Acknowledgements for ARIA

ARIA is the new name for my science fiction trilogy of which the first is called Left Luggage. ARIA is an acronym of a amnesia-creating virus released from a case left on the struts of the International Space Station. The book is being published in 2012 by LL-Publications and I thought carefully over the last few days to write a page of acknowledgements. That page is in its first draft but I will post it here because it astonished me how many writers, some famous, have been involved. There have been other folk who I have not named, and who have encouraged me over the years though they have not actually read the manuscript. In particular Gladys Hobson and Brian Withecombe. Like me they had a literary agent, Christopher Hill, who was a sham. He reported to me with detailed progress reports of how Left Luggage attracted interest at HarperCollins and Crown publishers. I was offered a five-figure advance, as were many of his other clients. Sadly, it was all in Hill’s demented mind. He’d not sent our books anywhere and he’d sat in his Edinburgh home in a kind of Walter Mitty stew. I’d even met him over dinner at an Edinburgh hotel and he was smartly dressed, spoke eloquently, and seemed well-educated – all the attributes of what I imagined a literary agent should be. Except he wasn’t as over 60 of his “clients” found out. Many of us belong to a Beyond Hill yahoo group and have had our successes in spite of or maybe because of that weird experience.

So here is the first draft of my acknowledgements page. Feel free to shout if I have missed you or erred.

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This novel would not have been possible without Daisy. Her twenty-four gears allowed my legs to rotate up the Welsh slope of Horseshoe Pass near Llangollen making my heart thump so fast my brain – freshly oxygenated – buzzed with an original idea. It was such a novel concept I dismounted at the summit, rushed into the Ponderosa Café and demanded a scrap of paper and a pencil. Thus ARIA was born.

I have trawled files to trigger my memory of all those editors, friends and critiquers who sculpted then polished ARIA to the diamond it now is. Any flaws are not their fault but mine.

The first real editor to lacerate my script and teach me about Point of View and strong characters is Doug Watts from the Jacqui Bennet Writing Bureau. My Hollywood-based pal, Jessie Lilley-Campbell helped me with Americanisms and pushed Left Luggage under the nose of Brad Linaweaver ¹, (Battlestar Gallactica co-writer) who endorsed it. Each chapter cranked their way through the tough critique group of the British Science Fiction Association’s Orbiters including Terry Jackman, Mark Iles, James Bloomer and Ian Clark. Encouragement came from award-winning SF writer Jon Courtenay Grimwood², and Stargate novel writer, Sonny Whitelaw. Urging me on were publisher Neil Marr of BeWrite Books, friend and guru Les Floyd, American writing tutor and award-winning writer, M. Kenyon Charboneaux³, and my American literary agent and friend, Rebecca Pratt. A wonderful writer in her own right, Bec Zugor, advised me on the Italian language uttered by mad Doctor Antonio Menzies. Louise Bolotin of the editing services, Plain Text, helped me with early chapters and query letters.

After all that help, and from too-many-to-mention-others, surely the manuscript would be perfect? Ha ha, but then I sent it to friend, hard-nosed crime writer, and agent, Allan Guthrie. Whoa! Advice from the world expert on pleonasms and tight narrative meant that I started over again.

During this time other novels and over fifty short stories had fled my fingers onto the world, so my style evolved, and is still developing. Perhaps it is in the bronze age now. In the last minutes Zetta Brown and Billye Johnson tweaked and poked ARIA further. Thanks to them and everyone.

None of this would have been possible if my wife had insisted I went out and found a proper job after I left teaching, so ultimate thanks to Gaynor and to my ever-tolerant grown-up kids, Eleanor and Rob. Above all they understand that when I am staring out of the window, I am really working.

NB the image is my sketch potential cover art.

¹ “In Left Luggage Geoff Nelder asks the most important questions of life.”

² “Geoff Nelder wears science fiction like other people wear clothes.”

³ “Memento meets the Twilight Zone.”

