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The Best Books of 2021 (JS List)

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The Best Books of 2021 (according to author James Schannep)

Of course, this list is incredibly subjective, but these are the books that resonated with me in 2021. What were your favorite reads (or listens) of the year?

Best Debut

The Island of Dr Moreau by KJ Shadmand

The first book on this list comes from a teacher who grew up as a fan of interactive fiction and gamebooks. He blended his love of classic literature and branching path narratives to create this impressive first gamebook in what the author intends to be a series of reimagined classics focusing on the works of HG Wells.

Most Impressive

Dracula: Curse of the Vampire by Jonathan Green

This modern master also took inspiration from the classics to create a momentous accomplishment. Unlike the last entrant, Jonathan Green has been entrenched in the world of gamebooks for decades, and brings that expertise to bear in this impressive tome. Greatly expanding upon Bram Stokers mythos while gamifying the story and creating several playable narratives in one.

Best Graphic Novel

Captive by MC & Manuro

Published by Van Ryder Games, this is part of a series of interactive graphic novels. The navigation system is ingenious, and is so visually based, it’s no wonder it has been translated into several languages (it was originally written in French). I played this book with my wife and we made the choices together. Great fun.

Best Classic

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

While plotting and researching HAUNTED, I read and listened to myriad haunted house stories, but one stood out among the rest–a forerunner and standard-bear of this medium, and well deserving of its reputation. Part horror, part psychological drama, you’ll likely see inspiration pulled from Hill House should you choose to enter the Tansky House in HAUNTED.

Best Audiobook

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Like most of the audio-listening world, I fell in love with Andy Weir’s The Martian narrated by R.C. Bray. I’m pleased to have partnered with this award-winning narrator for my new version of INFECTED and I’m also happy that Andy Weir has returned to survival space drama. I didn’t quite connect with Artemis as much as I’d have liked, but with Ray Porter narrating, it feels like Mark Watney is back in this new book.

Best Nonfiction

The Believing Brain by Michael Shermer

Another book I listened to while deeply immersed in ghost stories; I found Shermer’s insight into why we as humans believe what we believe incredibly useful. I’d add Carl Sagan’s The Demon Haunted World as an honorable mention in this category of books that highlight how thinking skeptically is actually a learned behavior, while being quick to believe comes naturally.

Best Bookish Podcast

Instadeath Survivors Support Group with Brian Hazzard

From neonate gamebook fan to expert interviewer, Brian Hazzard used the past year to dive deeply into the world of interactive fiction. He blends author interviews with playthroughs of branching-path books to bring a compelling podcast into this growing community. Yours truly is featured in an interview and it was a pleasure.

And that’s my list for 2021! But speaking of books… there’s still time to get signed and shipped Click Your Poison books before Christmas if you missed my Holiday Sign & Ship announcement. If you’re reading this blog post prior to December 20th, reach out to me and we’ll make it happen!

As always, thanks for reading. Let me know in the comments if you have any books that you fell in love with this year. Until next time, I remain…

Your author,

Get MAROONED!

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Praise for MAROONED: 

“More thrilling than fifteen men on a dead man’s chest–more fun than a bottle of rum!”
-Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island 

“If I could only bring one book to a desert island, that book would be MAROONED.”
-Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe 

“I wish I’d thought to make mine interactive…”
-Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick 

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3 Unique Storylines. Over 50 Possible Endings. Just one question… Will YOU Endure Treachery and Survival on the High Seas? 

Here’s how it works: You, Dear Reader, are the main character of this story, a youth born to prosperity in the English countryside. Now it’s up to you to sail atop the vast oceans or be swallowed into their murky depths. Each link represents a choice, and there’s no going back, so choose wisely.

Whether you’re a fan of classic books series like Horatio Hornblower and Aubrey/Maturin, or more modern films and shows like Pirates of the Caribbean or Black Sails, you can now live your own high seas adventure! Like the gamebooks popular in the 1980s-90s (Choose Your Own Adventure, Give Yourself Goosebumps, etc), this is a series where you choose how to progress through the book. Unlike any others, this is the first novel-length interactive book series for adults. And as an ebook, you simply click your choice and the story flows forward for you. No flipping pages.

Prefer a paperback? Make your choice:

You’re captive on a pirate ship, but the Royal Navy is giving chase. What do YOU do?

-Find a weapon. Time to fight off these pirates and help your liberators! Go to page 106
-Sabotage the ship. Drop the anchor and strike the sails! Go to page 259

Get MAROONED today!

CYP#4: Cooper Complete!

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Finishing up with Cooper marks the completion of PATHOGENS. Or the first draft, anyway. It’s by far my longest book, both in terms of word count and choices. Six whole characters to choose from! Cooper eventually becomes the leader of the merry band of survivors in the city, which is how you meet her in INFECTED. But it didn’t start off that way. You get to step in her shoes and go from ordinary grease monkey to the draconian leader of a group of survivors in PATHOGENS.

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PS — Sure was hard to find a picture of a female mechanic actually working. Cooper would no doubt roll her eyes at the bimbos posing secuctivly (wearing, ahem, very little protective gear) that I had to wade through in Google images.

Up next? Editing! However, I’m thinking of reaching out for the first time to beta testers for the various characters. If you’re interested, make sure you sign up for my mailing list.

Thanks for reading! Excited? Confused? Bemused?

Leave me a comment below, and don’t forget to share and subscribe!

Hey, Mambo! (INFETTO è in italiano)

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Caro lettore, ti scrivo a voi la cortesia di Google Translate. La mia lingua madre è l’inglese, ma ora i miei libri sono disponibili per voi in italiano! Continua a leggere per i dettagli.

