COMING SOON AN ILLUSTRATED NOVEL

INFLUENCED: THE STORY

Influenced

A new house. A mysterious game. A room full of voices.

When Rye finds an iridescent board game in the attic of his new house, it doesn't come with instructions. It comes with a whole new world, and a lot of opinions about what he should do next.

For readers aged 9–14, and the grown-ups who sneak a read.

Peek inside Get book updates

Illustration: Rye kneels in a moonlit attic, lifting the lid of a glowing iridescent box marked INFLUENCED, full of coloured cards and marbles

HOW IT BEGINS

Possibly the most boring day of his life.

Then it really, really wasn't.

Illustration: Rye slumps on a plastic-wrapped sofa surrounded by moving boxes while his mum unpacks in the kitchen — 1 · THE NEW HOUSEThirty-seven boxes, no Wi-Fi, a phone on twelve percent and a new school tomorrow where he knows exactly zero people.

Illustration: Rye opens the glowing INFLUENCED box in the attic — 2 · THE ATTICUnder an old sheet: an iridescent box with an eye on the lid, no instructions, and one question. *What would you do?*

Illustration: Rye tumbles down a swirling tunnel of light, surrounded by glowing Character cards and marbles — 3 · THE FALLThe marbles start to glow. The cards start to spin. And then there's no floor at all.

THE INFLUENCE ROOM

Behind the purple door.

A candlelit room under a dome of stars. Coloured doors, glowing marbles, a huge round table and nine chairs, one of them purple and waiting.

And sitting around it, the strangest beings Rye has ever seen. Every one of them staring straight at him.

“Welcome, Human.”

Illustration: Rye stands in a glowing purple doorway, looking into a vast candlelit room where the Characters sit with their backs to him in coloured chairs

Illustration: Rye sits at a round table in the Influence Room among the Characters: Devil, Enabler, Angel, Lover, Frenemy, Destiny, Ghost and the two-headed Shapeshifter, with the Character cards laid out in front of them — Around the table: DevilEnablerAngelRye, the HumanLoverFrenemyDestinyGhostShapeshifterand watching over it all, the Host

BACK IN THE REAL WORLD

The game doesn't end when he gets home.

When Rye comes back from the Influence Room, the Characters come with him. They start turning up in his everyday life, each one competing to influence what he does next.

AT SCHOOL

Fit in or stand out?

A new school, new faces and a lot of advice about who he should be when he walks through the gates.

WITH FRIENDS

Who's actually talking?

Friendships, group chats and wanting to belong. The loudest voice in the room isn't always the one worth listening to.

AT HOME

Even at the dinner table.

Mum, his sister and a house that doesn't feel like home yet. The voices follow him through the front door too.

Illustration: in the attic, a marble glows purple as Rye reaches towards it, with the INFLUENCED box and cards scattered across the floor

THE BRAIN CELL MARBLE

Every choice counts.

The marbles in the box aren't the cheap cloudy kind. They look like tiny planets, and one of them is magic.

It keeps track of Rye's Brain Cell count as he makes his choices. Good decision? Terrible decision? The marble knows.

Illustration: Rye pushes open the glowing purple door marked with the Human symbol

RYE IS ALWAYS THE HUMAN

Everyone has an opinion. Whose voice wins?

Devil, Angel, Frenemy and the rest all think they know what's best for him, and none of them are shy about saying so.

In the game, someone always has to be the Human. In this story, that's Rye. What he does with all those voices? You'll have to read it to find out.

PEEK INSIDE

Chapter One: Boxes

A few pages from the very beginning. Scroll sideways to turn the page, or tap one to read it larger.

Work in progress · pages may change

Preview spread: the opening pages of Chapter One, Boxes

Preview spread: an illustration of Rye among the moving boxes

Preview spread: Rye climbs the attic ladder

Preview spread: Rye finds the iridescent INFLUENCED box

Preview spread: an illustration of Rye opening the box

To be continued… find out when you can read the rest →

ONE UNIVERSE, TWO EXPERIENCES

Same Characters. Different worlds.

The book and the party game share the same Characters, the same eye and the same glowing marbles. But they're separate things, made for different people. You don't need one to enjoy the other.

COMING SOONAGES 9–14

The Story

An illustrated novel. Follow Rye into the Influence Room and back out into everyday life, where the Characters won't leave him alone.

IN DEVELOPMENT16+

The Game

A party game for grown-ups. Real players, real scenarios and terrible decisions, with everyone arguing for their Character.

See the game →

COMING SOON

The rest of the story is still being written.

The book is in development and isn't available to buy yet. Leave your email if you'd like to hear about it first: news, sneak peeks and when it's ready to read.

Book updates are for parents, carers, teachers and grown-up readers. If you're under 18, ask a grown-up to sign up for you.