FantasyCon 2011 – hot, hot hot

I’m suffering jet lag. Okay, the distance between Brighton and Chester is only a handful of hundreds of miles and four hours by train, but the distance in terms of literary milieu I am on the other side of the planet. A day ago I was shaking hands with Brian Aldiss. Brian Aldiss! And Christopher Priest, Ramsey Campbell, and other writer friends such as Jonathan Pinnock, Ian Whates, Robert Harkess, Raven Dane and Sam Stone. My experience became enhanced with the artists too – Steve Upham, Vincent Chong and Andy Bigwood. Then the publishers – most of whom are also fine writers but are these days mostly producing exquisite publications – Terry Martin, Lee Harris, Christopher Teague, Simon Marshal-Jones and others. My hand hasn’t been so excited for years. Loved the hugs too… thanks Sam.

Copies of my Exit, Pursued by a Bee and the Escape Velocity anthology were among other items in the FantasyCon raffle. My SF mystery might have gone unnoticed but the Mistress of Ceremonies, Sarah Pinborough was ‘tired’ by the time she had to read the title and so fumbled it. Luckily, a helper said. “Exit, Pursued by a Bee, and it is a good book!”. Yeay, Sarah can be a Mistress again!

Link to FantasyCon 2011 >>> here

Speaking of the Escape Velocity anthology, I met several of the contributors during the weekend – besides Bec Zugor (I travelled up the railtrack to Chichesterto have lunch with her and her family – excellent day). EV contributors at FantasyCon included Jonathan Pinnock, Robert Harkess, Roy Gray, Mark Lewis and Ian Whates. I also met the charming Carmelo Rafala of Immersion Press, who wrote the Mother Tongue story in Escape Velocity issue one. Jonathan Pinnock was there to launch his amazing Mrs Darcy Versus the Aliens – see the link here. I’ve known Jonathan for years on various forums and admired his writing style but I had no idea he was soooo tall. I had to stand on a box of his books to shake his hand.

I attended several literary panels including one in which graphic artists discussed cover art issues and I learned why you rarely see turquoise in digital-art covers. Thanks, Vincent, who explained it to me in detail in the bar later. Also, in a panel on the future of SF Brian Aldiss said how single-word titles work best for promotion, then quoted his own Hot House as an example. Ian Whates pointed out to him that it was two words… ha ha. But in fact it really is one word – Hothouse as it was published in 1962. Ian could have quoted his No Time Like Tomorrow title back at him. Nevertheless, a one word title does have appeal. I tend to go for two or more.

Xaghra’s Revenge is a case in point. I managed to have a quick word with the Angry Robot publisher, Lee Harris, who have had the synopsis and samples in his inbox since May. They’ve been very busy this year including having an unagented submission window with the resulting flood of novels to consider. I bought Peter Crowther’s latest book, Darkness Falling, from them. A fantasy thriller with people disappearing – unnerving when that includes the pilot of a plane you are in. Hopefully, there will be good news about XR in due course.

Besides the exuberance I went through meeting all these folk – all good people in spite of their chosen genre of unspeakable horror! – there were other moments of excitement. A burlesque show was laid on: all based on fantasy themes we were treated to playlets and delightful striptease. Of course being based inBrightonin the British heatwave (28 C shade temp in October), there was plenty of bare flesh of all sexes on display on the beach and even bikinis in the town. I thought I was inAmsterdamin some of the narrow lanes with their windows wide open and an interesting sweet aroma wafting along. I was distinctly light-headed by the time I reached the end of the lane. With that, the hot sun, the ocean, the marvellously friendly gay communities, the cosmopolitan eateries (many many veggie cafes) and the runners along the promenades, Brighton was a combo ofAmsterdam and Sliema in Malta. I hope to go back soon.

Something big to shout about

At last year’s NewCon5 in Northampton I met a gifted artist, Andy Bigwood. He was looking for writers to be inspired by his art, and create flash stories to be in his forthcoming book, The Sixty. It has a launch date with Ian Whates’ anthology ‘Further Conflicts’ at 6pm on 22nd April at EasterCON, National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham UK. This won’t be the first time I have written fiction inspired and accompanied by art. One of my favourites where I had time changing with altitude was What Kept You? published in Ultraverse here. The Sixty is something special in that my fiction is not only in a wonderful book of art, but alongside favourite writers such as Bec Zugor, who was with me in M is for Monster, and in Escape Velocity. Also the creative genius, Liz Williams, who has my Exit, Pursued by a Bee on sale in her witchcraft shop in Glastonbury.

