Putting a spoke in

I’ve returned alive from a Welsh hills cycle ride. My Dawes Super Galaxy regales me with an annoying rattle, but only going downhill. Sound location can be deceptive but it seems that the front mudguard would prefer to go its own way, and not mine. I’ve tightened up all the nuts and bolts, bent stays so the guard shouldn’t tough the tyres but the rattle nags at me. Luckily, it only happens while freewheeling downhill. In Wales most slopes are up rather than down. Also luckily, at around 20 mph the rushing air in my eyes mask the rattling. If I can’t hear it, it can’t be there. Right?

Besides the exercise, exhiliration and  views, I cycle to have solo time to reflect on my writing.  A month ago I had the brainwave  of this psychological horror scenario.  An amnesiac realizes he is a little girl’s imaginary friend. An ezine publisher of horror likes and wants it. So I finished the draft a couple of days ago in time for this month’s critiques at Cafe Doom. Damn, one of the guys there tells me my story isn’t original. Well, a good idea like that was sure to have been done before even if I hadn’t encountered it. Apparently the film Drop Dead Fred features Rik Mayall as the friend. I’m not too bothered because he  imbues the part with his great whacky humour while mine is more tense and spooky with different twists.

During my bike ride I addressed the problem highlighted by that critiquer that the friend and the girl sound too alike. Also he didn’t know that Nate is the real name of X-Man. He’d confused it with X-Men. So might other readers so that has to change.

I found an email  from an organiser of FantasyCon. The event is in Nottingham, September 18-20. I’ve been asked to be a panelist on the theme e-books and wizardry in the future of publishing. It should be interesting, especially when I am asked questions from the floor. I’ll have to tell them that I can’t hear very well. However, it doesn’t matter. Ask what you like. I’ll merely answer the questions I think you should have asked!

Apparently my Hot Air thriller is now published by Wuacademia. I’m not giving links until I’ve seen a copy myself. The launch party fizzled into a festival earlier in the summer. I thought the release might have been an excuse for another trip to Groningen. Oh well, maybe when it is made into a film – hah.

The first issue of the Escape Velocity magazine that Robert Blevins in Seattle and I, in the UK, edited is proving popular with the readers and writers. So much so we at Adventure Books of Seattle are putting together the next issue as we speak. (I’m using my left hand to type this as my right is working on the mag, and my other hand grasps a peanut butter sandwich).  So we have enough sparkling stories for issue #2 so come on writers, add your words for the next volume! Check here for both readers and writers! And the price has gone down again! Check too for the competition. If you don’t feel like writing a whole story we are happy to publish your letters. Any aspect of science fiction and aspects of science will be considered.

In our issue #1 I’d written an article about the thoughts offered to me on a writers’ course from sci fi writer, Jon Courtenay Grimwood. In a private session he’d looked at some of my science fiction stories and after I’d sent him Exit, Pursued by a Bee, now going to be published by Dragon Dreams Publishing, Jon sent me a quote I can use on jacket covers:

“Geoff Nelder inhabits science fiction the way other people inhabit their clothes.”

Thanks Jon. That’s a compliment I can throw on my shoulders!

As the solstice approaches the days are too short to mount long cycle rides or hikes, which is a shame since I have several in mind. The odd thing is that the temperature today in Chester hovered around freezing all day with freezing mist adding to the discomfort. Yet last Tuesday I was in colder temperatures on top of Foel Fras and Llywtmor and feeling cosy! A combination of dry air, blue sky and the heat generated by the exertion kept me warm for 24 hours.

I collected my new bike today. A Dawes Super Galaxy and it looks great. I eagerly wheeled it out of the shop and realized the saddle was so low I’d knock myself out if I rode it home, so I wheeled it back in. Moments later I had it outside again, threw my leg (just the one) over the saddle and along the very wide pavement, with no pedestrians in sight, I started pedalling. Two revolutions later I dismounted and wheeled it back in the shop. They’d fitted the panniers too close to the pedals so my shoes were hitting them. The new panniers had a locking device I wasn’t familiar with so I couldn’t adjust them. Minutes later I was outside again and this time travelled 100 metres before turning to re-enter the shop. I’d never seen gear levers like them! Marvelous isn’t it? Buy a new car and you get a handbook of instructions, tools and friendly advice on how to get in and drive.  Spend a thousand pounds on a new bike and you get no instructions, no tools, no drinks bottles (although the shop did give me those after all), no lights, but you do get a bell that makes less noise than my creaking knees! Nevertheless, I’ll enjoy riding it, once I’ve adjusted the seat, handlebars, pedals…