Geoff Nelder's Blog, page 45

Pleasurable busy-ness

Besides the enormous gratification of helping my wife to look after our grandson every Tuesday, I've had my nose to the keyboard so much I have a permanent smell of plastic in my head. This month I've somehow managed to: Finish another edit of the second volume of my SF trilogy, Left Luggage. It's with Rebecca Pratt, my US agent to tease publishers.

I've written a new short story, The Future and Up One, and had it critiqued at the BSFA Orbiters – thanks guys and gals for tough, fair and...

Walking with Oliver

Oliver's first outdoor walk

Here's me walking out on Canterbury Road, Urmston, Manchester with my baby grandson, Oliver. He was so pleased – almost as much as me. He'd only been walking on his own for a week and this is his first outdoor stroll. Oliver was 11 months old when this was taken on teh 18th January.

He could have walked on his own but I felt safer if he held my hand!
Oliver's birthday is Wednesday 3rd Feb  – ONE already!! 

In Sleeping Beauty's Bed

In Sleeping Beauty's Bed by Mitzi Szereto

Reviewed by Geoff Nelder

Published by Cleis Press, 2009

Paperback 316 pages

ISBN: 978-1-57344-367-8

My review copy of Mitzi Szereto's erotic fairy tales came sizzling through my letter box in time for me to read over the Christmas period. Of course I was travelling around the UK visiting relatives and many an eyebrow lifted at the sight of the book along with its saucy cover image. For the more prudish relative I explained that I was doing research...

Rhinoceros thinking

If you recall I was the fiction judge for the prestigious 2009 Whittaker Prize. There were 9 rounds and so 9 winners of fiction and 9 of poetry. They are collected into an anthology. Remember – all the stories in the competition were excellent – this anthology are the stories of the winners. Imagine how wonderful a reading matter this is! My small contribution is a piece on what I learnt as a judge and so advice to competitors in the future. And so to the advert:NOW AVAILABLE! "The...

Patent Non-Science

I tinkered with an alternative history short story in which someone very much with Albert Einstein's bio discovers un-relativity. Steve Upham is the publisher of Screaming Dreams and his SF ezine is released today with a Christmas special.

My Patent Non-Science story is at http://www.screamingdreams.com/ezine/Christmas2009.pdf

Steve says:

The Christmas issue eZine has finally made it online – just in time. Feel free to spread the word and Merry Christmas

PDF version :
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In Absentia

A man thought he had amnesia but it turns out he is a little girl's imaginary

friend. His urge to stay an entity is the story. Called In Absentia, the story

is the Editor's Pick story of January 2010 at

http://www.thehorrorzine.com/Fiction/January/Geoff%20Nelder.html

It was critiqued at both the excellent Cafe Doom and the BSFA Orbiters group.

There's a good reason for this image in the story.

Clean up

Once a week I put writing to one side and become inspired, with my wife, looking after 10-month-old baby Oliver. Like most babies in Manchester he has a ton of fancy pants toys but which one does he like best? Books, of course. Especially the stiff card pages he can turn, then open up hidden flaps to see what's behind, and to look through holes. Hungry Caterpillar gets him making Ooooo sounds every time.

But what's this? Are we being slave-drivers, child usurpers? Doubt it, but check it out...

Review of The Hollows by Ben Larken

The Hollows by Ben Larken

Reviewed by Geoff Nelder

A tense literary gem from the award-winning warped mind of the author of the highly original 'in limbo' noir masterpiece, Pit-Stop.

Paperback: 312 pages

Publisher: L-L Publications (20 Nov 2009)

Language English

ISBN-10: 1905091540

ISBN-13: 978-1905091546

Having decided that Ben Larken's Pit-Stop was my favourite noir thriller of 2009, I was delighted to be reading The Hollows. Although not a sequel as such, the main character of Pit-Stop, Scott...

Adieu to Brian

A few years ago I had a short soft horror story published at HorrorMasters called No Way. It was inspired by Brian, an eccentric loner who used to dangerously walk from his village to my City most days. A round trip of 14 miles or so but 10 of those along a narrow twisting lane along which hurled trucks, buses and me on my bike. Brian had many narrow scrapes on that road.

In my story he is about to be struck by a white van but is pulled through a hedge by a mysterious benefactor. The saviour...

Two stories accepted this week

A short soft horror story, In Absentia, has been accepted by The Horrorzine published by Jeani Rector. In Absentia is in the point of view of a man who thought he had amnesia but realises with horror that he is the imaginary friend of a little girl. There are twists – of course.

Steve Upham at Screaming Dreams is putting together a Christmas edition of horror stories. He has accepted Patent NonScience in which a young Einstein discovers unRelativity during his time in the Patent Office in...