In the "Adventures of Redman Red" we have a glimpse into a strangely familiar world - Planet Earth a few years from now. Fuel is worth more than gold, the sea levels have risen dramatically, and most of the remaining human population live fearful, conformist lives in isolated, self-sufficient city-states, run by sophisticated, but increasingly paranoid, artificial intelligences. Outside, the marginalised and cast-out have reverted to a happier, tribal existence; as the neglected countryside has reverted to lush wilderness. The one-legged ex-biker Red, and the colourful but believable characters that he meets on his travels: Monk, Rabbit, Dion, Blank Frank, Doc Doom, the Avatar and the Surfys, act out universal stories of betrayal and redemption, love and death, karma and change, against the backdrop of this dreamscape. This is a novel built for speed rather than comfort: the fast-paced action and dialogue keeps the motor running, and there are laughs and a few tears; but ultimately (and playfully) it brings us back to ourselves, face to face with the mystery.
About the Author: I currently spend some of my time in West Cornwall, with my partner and her daughter, and some in the Midlands. In my free time I like to kayak in rivers and the sea. Sometimes I get paid to teach or play a bit of guitar. I spent many years teaching: A-level psychology, African drumming, car maintenance, and sex-education in schools and colleges. I also worked in pupil referral units, youth clubs, probation and in health promotion; and with disaffected boys and dyslexic university students. Before all that I was married (and divorced), co-single-parented three great kids, and ran a small, but beautifully-formed, landscape gardening business. I grew up on a chopped down BSA A65 motorbike. I've been an itinerant fruit-picker; lived at various times in a van and a 'bender'; hitch-hiked to Marrakesh; worked in an engineering factory; drven tractors; ridden with bikers; meditated with gurus; been part of a Ghanaian drum troupe; played didgeridoo on the radio, and tin whistle in an Irish pub; run a market stall; taught horticulture, canoeing, Tai chi, and Filipino martial arts; practised as a psychotherapist; and once helped put up the largest circus 'big top' in Europe! "The Adventures of Redman Red" (written under the name of Nathaniel Haynes) was really two novellas: "Trash", written in 1984; and "Rockpool" 20 years later, at the prompting of several friends who came across Trash in my loft and wanted to know what happened next. It tells the story of a group of happy-go-lucky bikers trying to get by with what dignity and integrity they can, in a world of fuel poverty and economic collapse, the remnants of which are being fought over by Corporation gangsters, Church inquisitors, artificial intelligences, and disgruntled faeries. You can find it on Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, and Kindle. Recently I've written "Just Johny in the Underground", a shorter story aimed at teens to adults. It follows three teenagers living in the remains of London Underground after civil war and disease has left 'Topside' London mostly uninhabited. It's available on Amazon on Kindle and as a paperback. There's also a group page for "Just Johny in the Underground" on Facebook.