working on now? 

Aside from promoting GAME OVER to death, I am writing a brand new adventure gamebook inspired by the works of Lewis Carroll, called Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland. As well as being a gamebook it is also features a healthy dose of my perennial occupations, Steampunk and horror. And of course, I’m also planning my next anthology…

GAME OVER is released tomorrow!