Choose My Own Adventure
Yes, I did it! I wrote *5* Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books for Bantam/Edward Packard back in the day. Recently the delightful Molly Tanzer interviewed a few of us original writers - and readers! - and.... series creator Ed Packard himself! What a nice guy he was - and clearly still is. And now her piece on CYOA is up on Fantasy Magazine's online, um, magazine thing. You can read it here.
I found out about CYOA's at a World Fantasy Convention, when a very nice Bantam editor (Ron something?) was there showing them off. "Hey," I thought; "I could do that!" And I needed the money because my first novel, Swordspoint, was taking a whole lot longer to write than I thought it would. So I put together a proposal, and went in to see the CYOA editor.... And I made a little money. I wrote a little novel. Or two. (And then I got a Real Job....and my books were published . . . but that's another story.)
*Oh, OK, here they are:
Outlaws of Sherwood Forest (#47). 1985.
The Enchanted Kingdom (#56). 1986.
Statue of Liberty Adventure (#58). 1986.
The Mystery of the Secret Room (#63). 1986.
Knights of the Round Table (#86). 1988.
(They're all listed here in my newly-revised Complete Bibliography, too.)
ETA: And most of my illustrations were by my friend & neighbor, Judith Mitchell. We had fun with that - I had her draw my old boss as the Sheriff of Nottingham! (I was temporarily her art agent, too - mostly because she was anxious about taking her portfolio 'round, and I wasn't. This was the best gig I managed to get her, I think... Not really cut out for the agenting game.)
This just in: And Kat Howard's companion story in the same "CYOA" edition of Fantasy Magazine - titled, not coincidentally, "Choose Your Own Adventure" - is dedicated to
me!
So says Kat in her Author Spotlight.
I am suitably chuffed. And touched. And delighted.
I found out about CYOA's at a World Fantasy Convention, when a very nice Bantam editor (Ron something?) was there showing them off. "Hey," I thought; "I could do that!" And I needed the money because my first novel, Swordspoint, was taking a whole lot longer to write than I thought it would. So I put together a proposal, and went in to see the CYOA editor.... And I made a little money. I wrote a little novel. Or two. (And then I got a Real Job....and my books were published . . . but that's another story.)
*Oh, OK, here they are:
Outlaws of Sherwood Forest (#47). 1985.
The Enchanted Kingdom (#56). 1986.
Statue of Liberty Adventure (#58). 1986.
The Mystery of the Secret Room (#63). 1986.
Knights of the Round Table (#86). 1988.
(They're all listed here in my newly-revised Complete Bibliography, too.)
ETA: And most of my illustrations were by my friend & neighbor, Judith Mitchell. We had fun with that - I had her draw my old boss as the Sheriff of Nottingham! (I was temporarily her art agent, too - mostly because she was anxious about taking her portfolio 'round, and I wasn't. This was the best gig I managed to get her, I think... Not really cut out for the agenting game.)
This just in: And Kat Howard's companion story in the same "CYOA" edition of Fantasy Magazine - titled, not coincidentally, "Choose Your Own Adventure" - is dedicated to
me!
So says Kat in her Author Spotlight.
I am suitably chuffed. And touched. And delighted.