Shannon Gilligan
Encyclopedia
Shannon Gilligan is an author
of interactive fiction
and computer games. She graduated from Williams College
in 1981 and spent a year abroad at Doshisha University
in Kyoto
, Japan
. She has been extensively involved in the Choose Your Own Adventure
series, having written five books in the main series and six others in the "Younger Readers" series. Her stepsons, Ramsey Montgomery(deceased) and Anson Montgomery, wrote several books in the series as well and Shannon is married to the series co-founder, R. A. Montgomery
. She also writes the History Mystery Series and Our Secret Gang series for children. Over 2 million copies of her books are in print in several languages including English, Italian, Spanish and Turkish. She also worked in mystery computer games for Activision
such as The Elk Moon Murder and the Murder Mystery series for Creative Multimedia. She was the first person to be inducted into the Mystery Writers of America
based on interactive works.
Some of her works include:
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of interactive fiction
Interactive fiction
Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives and as video games. In common usage, the term refers to text...
and computer games. She graduated from Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
in 1981 and spent a year abroad at Doshisha University
Doshisha University
, or is a prestigious private university in Kyoto, Japan. The university has approximately 27,000 students on three campuses, in faculties of theology, letters, law, commerce, economics, policy, and engineering...
in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. She has been extensively involved in the Choose Your Own Adventure
Choose Your Own Adventure
Choose Your Own Adventure is a series of children's gamebooks where each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character's actions and the plot's outcome. The series was based on a...
series, having written five books in the main series and six others in the "Younger Readers" series. Her stepsons, Ramsey Montgomery(deceased) and Anson Montgomery, wrote several books in the series as well and Shannon is married to the series co-founder, R. A. Montgomery
R. A. Montgomery
Raymond Almiran Montgomery is an American author and key figure in the Choose Your Own Adventure interactive children's book series.-Career:...
. She also writes the History Mystery Series and Our Secret Gang series for children. Over 2 million copies of her books are in print in several languages including English, Italian, Spanish and Turkish. She also worked in mystery computer games for Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
such as The Elk Moon Murder and the Murder Mystery series for Creative Multimedia. She was the first person to be inducted into the Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....
based on interactive works.
Some of her works include:
- in the Choose Your Own Adventure books for younger readers series
- #14 The Search for Champ (November 1983)
- #15 The Three Wishes (April 1984)
- #21 Mona Is Missing (October 1984)
- #29 The Fairy Kidnap (August 1985)
- #33 Haunted Harbor (April 1986)
- #43 Home in Time for Christmas (December 1987)
- in the Choose Your Own Adventure series
- #44 The Mystery of Ura Senke (May 1985)
- #53 The Case of the Silk King (February 1986, adapted by ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
for an hour-long prime-time special) - #81 Terror in Australia (July 1988)
- #119 The Terrorist Trap (November 1991)
- #127 Showdown (August 1992)
- mystery games
- The Elk Moon Murder
- Who Killed Brett Penace? The Environmental Surfer
- Who Killed Sam Rupert?
- Who Killed Elspeth Haskard?
- The Magic Death
- Who Killed Taylor French?
- Comic Creator, called the best software of 1995 by People magazinePeople (magazine)In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...