Of course all the authors involved cannot grace the cover so I am one of ‘the many more’ , of which I am proud. For in that many more are superb writers I am honoured to be with. Jon Pinnock and Bec included.

Andy Bigwood’s art can be found in his online gallery here.

Escape Velocity: The Anthology

The anthology of best and new stories submitted to Adventure Books of Seattle’s Escape Velocity magazine is nearing fruition. Last night I finished proofreading 35 stories for the anthology. Not all will be used in it because some are now rather dated and we want the publication to excite readers with its brilliance. Names you might know that are in it are in random order:

Rebecca Latyntseva, Ian Whates, Rosie Oliver, Robert Harkess, William C McCall, Clyde Andrews, Gayle Applegate, David Tallerman, Brian Koscienski and Chris Pisano, Mark Lewis, Gareth D Jones, Joshua Blanc, Gavin J Carr, David Wallace Fleming, Karl Bunker, Sheila Crosby, Ben Bamber, Branden Johnson, Barbara Krasnoff, Ian Smith, Tina M Crone, Bec Zugor, Barry Pomeroy, Lawrence Buentello, Richard Jay Goldstein, Paul Freeman, Adam Colston, Kaolin Fire, Derek Rutherford, and a couple of stories from me and Robert Blevins. Hopefully, we can squeeze in a cartoon by Roberta Gregory too.

We have March 17th as a release date. That may be optimistic but best to have goals. The stories range from edgy noir near future, to struggling on a space rock, weird stuff in future in-ear audio devices to how can a child-bride save herself, both from a violent husband and the psychiatrist. I am exuberant over this anthology. It’s taken a lot of time and work – the nearest an editor gets to giving birth – in a literary sense!

2010 – could do better

Of course I immensely enjoyed this year’s family events – a new granddaughter over in Nottingham and delightful playtimes with grandon in Urmston. Also family hols in the Lake District, and Mallorca. But this blog entry is about scribbling.
2010 – A writer’s mixed fortunes
My initial reactions to this year is that as far as my writing is concerned nothing much has happened. I was paid for editing one person’s novel, and have had a small number of short stories published but my biggies – the SF Left Luggage trilogy and Fantasy Xaghra’s Revenge remain with Rebecca Pratt, my agent in the USA, being sent to publishers, who often take up to a year to respond. Nevertheless, I travelled to two conventions, spent a week at a UK Away writers’ week in Carmarthenshire and enjoyed supporting other writers in various forums and groups. Principle among the latter are the fabulous writerly friends at Café Doom and in the BSFA Orbiters. I thought I’d list the writing related activity I’ve achieved this year. I am surprised how much one can do with so little monetary yet great personal feedback. Above all I am indebted to my diet and writing buddy, Bec Zugor. Bec has a great blog here.

Although Left Luggage is yet to be published, the opening scene won an honourable mention in Gary Ponzo’s Strong Scenes competition, May 2010. More kudos came from the magazine, Fright Site, when it decided my horror story, In Absentia, deserved a best story award in Twice The Terror anthology, edited by Horrorzine’s Jeani Rector.

Fiction publications:
Screaming Dreams’ Christmas special – anthology to publish humour alt history tale, Patent NonScience in Dec 2009 crept into 2010
Horrorzine – Jan 2010 – short story, In Absentia – it’s the Editor’s Pick. Jan 2010 – print antho in 2010
The Write to Fight – anthology to support Kent Karate – Reflective Sparrow – flash story 2010
The Monster Alphabet Book – Ed by John Prescott. Short story Goliath 2010
The Sixty – Fine SFF Art book by Andy Bigwood has accepted my flash story matching one of his pictures – Winter Hunt.
A Monk Punk story, Don’t Bite My Finger, has been accepted for an anthology.
Hot Air – my thriller novel was published by Wuacademia in August 2010.
Auditory Crescendo to be published in Escape Velocity: The Anthology in January 2011
UK Away Chapbook 2010 – a surreal SF story.
Escaping Reality, my humorous thriller, was published in 2005 and is still available. In 2010 it became downloadable at Smashwords for $1.99 – bargain!
Exit, Pursued by a Bee my science fiction novel was published by DDP in 2008 and still available there and as a Kindle download. In 2010 it was serialized for free monthly reads at Kalkion.com

