Very quick post because I’ve gone on about this far too much already. My short story ‘Silver Sixpence’ is now available to read online for free at Daily Science Fiction. This story started out at a themed writing evening for a local writing group here in Standish.
This is very much a science-fiction story, but it also features a character-led plot focusing on the effects that space travel might have on family relationships: i.e. those that are left behind.
If you’re looking for a sub-genre badge, well I think this story probably sits somewhere between mundane and hard science fiction. I happen to be a fan of both. I’m sticking to the light barrier and considering the effects that time dilation might have on the people involved. There is, I hope, some solid science in this piece.
It’s perhaps unsurprisingly to say that a significant amount of research went into this story. More than most stories I write–in fact more than several stories put together! There was the relativistic physics of course, but perhaps my favourite piece of research was looking at Shuttle launch transcripts for inspiration for the launch scene. Here’s an example transcript I used for my research. If you look closely you might spot where I’ve pinched the odd line . . .
T-01M30S T-1 MINUTE 30 SECONDS
ET BIPOD HEATERS OFF
T-01M00S T-1 MINUTE
T-00M55S PERFORM SRB FWD MDM LOCKOUT
Anyway, if you like the sound of any of that just head on over to Daily Science Fiction. Feel free to drop me an email or a comment here to let me know what you think.
Craig Pay 