Jonathan Green talking about writing Fighting Fantasy gamebooks

I shall be at Ealing Central Library tomorrow, Saturday 19 September, from 2-4pm talking about writing adventure gamebooks.

Find out how I set about writing the brand new Fighting Fantasy adventure Stormslayer and get a special sneak preview of the forthcoming Night of the Necromancer. As well as the talk, there will be a range of activities for children of all ages to take part it and you can buy copies of Stormslayer on the day, and of course get them signed by me.

I've even had some new pencils made especially for the occasion, and the guys at Wizard Books have sent me a suitably ghoulish Creature of Havoc cut-out to set the tone for the afternoon.

And if you do happen to pop along, don't be afraid to say 'Hi!' and tell me The Blog sent you!

Christmas at the Rainforest Cafe

Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary to hold your Christmas Party this year?

Then why not try the Rainforest Cafe this December?

You can download their Christmas menu here.

A Cthulhu Christmas

For the Lovecraft fanatic in your life...

Five Impossible Things to Believe Before Christmas

Published this week is Five Impossible Things to Believe Before Christmas by Kevin Scully, ordained in the Church of England and currently the rector of St Matthew's, Bethnal Green.

Here's what the book's publishers, The Bible Reading Fellowship, have to say about it:

Are you looking for a fresh look at things that we sometimes take for granted, skirt around or ignore completely - a dip-in book for Advent that sharpens our appreciation of and wonder at the season?

From the angel appearing to a teenage girl to give her the shocking news of an unexpected pregnancy, to the sudden appearance of mysterious 'wise men' following a star in search of a king, the Christmas story can feel so familiar that we can forget just how outrageous - and, humanly speaking, impossible - its many twists and turns really are.

The author of Into Your Hands presents non-dated Advent reading that combines reflection on the biblical events with wry comment on modern consumer culture. Five Impossible Things to Believe Before Christmas provokes Christians to consider afresh the shock of what we are asking people to believe. Each chapter concludes with questions for personal reflection, exercises for group use and a prayer.

Contents include:

• Introduction
• The wings of an angel: angel visitations
• Threats to society: the subversive message of Christmas
• Daring to say yes: Mary
• The crack in the universe: how does God become a baby?
• Rounding it off: the star in the east

To find out more about Five Impossible Things to Believe Before Christmas click here.

Christmas Crafts

Available now, ready in time for the festive season, Christmas Hand Puppet Sewing Kits from Baker Ross - The Ideas Shop.

What was the most popular girl's name in December 2008?

It's not hard to guess really - it was Holly!

The Office for National Statistics has published its findings and overall, throughout the year, Holly came 22nd on the list of most popular girls' names.

The top ten baby names for girls were: Olivia, Ruby, Emily, Grace, Jessica, Chloe, Sophie, Lily, Amelia and Evie.

The top ten baby names for boys were, in order of popularity: Jack, Oliver, Thomas, Harry, Joshua, Alfie, Charlie, Daniel, James and William.

And a suitably seasonal names for a boy, Gabriel, was a high climber, up 14 places to the number 78 slot.

Free mince pie!

Drop by my Christmas Miscellany blog (the American companion blog to this one) and receive a mince pie, absolutely free!


And keep an eye on the Christmas Miscellany blog over the coming weeks as people the world over start to prepare for the big day.