Geoff Nelder
Encyclopedia
Geoff Nelder is a British freelance editor
and author of science fiction
, fantasy
and thrillers.
He was born in Hannover, Germany
, grew up in Gloucestershire
, Britain
, was university educated in Sheffield
, Yorkshire
and lived in Chester
, Cheshire
. He taught geography and Information Technology in Yorkshire and Cheshire, and was awarded a Master of Science for research into air pollution and climate. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society
for his research, and he has had climate-related books and articles published.
Much of his early work is humour-based, including his first published novel, the thriller Escaping Reality, based on a fugitive escaping across the British Northumberland Moors to the Lake District
and on to Amsterdam
. Most of his works are travel-oriented, for which he does extensive first-hand research.
In 2007, his thriller, Hot Air, won a Silver Award for best unpublished novel by the World and Universal Academia (WUACADEMIA) based in Groningen, The Netherlands. Hot Air is being published by WUACADEMIA in 2008.
Nelder’s short story, Sentinels – a first contact tale – achieved a commendation in 1987 in the Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future
contest. In February 2005, Geoff Nelder came first in the second short-story competition at Cafe Doom (an online critique community). In 2008, Exit, Pursued by a Bee came second out of over 160 entries in the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll for best science-fiction novel. It received a Top Ten Finalist badge. Geoff Nelder is a member of the Society of Authors
, the British Fantasy Society
, and is a critique member of the special interest group, Orbiters, in the British Science Fiction Association
.
Besides writing his own novels and stories, Nelder is a freelance editor and co-editor of the science fiction magazine, Escape Velocity
.
fantasy
based on a true mass abduction incident on Gozo
in 1551, some main characters are Barbary Corsair leaders. Nelder prefers his endings and cusps in the narrative to have an unpredictable twist or double twist. The plots do not depend on them, but they enrich the reading experience when encountered.
Chester's Climate: past and present (1987) ISBN 0951091409 Published through Booklands of Chester.
Cheshire from Space remote sensing pack (1992) (Geoff Nelder as project manager with Keith Hilton) Published by Cheshire County Council
Inside Scoop (2008) ISBN 978-1-55404-543-3 contributed articles. Edited by Marilyn Peake, published by Double Dragon Publishing Inc.
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
and author of science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
and thrillers.
He was born in Hannover, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, grew up in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, was university educated in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
and lived in Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. He taught geography and Information Technology in Yorkshire and Cheshire, and was awarded a Master of Science for research into air pollution and climate. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society
Royal Meteorological Society
The Royal Meteorological Society traces its origins back to 3 April 1850 when the British Meteorological Society was formed as a society the objects of which should be the advancement and extension of meteorological science by determining the laws of climate and of meteorological phenomena in general...
for his research, and he has had climate-related books and articles published.
Much of his early work is humour-based, including his first published novel, the thriller Escaping Reality, based on a fugitive escaping across the British Northumberland Moors to the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
and on to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. Most of his works are travel-oriented, for which he does extensive first-hand research.
In 2007, his thriller, Hot Air, won a Silver Award for best unpublished novel by the World and Universal Academia (WUACADEMIA) based in Groningen, The Netherlands. Hot Air is being published by WUACADEMIA in 2008.
Nelder’s short story, Sentinels – a first contact tale – achieved a commendation in 1987 in the Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future
Writers of the Future
Writers of the Future is a science fiction and fantasy story contest that was originated by L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1980s. Hubbard...
contest. In February 2005, Geoff Nelder came first in the second short-story competition at Cafe Doom (an online critique community). In 2008, Exit, Pursued by a Bee came second out of over 160 entries in the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll for best science-fiction novel. It received a Top Ten Finalist badge. Geoff Nelder is a member of the Society of Authors
Society of Authors
The Society of Authors is a trade union for professional writers that was founded in 1884 to protect the rights of writers and fight to retain those rights .It has counted amongst its members and presidents numerous notable writers and poets including Tennyson The Society of Authors (UK) is a...
, the British Fantasy Society
British Fantasy Society
The British Fantasy Society began in 1971 as the British Weird Fantasy Society, an offshoot of the British Science Fiction Association. The society is dedicated to promoting the best in the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres....
, and is a critique member of the special interest group, Orbiters, in the British Science Fiction Association
British Science Fiction Association
The British Science Fiction Association was founded in 1958 by a group of British science fiction fans, authors, publishers and booksellers, in order to encourage science fiction in every form. It is an open membership organisation costing £26 per year for UK residents and £18 for the unwaged. The...
.
Besides writing his own novels and stories, Nelder is a freelance editor and co-editor of the science fiction magazine, Escape Velocity
Escape velocity
In physics, escape velocity is the speed at which the kinetic energy plus the gravitational potential energy of an object is zero gravitational potential energy is negative since gravity is an attractive force and the potential is defined to be zero at infinity...
.
Writing Style
Nelder's style is often humorous. In Escaping Reality, the protagonist uses humour to overcome adversity. Nelder also uses Socratic-style dialogue for his characters to argue their way through problems. Generally his protagonists are ordinary people to whom extraordinary events happen. However, in Xaghra’s Revenge, a magic realismMagic realism
Magic realism or magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements blend with the real world. The story explains these magical elements as real occurrences, presented in a straightforward manner that places the "real" and the "fantastic" in the same stream of...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
based on a true mass abduction incident on Gozo
Gozo
Gozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago...
in 1551, some main characters are Barbary Corsair leaders. Nelder prefers his endings and cusps in the narrative to have an unpredictable twist or double twist. The plots do not depend on them, but they enrich the reading experience when encountered.
Online Cult Status
Geoff was the star of what was intended to be a trilogy of Pascal games distributed under a free ware license by the now defunct www.beardtrix.f2s.com. The games often began with Geoff travelling with the protagonist and shortly into the game getting into trouble from which the player would have to rescue him. The first 2 games were developed by A. Barrett of BdotF2S systems.Main non-fiction works
Huddersfield’ Changing Climate (1977) An Occasional Paper published by Huddersfield Polytechnic.Chester's Climate: past and present (1987) ISBN 0951091409 Published through Booklands of Chester.
Cheshire from Space remote sensing pack (1992) (Geoff Nelder as project manager with Keith Hilton) Published by Cheshire County Council
Inside Scoop (2008) ISBN 978-1-55404-543-3 contributed articles. Edited by Marilyn Peake, published by Double Dragon Publishing Inc.
Fiction
- Escaping Reality (2005) ISBN 095495632X humorous thriller
- Dimensions (2005) ISBN 1411660870 (sci fi anthology with Robert Blevins)
- Exit, Pursued by a Bee (2008) ISBN 1-55404-594-0
- Hot Air (2011) Re-published by Brambling Books, UK
- Left Luggage (sci-fi trilogy) in the hands of the Rebecca Pratt Group (Literary Agency)
- Xaghra’s Revenge (Magic realism fantasy in progress)