Dear Reader, if your eye is drawn to this English paragraph, this post is not for you! INFECTED has been translated into Italian, reanimated as INFETTO, and this announcement is for readers of that language. But if you know any Italian readers, feel free to share. All Click Your Poison books will eventually be published in Italian, so it’s time to celebrate! 

Mi scuso se loro sono errori in questo messaggio tradotto automaticamente, ma una casa editrice con sede a Torino chiamato Catnip Edizioni si sta portando i miei “Clicca il tuo Veleno” per i lettori librogame autoctoni italiani!

Si può leggere di più a http://www.catnipedizioni.it/shop/infetto-clicca-il-tuo-veleno/ E come potete vedere qui sotto , tutti i libri attualmente scontato del 50 %

È ora di festeggiare!

Signed Books Make the Best Gifts!

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Looks like it’s a tradition now. First, I offer up my favorite reads of the year. Then, I offer to sign some of my books for you. Which is what’s happening now.

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If you’re interested, I’ll sign and ship to you, a friend, family, co-worker, Secret Santa, whoever or wherever. Call it $20 even and I’ll pay for shipping. I’m limited to what I have on hand, so it’s first-come first-served until they’re gone. All three books, same deal. Because flat rate envelopes are where it’s at, unfortunately, I cannot combine shipping costs.

Hit me up on my contact form and we can iron out the payment details over email. I’m going on vacation the second half of December (more on that later — this is going to be a HUGE trip with relevance to Click Your Poison!), so I need all orders in before the 15th of December.

I usually reserve signed books for in-person appearances, so this is a once-a-year opportunity to get me to scribble for you via the internet.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Meeting the author not include. Accessories sold separately. See fine print for details. Exclusions may apply. Not valid with any other author.
Meeting the author not included. No purchase necessary to be a hero or a villain. Accessories sold separately. See fine print for details. Exclusions may apply. Not valid with any other author.

 

Up, up, and away! SUPERPOWERED release!

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SUPERPOWERED has been live in both Kindle edition and paperback for four days now, and I just realized that in all my social media blitzing and marketing, I somehow forgot to mention it on my blog!

My bad. But I’ll redeem myself by saying, “It’s only $0.99 during the special release period!” so that should help, right?

So, grab a copy, tell a friend, and please leave a review. Many promo sites have a minimum number before a feature, so it would really help me out to keep the momentum going.

And look! It’s doing great so far!

Not sure how I'll ever compete with the lady-porn titles, but being the only actual superhero book in the top 5 ain't half bad!
[Click to expand] Not sure how I’ll ever compete with the lady-porn titles, but being the only actual superhero book in the top 5 superhero books ain’t half bad! 
That’s it for now. I’m working on the next book in the series, but more about that later. Make sure you sign up for my new release mailing list so you don’t miss out.

PS — MURDERED is on sale for $0.99 right now as well, so if you haven’t tried to solve the mystery, I suggest that you….

Murdered (0-00-34-20)

Add your opinion in the comments below. And don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!

Book Trailer Easter Egg

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The official book trailer for SUPERPOWERED launched last week. It’s an interactive trailer, where you choose your viewing experience. I’ve also added a sample decision-point for the book on its sub-pages.

And I’ve hidden an Easter egg.

If you’ve read any of my Click Your Poison titles, you know I love hiding things in my books. Well, I did the same thing for my new trailer. Through some ninja-like coding, the team at PixelTwister Studios has made the trailer more interactive. You can watch both the Hero and Villain perspectives simultaneously with something we’ve called DoubleTube.

Be a hero, be a villain, or be both?
Be a hero, be a villain, or be both?

Click the picture above, or the hyperlink here, to watch the video. Then, choose either Hero or Villain. Once the stream starts playing, you can press the V key on your desktop keyboard to cycle from the Hero video into the Villain stream, or press H while watching the Villain video to peek over at Hero side. This will only work through this Easter egg link, and will not work on the regular YouTube site.

I hope you enjoy this hidden gem as much as we did creating it! And don’t forget, SUPERPOWERED is still on pre-order for only $0.99. It’ll be here in a month!

Add your opinion in the comments below. And don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!

SUPERPOWERED Cover Reveal

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Artist Brian Silveira delivered the goods on the SUPERPOWERED cover. And it’s Bam! Pow! Incredible.

Superpowered Final
Click me. See my stunning details.

Yes, this means we’re getting closer to having a book. No firm release date yet, but I’m nearing the end! Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, Brian is working on a landscape promo graphic (all the better to social media with, my dear), and happy to return to his graphic novel (Bun). I’ll totally post info on that when he releases it. Oh! And we may collaborate on future projects. An interactive graphic novel, perhaps?

So, what do YOU think? Intrigued? Dig the cover? Tired of waiting for the book?

Feel free to comment, like, share, and subscribe!

Signed Books For Christmas?

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The earlier blog entry on my favorite books of 2014 got me thinking. I may not have a new book out this year for the holidays, but I do have a few extra copies of INFECTED and MURDERED lying around.

If you’re interested, I’ll sign and ship to you, a friend, family, co-worker, Secret Santa, whoever or wherever. Call it $20 even and I’ll pay for shipping. I’m limited to what I have on hand, so it’s first-come first-served until they’re gone.

Hit me up on my contact form and we can iron out the payment details over email. Priority mail is 1-3 business days, so you’ve got a week or so to get your orders in!

I believe this makes my first “online author signing.” I usually reserve signed books for in-person appearances but you’ve caught me in a rare non-Grinch mood. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

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