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Grailer

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first registered 17.09.09

last online 366 days ago

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about me

The motivation for my story came in the mid-90s at a time when I was an avid windsurfer and totally addicted to the wind. One day, while in Maui I found myself staring across a pineapple field where 30 knot winds rippled across the leaves creating the appearance of a wind-blown ocean. Pineapples are buried in the ground with only a leafy stem sticking out so I began to muse about the possibility of somehow sailing across such a field on a windsurfer. From that point on, waves moving across every windblown Canadian cornfield or wheat field reinforced the idea. I had windsurfed on snow with a special board so I knew it might be possible, especially on an alien world where the flora might be better suited.

I wanted to anchor my story on the sport but have realistic characters whose inspiration would be drawn from surfers and windsurfers I had met on various beaches both lonely and crowded.

I hope you enjoy the resulting story: The Grailers of Omicron.

Book cover by Bradely Wind

favourite books

Anything by Tolkien
Bladerunner 2 - The Edge of Human
Einstein's Bridge
Wind in the Willows
Door into Summer

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The Grailers of Omicron

James McDermott

Vast, unsailed grasslands and 100 mph winds make Omicron a beacon for young, thrill-seeking grailers but Omicron's other treasures put them in mortal danger.


It’s the 22nd century and humankind has begun colonizing an ever-expanding and increasingly fragmented galactic sphere. Along with colonists, miners, and planet terraformers, come sports enthusiasts—the most extreme of which are “grailers.”

The sport of grass sailing, or “grailing” as it is known, is a form of windsurfing performed on grass rather than water and takes place on some of the windiest and most inhospitable planets in the known galaxy. The sport requires strength, courage, and lightning-quick reflexes, as the grailers sail in gusty, gale-force winds where one mistake can prove career-ending or even fatal. Young and idealistic, grailers in many ways resemble the “Endless Summer” surfers of the 1960s.

A championship race unites old friends as the grailing elite, journeymen, and groupies trek to the wild and windy Omicron—the legendary and reputed home of grailing—to compete in the sport’s premier event. Murders and sabotage follow, and the only thing standing between survival and disaster is a disillusioned and often passed-over cop and a young grailer who is more interested in pining over a lost love than saving the world.

 

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latest

I wrote 779 days ago

Hi Patrick Good work on making the Desk. I read the first 10 chapters of your novel and quite liked the wackiness and the storyline that was developing. I wouldn't agree with HC that this is a short story. With some re-writing (which is what we do, right?) it will make a fine novel. Here are my com... view book

I wrote 793 days ago

Pia Normally I'm not a fan of big first person - personal bias since I think it reduces your publishing options - but the nature of the story and the internal character revelations (easier in this voice) might just work in Ist person POV. Read the first 5 chapters and found only one nit: In ... view book

I wrote 803 days ago

Alexander What sweet story which seems allegorical in nature. Not a lot of peril but then perhaps it's intended to be outside the story through the various characters' world views. Not read anything like it but it's certainly engaging. A few small nits found: Ch1 After a few minutes silence, th... view book

I wrote 808 days ago

Ray I previously backed this based on a quick look but finally found some time to look deeper. This is an interesting twist on the horror genre if I read it correctly. You create as intense a mood in 3rd person as if you wrote it in Ist person without the limitations of that POV. I read 5 chapters ... view book

I wrote 809 days ago

Dawn An interesting take on a horse story as it's written from the horse's POV. I liked the idea of the horse telepathy (horse sense? - lol) It's a 'safe, gentle' read if that makes any sense although there is some peril in the form of the wild horse leader. With only 4 chapters it's difficult to k... view book

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