A #destructive trait
One of the aspects of being a writer of science fiction is that you are obliged to create worlds. By which I mean settings although often that can mean actual planets. So why do I find myself writing stories that involve the destruction of towns? Perhaps because I can ��� haha. However, although whole planets might become depopulated (ARIA Trilogy), the annihilation of a town would never be the main theme. Rejuvenation, enhancement, survival and hope are more likely even if there���s a bit of horror, terror or ��conflict on the way.
Two examples of my destruction have emerged this month. In THE MEMORY ROCK, published by The Wifiles (see what they���ve done there with the name?) It���s available for free reading at http://thewifiles.com/?p=631
In that a school girl, on the bus home, witnesses a meteorite hitting a village. Curious things start happening to people who venture too close to the crater…
I could have used any village for this story, or made one up, but I used to be a geography teacher and rebelled against the use of ���AnyTown��� in the teaching and analytical models we were obliged to teach with, especially when we found pupils would know more about the non-existent model ports and towns than any real ones! I also needed a village I knew well. Dodleston is only six miles from my home city of Chester and many of my pupils used to be bussed to and from it. Perfect. I wrote the story, subjected it to a proofread from me, then by the fine members of Orbit 2 of the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) critique group. They noted the memory theme in this story was a kind of spin-off from my ARIA books but that���s largely coincidentally. Something does happen to the memories of people getting too close to the crater but there���s a twist at the end I���d hope you wouldn���t expect.
After THE MEMORY ROCK was published earlier this year, the Chester newspapers picked it up to run a feature. Eg the Chester Chronicle: ���Chester author obliterates Dodleston���.
Hilarious, even with my photo, but it was riddled with spelling errors ��� all theirs! Even so, It was well-liked on facebook and I ran it on twitter and facebook with the accompanying map ��� the geographer coming out in me again.
Please click on the link to read the story and like it if you do.
Yesterday I heard that another story, TUMBLER���S GIFT, is to be published by Perihelion SF magazine. Great! That story also involves the destruction of a settlement but this time it���s my own city of Chester. However, don���t panic dear Cestrians because it is when Tumbler, who has a gift for unlocking anything, unlocks a portal into a parallel world. Our own Chester isn���t unaffected but, again, ��not as you���d expect. I���ll let you know when it is published.
Other Nelder News
Links to buy ARIA and other of my books are on my Amazon author page
Geoff���s UK Amazon author page
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Geoff-Nelder/e/B002BMB2XY
And for US readers��http://www.amazon.com/Geoff-Nelder/e/B002BMB2XY
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