Non-fiction publications:
Article: Hiding the Truth on UFOs published in Kalkion February 2010
Article: Illusions, Coincidences, and the Moon, Kalkion Spring 2010
Article: The Lure of Bridges published in Kalkion June 2010
Article: When Not To Write Science Fiction – in Kalkion July 2010

Reviews published in 2010
By Professor D. Harlan-Wilson: Collection of amusing bizarre stories entitled: They Had Goat Heads, a novel: Codenamed Prague.
M, John Harrison: Climbers, and The City & The City
Liz Williams: Banner of Souls
Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid’s Tale.
Ira Nayman: Alternate Reality books: Alternate Reality Ain’t What It Used To Be and What Were Once Miracles Are Now Children’s Toys
Martin Amis, Time’s Arrow
Christopher Priest: Inverted Worlds
Mark Haddon: A Spot of Bother
William Gibson: Virtual Light
John Farris: The Ransome Women
Derek Muk: The Occult Files of Albert Taylor
Casting Shadows Joleen Kuyper, E.J. Tett and Jo Robertson: A collection of dark tales and poems
Jeani Rector: And Now The Nightmare Begins
Mitzi Szereto: In Sleeping Beauty’s Bed

Short stories completed looking for publication: Dopplegangster, The Future and Up One, Indefinite Article (revised), several others in progress.
Works I have professionally edited that have been published in 2010 include
Into The Blast: written by Skipp Porteous and Robert Blevins (that was the first edition, the second edition, taking into account the involvement of filming by the History Channel Decoders series is to be published in January 2011)
The Last Olympian by John Goodwin
The Zargothian Tales by Aiden Lucid

In addition to those I have kept up my blog, updated my website and wrote numerous responses in forums, letters and emails. Phew!

My biggest literary let down of the year has been the mixed blessing of having my horror story, Goliath, published in the Monster Alphabet Book published by John Prescott as M is for Monster. Although he loved my story – Goliath’s story from his point of view as a misunderstood youth – John had sent it to Serenity Banks for editing. Without consulting me she changed many British words for inappropriate Americanisms eg jerk instead of jolt and completely changed the ending by deleting a significant few sentences. I feel like disowning it. If anyone wants the original story please contact me.

An exciting writing event was the UKAway week in Carmarthenshire, especially the fun of cycling there and back and meeting such inspiring writers.

All in all a busy even if pecuniary year. As it ends I continue to contribute to new works and today edited with Robert Blevins, the final touches to Escape Velocity: The Anthology due out in January 2011.

Bec pens a review of Hot Air

Writer, Bec Zugar, read the ebook version of Hot Air, and wrote this awesome review.

http://www.beczugor.com/1/post/2010/12/hot-air-by-geoff-nelder-a-review.html

Nanomo

Writers will not be puzzled at the title of this post. Masochist scribblers subject themselves to a competition to write a novel in a month. See this official website if you are tempted. It takes me two years to write a novel – much of that time is spent on research then after the writing, the hard work of editing begins, followed by persuading wise publishers to adopt my work. Spending more than two hours at a stretch on nothing but writing would send me beserk – I have to do something physical such as riding my bike or tramping up a hill. All this in addition to house and garden work, looking after baby grandson a day a week and other duties. If you are interested in Nanomo then read a helpful article by my friend Dave Haslett at Ideas4writers. Just click on the links page on my website and see the top of the page here.

David Gardiner, the Irish writer of reknown – his Rainbow Man short stories are legendary (here is his Amazon author’s page) – took some photographs of me with my bike at the UK Authors Away week last month and here they are.

You can see I still need to lose a stone or so. The background is the Pen-y-Banc farmhouse B&B near Llanysul – marvelous eco-friendly place. My bike is a Dawes Super Galaxy, a favourite for long-distance tours.

Check out my writing buddy’s new website –
http://www.beczugor.com/
 she is an outstanding rising writing star.