Rotary Spokes - lifting the lid on small-town America
One of our biggest friends here at the Global Short Story Competition is our judge Fiona Cooper so it is a real delight to be able to repay some of her support and enthusiasm with some of our own.Fiona’s first novel, Rotary Spokes, has just been reissued, almost two decades after it first appeared on the shelves.
Dealing with a hard-bitten, yet naïve, woman who repairs motorbikes in a no-hope American community, it is a fast-paced, funny, sharply-observed and quirky portrayal of her sexual awakening in small-town America.
It‘s a delight to read. Those who read Fiona’s comments when she announces our winners will find the book doubly fascinating because it portrays some of the favourite themes she returns to time and time again in her judges’ citations. Tight writing, acute observation, a deft sense of humour, an ability to tackle difficult subjects, they are all reflected in Rotary Spokes.
The book has had an interesting history. After it first appeared in 1989, it became a cult classic, being named on Julie Burchill’s alternative best of Young British Writers list and also having a bike shop named after it (few writers can make such a claim!)
On the strength of its success, Fiona moved from London to northern England to pursue a full-time writing career and seven books followed plus a large number of short stories and other works.
If you want to order the book, contact Empress Books on empressbooks@aol.com or send a cheque made out to F. Cooper to 16 The Gables Widdrington Station Northumberland NE 61 5QY, for £12.99, which includes UK postage.
Enjoy!
John Dean