My new series where YOU decide the story is out today! Check out the new books HERE–

Here’s something a bit different – I wrote an Alexa Skill! Skills are like apps for Alexa devices such as the Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show or even Fire TV that you control with your voice.

As soon as we got an Echo Dot in our house I knew that it would be a great way to explore interactive fiction. I set about writing a whodunnit, featuring an Alexa-like AI Assistant. It’s called Private AI and you have to deduce who ‘killed’ Elsa, a fictional AI Assistant. Listen to the suspects and decide if they had a strong enough motive to pull the plug on the computer personality.

It’s a nice experiment into interactive fiction and hopefully the first of many for me. To play the game, just say ‘Alexa, launch Private AI’ to your Alexa enabled device and enjoy!

US: https://amzn.to/2ZafUKQ

UK: https://amzn.to/2KIDMRB

I’ve been blogging about notebooks over on the Awfully Big Blog Adventure.

I’ve been banging on about Audio Drama Podcasts over on the Awfully Big Blog Adventure!: https://awfullybigblogadventure.blogspot.com/2019/05/audio-drama-podcasts-by-dan-metcalf.html

#supportanauthor  – http://www.timcollinsbooks.com/p/books.html

You can take your pick of the awesome books to read from Tim Collins! Will is be Dorkus Maximus? Or Cosmic Colin? Or you could try the Diary of a Wimpy Vampire:

“Nigel Mullet, the unfortunate and bungling fifteen-year-old vampire, is back! But this time he not only has to deal with his daily trials of bad skin, an annoying little sister, and the worry of his fangs popping out at inopportune moments. Now he’s got real problems to get his teeth into. In his latest hilarious diary, Nigel starts the new term as one of the most popular pupils in school, and he’s finally got a girlfriend after more than eighty years of being single.”

And so endeth my Xmas Book recommendations! Can you recommend a children’s author (one that definitly doesn’t have their own TV/Radio show?). Use the #supportanauthor hashtag to link them together on this great big web of info.

#supportanauthor – http://www.elsomillustration.co.uk/work/#/publishing-2018-horace-and-harriet/

Mega talented illustrator Clare Elsom is also a sickeningly talented author! Her new series Horace and Harriet tell the adventures of a little girl and her best friend, a local statue.

“Lord Commander Horatio Frederick Wallington Nincompoop Maximus Pimpleberry the Third (or Horace, for short) has been a statue in Princes Park for hundreds of years. But after suffering endless pranks, graffiti and mountains of pigeon poo, Horace has had JUST ABOUT ENOUGH.

He decides it’s time to get off his pedestal. Surely he can find a better home? One suitable for such a fine commander? Assisted by his new friend Harriet (she’s seven and a quarter years old and definitely NOT a statue) Horace tackles modern life in his quest to find the perfect place to live.”

Check out the whole series at the link above.

#supportanauthor  – http://www.jane-clarke.co.uk/page%203.htm

A prolific writer of picture books and chapter books, Jane has written for almost all age groups. Younger readers with love the cute adventures of Dr Kitty Cat and friends!:

“Posy the puppy has hurt her leg. Will Dr KittyCat and her assistant Peanut the mouse be able to help Posy in time for the Paws and Prizes sports day?”

Check out the plethora of other books Jane has available on her site! This is a series of posts encouraging readers to support all authors and get to a local bookshop to order theirs!