M'kouhai and regular collaborator Ginger Hoesly had her idea for Moon Man all the way back in fall. Shipments were just coming in for The Hybrid, her first charity zine project (which raised $2k for One to One Children's Fund), and she was already plotting out the next round.

This would be a zine based on the career of Peter Capaldi — not just his Doctor Who work, but anything and everything there was room for. We worked together making a coherent filmography, then rating each by how important it was to have it represented in the zine.

With The Hybrid, there was a mix of art and fiction. I was told that for Moon Man, there would only be applications open for artists. I said cool, I'd be happy to buy copies and spread the word. But apparently she had a job or me.

I was asked, could I write something for the zine that encompassed as many of Capaldi's roles as possible? Hell yeah I could... I even started to get an idea right then, using the Twelfth Doctor as a hook to move through the different stories. Then she hit me with another, optional idea: could it be a branching narrative?

The format is generally better known by the genericized trademark "choose your own adventure," but Bantam and ChooseCo keep very strict tabs on that phrase. So interactive story, branching narrative, whatever you like. The point is, anyone who follows my writing knows that I absolutely adore stories like this... but may not know I'd never actually written one myself.

Fortunately, the one for Moon Man would be small scale. Art takes center stage in this zine, with 41 brand new full-color illustrations from 27 talented artists of all stripes. The idea was to supply an "Easter egg" between the images. Which meant that I was given 10-15 print pages total to get a story across.

That's not as sparse as you might think. If you read The Hybrid, you have an idea of how many words could comfortably exist on a page. I had to write efficiently, pare down tons of potential tracks to make the space I had count, and still make it read well. It was a fun challenge; if I had infinite room, I would have taken infinite time. But the space I got, scattered throughout the images, made for a nice lean story that hopefully complements everyone else's work.

So what can I say about the story? Not much. I want to leave it a bit of a surprise, after all. I will say it stars the Twelfth Doctor and Clara pre-"Dark Water," when this Doctor still couldn't remember the source of his new face and Clara was figuring out where she stood with him. You pilot the TARDIS, but only just; she has a very specific reason for the places she wants to go. What that reason is will depend on which of the four endings you get.

Funnily enough, two of the endings are reworkings of old back-burner ideas of mine, so it's nice to see them finally see the light of day in a coherent format. One did require some retooling, though. The zine is meant to be all-ages accessible... and some swearing had to be got around. If you read it and like it, credit Ginger with the idea; it was too fun to pass up.

Moon Man is raising money for the Glasgow School of Art, Capaldi's alma mater. Physical and digital zines are on sale, both of which feature my story. You can also add on T-shirts and merch bundles. Once 50 merch bundles have been ordered, a very cool enamel pin will be added for everyone who buys it. (Think of it like Kickstarter stretch goals.)

And yes, all the stuff on sale is for charity. So if you just buy a book, or just a merch bundle, or just a shirt... it all counts. Plus you get some genuinely amazing one-of-a-kind stuff from fantastic creators. Like seriously. Where the hell else will you get a Local Hero pin and a Soft Top, Hard Shoulder bookmark?

By the way, orders are only open until April 29. After that, that's it. So if you want a big book of some amazing art, or some sweet merch, or a soft shirt... or you're just really really curious about the story I wrote... you have just under 3 weeks to get on board. Plus it's a great chance to do something for up-and-coming artists.

Let me know if you buy a copy — and which ending you get first.

>> Pre-Order Moon Man and goods