Shannon Gilligan facts for kids

Shannon Gilligan is a talented writer who creates special books and computer games. These are called interactive fiction. In these stories, you get to choose what happens next!

Early Life and Learning

Shannon Gilligan went to Williams College and finished her studies in 1981. After that, she spent a year living and learning in Kyoto, Japan. She studied at Doshisha University there.

Her Amazing Career

Writing Choose Your Own Adventure Books

Shannon Gilligan is very well known for her work on the famous Choose Your Own Adventure book series. These books are super fun because they let you decide the story's path. You read a bit, then you pick what the character does next.

She wrote five books in the main series. She also wrote six more books for the "Younger Readers" series. Her stepsons, Ramsey and Anson Montgomery, also wrote books in this popular series. Shannon was married to R. A. Montgomery, who helped start the Choose Your Own Adventure books.

Creating Computer Games

Besides books, Shannon Gilligan also worked on mystery computer games. She helped create games for companies like Activision. One of her games was called The Elk Moon Murder. She also worked on a series of mystery games for Creative Multimedia.

Starting a New Company

After her work with Creative Multimedia, Shannon started her own company called Spark Interactive. Her company made computer software called Comic Creator. This program helped people make their own comic books. It was even voted "Best Software of the Year" by People Magazine in 1995!

In 2003, Shannon Gilligan and her husband, R.A. Montgomery, started a new company together. They named it Chooseco. This company publishes Choose Your Own Adventure books. They make both printed books and ebooks available for readers.

Shannon Gilligan lives in Warren, Vermont, today.

See Also

• List of Choose Your Own Adventure books