May Newsletter
6 July 2026
🔦 Did you like Choose Your Own Adventure books when you were a kid?
I sure did. I'd read them under the doona with a torch. I especially loved one with a Doctor Who theme - I don't recall the title, but I remember the bad guy was Omega, and I remember that by the time I was done with it, the spine was falling apart.
If you keep reading about my childhood, go to page 2.
If you want me to get to the point, turn to page 3.
Page 2:
I actually had a very normal childhood. My mother asked me to emphasise that - people have been looking at her funny ever since I wrote Hangman. For the record, that book says more about my tastes in literature than it does about my upbringing (although there were plenty of thrillers on the shelves in my childhood home).
Go to page 3.
Page 3:
Anyway, I wrote my own branching path story about ten years ago, and now it's getting republished with a punchy new title and a cool new cover. In 30 Minutes to Escape: Bullet Train, you are strapped to your seat on the world's deadliest train. As it accelerates to top speed, things start going seriously wrong and no-one seems to know why. With the clock counting down, every choice you make could be your last. 30 minutes. 30 endings. You choose if you live or die.
If you want clarification about whether this is a new book or an old book, go to page 4.
If you just want to pre-order it, turn to page 5.
Page 4:
Just to be super clear, this is a re-release of Countdown to Danger: Bullet Train Disaster. If you already own that book, there's nothing new here. But if you don't, or if you know a young reader who might enjoy the new edition, turn to page 5.
Page 5:
You have chosen . . . wisely.
Stay awesome, book peeps!
-Jack
P.S. This comic by Ellis J Rosen made me laugh:
