Our fifth awesome author in the countdown until the Get Down With The Awethors Facebook event on April 12 is Simon Coates. Simon turned his love for bike riding and competing into a book, Bike Racing into the Red. In fact, he’s competing today!
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1. What will you be sharing with the group on April 12 at the Get Down With The Awethors event? Free book giveaway, sneak peek, merchandise, holding a competition, discussion?
Not sure yet – merchandise is a possibility. My cycling story was foreworded by Paul Curran, two-time 1986 Commonwealth Games gold medal winner, and I should be able to get some signed items. At the very least, ebook versions of the published books I have.
2. What is your latest book or work, and where can we find it?
The book I have just published is The Discovery of Love, which is a love story (obviously!) but not your typical romance. Yes, there are two people in love, but the title is about the discovery of love; these people have obviously found it, so it is not really about them…
I had a book launch last weekend in Saltburn, North East England. At the moment my paperback books are only available in my local area. I will be looking into making my books available across a wider area; I published with a local publisher, so I don’t use 
CreateSpace, which of course makes distribution a bit more difficult. However, my books are all on Kindle, so they can be downloaded from there. You can get more details on my website http://www.galactic-echo.com.
3. What drives you to write? Music, an interest in the human mind, is it cathartic for you?
Well it was originally a hobby, but I have since decided to see if I can take it to the ultimate level. I have found that I love writing, and going to events I get to meet people, which is great. In just a couple of months I have met some really famous people and I just enjoy the whole writing thing, from thinking of ideas, to talking to people, and everything else, really!
Also getting feedback is great. One person who read my cycling story said he used it as inspiration to climb a mountain he was riding up, which was quite humbling, really (it wasn’t Olympus Mons by the way…).
4. What’s your favorite book in the world? One you couldn’t imagine having lived your life without reading.
Well funnily enough I don’t read much, believe it or not. I can’t think of any books that I could live without, to be honest! Other authors can’t believe I don’t read, but I personally don’t feel the need to. I don’t need to read others’ work to gain inspiration, and one’s own style is something you develop naturally, not by reading other people’s books.
5. When will you be at the Awethors event on April 12? All day or at a certain time?
Well I have a bike race on the same day, so it will probably be in the afternoon. I will actually be Bike Racing into the Red, then talking about the book of the same name!
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Author Bio
I am Simon Coates, 41 years old, I live in Middlesbrough, North East England, UK. I have been writing for about seven years, around the general idea of what life might be like in the 24th century. My stories take a general concept and I then build a story around it. For example, with Bike Racing into the Red, it is around the idea that we live on planet Mars. Mars has the highest mountain in the universe, so it is inevitable that we would want to climb it to the top. A bike race is a logical extension to this. So I wrote a story about one!
When I am not writing, I am likely out on my bike; I compete in road time trial races, up to national championship level.
Connect with Simon
Twitter: @GalacticEcho
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Galactic-Echo/533091686779159?ref=bookmarks
Books are available from local bookshops (the shops are listed on my homepage www.galactic-echo.com) and also as ebooks from Amazon. Bike Racing into the Red is available to download from Amazon on the following link: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00LAGXA32?*Version*=1&*entries*=0