Please welcome Christina Crooks, to AtM. She's created a rather unique ebook, and she's here to tell readers all about it!
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Romance Stories - An Interactive Fiction Collection
I'd first heard of interactive fiction in the 80s when I played old text-based computer adventure games like Zork and Leisure Suit Larry. In those games I typed brief commands to pilot my character through adventures, and much of the fun was the cheeky comments I got in reply, especially when I typed a swear word. Then there were the Choose Your Own Adventure[tm] books for kids. Those were short gamebooks narrated in second person, where I played at being an intrepid explorer who got to choose whether to time travel in order to hunt for a dinosaur egg (turn to page 47) or to hike up to the cave of perils to locate the magical talking ruby (turn to page 83). (Those possibly weren't actual choices; it's been a few years.) I also remember there were always lots more ways of failing and dying, often in amusingly grotesque ways, than succeeding.
Technology's reviving the genre of interactive fiction. A few years ago I started building some choose-an-adventure stories on my website just for fun. Then along came modern ebook reading devices. The Kindle's optimized for choose-an-adventure style interactive gamebooks, offering the ability to click to the next section of story rather than turning to page 47 or 83. And to instantly click back if a particular grotesque death is unpalatable. So I figured, why not offer a collection of interactive romance stories for grownups that have the same lighthearted, adventurous feel as the classic books?
My choose-an-adventure style collection of six romance stories is the result. These short stories give the reader choices, and what's decided makes each story veer onto paths with different endings. Each romance story is distinct, each story has at least one romantic happily-ever-after ending, and within each story lurks a few endings where you can die in brutal ways.
Needless to say, they're different from my novels like Hands On. Romance Stories - An Interactive Fiction Collection isn't just different due to the stories being shorter, but it's also way out there in second-person, mixed-genre la-la land, which is why I've added a "T" initial to my name to distinguish it from my more traditional work. I have to admit the weirdness of the interactive genre was part of its appeal to me as a writer, and I look forward to hearing how readers enjoy an updated and romantic version of the classic gamebooks.
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About Romance Stories - An Interactive Fiction Collection:
Be the star of six fun and twisted little romance stories. Explore the playfulness, action, and sudden mortal danger of these adventures with built-in hyperlinks where you choose the direction the stories take. Thirty-five possible endings, but only a few will be a happily ever after. Can you find them?
The six stories include:
"Meeting the Barbarian" - You've lived inside the ground for as long as you can remember.
"The Lifeguard" - You're riding a bicycle down a beach trail when disaster strikes.
"Blood Rock" - You're rock climbing when you encounter a creature from a nightmare... or a fantasy?
"Luck in Love" - Con man or policeman? Your luck in love is about to change.
"Baxter and Bunny" - The love of your life dumps you for a blond receptionist named "Bunny."
"Unfamiliar Ground" - You're a mermaid lured to the shore by a powerful impulse.
Gamebook Directions: When choices are presented to you, touch the 5-WAY CONTROLLER button on your Kindle to select your desired choice. If you change your mind and wish to make a different choice, touch the BACK button (not the Previous Page button) to go back to your previous location.
Enjoy Romance Stories - An Interactive Fiction Collection, for $1.49!
Be the star of six fun and twisted little romance stories. Explore the playfulness, action, and sudden mortal danger of these adventures with built-in hyperlinks where you choose the direction the stories take. Thirty-five possible endings, but only a few will be a happily ever after. Can you find them?
The six stories include:
"Meeting the Barbarian" - You've lived inside the ground for as long as you can remember.
"The Lifeguard" - You're riding a bicycle down a beach trail when disaster strikes.
"Blood Rock" - You're rock climbing when you encounter a creature from a nightmare... or a fantasy?
"Luck in Love" - Con man or policeman? Your luck in love is about to change.
"Baxter and Bunny" - The love of your life dumps you for a blond receptionist named "Bunny."
"Unfamiliar Ground" - You're a mermaid lured to the shore by a powerful impulse.
Gamebook Directions: When choices are presented to you, touch the 5-WAY CONTROLLER button on your Kindle to select your desired choice. If you change your mind and wish to make a different choice, touch the BACK button (not the Previous Page button) to go back to your previous location.
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Enjoy Romance Stories - An Interactive Fiction Collection, for $1.49!
About Christina:
Christina Crooks is a multi-published author with books for sale in print, electronic and audio editions. Her novels have been published by Kensington, Samhain, Five Star/Cengage, and Books in Motion Audiobooks. Christina currently lives in Portland, Oregon. Her books Rough Play, Hands On, Sweet and Dirty, L.A. Caveman, and Thrill of the Chase are available.
You can find Christina at her website (www.christinacrooks.com) on Twitter (http://twitter.com/clcrooks) or connect on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/christinacrooks.author)
Get a copy of Romance Stories - An Interactive Fiction Collection
Giveaway Details:
- Christina is generously gifting one lucky commenter a print copy of HANDS ON, a great backlist story of hers!
- Please leave a comment on what you think about interactive fiction, or a question for Christina, along with your email addy.
- The contest will run from 12/21 - 12/25.
- Winner will be randomly selected and notified via email.
13 comments:
I've never experienced interactive fiction, Christina, so I think I would like to try it!! Do you like writing it better than the old style of your back list books?
Thank you for your generous giveaway! You are a new to me author, so I'm so happy to have found you!
Happy Holidays!
Gena Robertson
robertsongena@hotmail.com
I've actually never heard of interactive romance stories... very interesting concept. I think I like how they give readers give a little more power over how the course of the story goes.
yadkny@hotmail.com
Hi Gena! I'd love for you to try it & I'm glad you found me too! :)To answer your question, it's a different sort of writing pleasure. A novel's gratifying due to the depths I can explore while building to large satisfaction via scenes and characters and climax and so forth. These choose-an-adventure stories are like wee novels where each choice branches to a brand new story path or else an inventively cruel ending. I get to write lots of endings in one book. It's a different flavor for sure.
Hey Yadkny, thanks for visiting. I like that about those stories too - the having the ability to force the plot one way or another. And to go back and re-choose when you go Splat. :)
I never experienced interactive fiction but I would like to try it. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com
I'm not really sure what to think about interactive fiction, but I'm glad you posted about it, so that I now know what it is. I think it's one of those things that you have to try out to see if you'd like it. In general, I don't play games, but I'm certainly willing to give it a try.
jen(at)delux(dot)com
Like others, I've never heard of interactive fiction and have never engaged with an interactive text like that described...and I'm a librarian. I should know about these things! I'll have to try one...
Ho, Ho, Ho...
Catherine
@capefearlibn
catherinelee100[at]gmail[.]com
I've never come across interactive fiction before. It's an interesting idea though.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Christina Crooks is a new author for me but not for long. Her works sound good and I look forward in reading them.
Thanks,
Tracey D
booklover0226 at gmail dot com
Greetings Tore, Jen, Catherine, Marybelle & Tracey. Thanks for the kind words, Tracey! :) Hope you enjoy. Thanks for popping by everyone. Happy Holidays.
Here's some interactive Christmas fun for you that I found yesterday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_714764&feature=iv&src_vid=OZ4hA_pIL9Q&v=1HIGCgpHYB4#t=8s
I didn't really read more than one or two of the interactive fiction books growing up. I think the concept is neat in the romance genre.
mljfoland AT hotmail DOT com
I've never heard of this, but would love to try. I'm not sure my iPad will be able to do this, sometimes it doesn't run videos.
srbagby 50 at gmail dot com
What an interesting concept! I'll have to check it out and see how I like it..in the meanwhile, thanks for the giveaway1
MJB
msmjb65 AT gmail DOT com
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