The origins of Shiversprite

As part of the ongoing discussions about my last published Fighting Fantasy gamebook (to date) Howl of the Werewolf, a forum member over at the FFG Forum posted this the other day.

Wow! I finally got it and it doesn't disappoint. Atmospheric and immersive, and somehow believable. I like the reference to a certain alcohol advert a few years ago (the Shiversprite poem!) and the various werewolfy stuff . I managed to make it to Varcolac on my first go (but no further, alas).

To my knowledge, this is the first time that someone has made the connection with the original inspiration behind the winter elemental that appears in the book (or at least the first time they've put their thoughts down anywhere). Here's Shiversprite as realised by the book's illustrator Martin McKenna.

Shiversprite

And here's the advert (quite correctly spotted by tweetygwee, as mentioned in the post above,) that inspired its creation.

The Judderman

One last snippet of information for those who might be interested, I believe that it was Clint Langley (the artist who produced the artwork for my first Black Library novel) who was behind the conceptual designs for the Metz Judderman.

And I've just spotted another subconscious connection between the Judderman and Howl of the Werewolf, involving the last scene from the ad. Anyone else spot it?