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DISTANT SUNS: BOOK LAUNCH AT THE ACE
Following on from our review of Sam Manicom’s third book ‘Distant Suns’ Bikersweb was at the recent launch party hosted by the Ace Café.
Yup, finally they unchained me from my desk and sent me out on assignment!
 Distant Suns
Sam kicked off the day with a short speech which, I have to confess, I missed by minutes. However I am reliably informed Sam had a few positive words for Bikersweb in his thanks to the press for its support.
Meeting the author was a real pleasure for he is even warmer in real life than in his books. Indeed everyone I spoke to who had patiently waited in line to have their book signed echoed this and were grateful for the time Sam gave each of them to answer questions, share riding experiences or simply shoot the breeze while they collected Sam’s autograph.
Later he told me how much he had enjoyed meeting the many people who had previously emailed him “And I've made some new friends” he beamed, as if this was more important than promoting his book which, I suspect, for Sam it was. Before bouncing away (a mean feat for a man with a seriously messed up back who had already been on his feet for hours) Sam agreed The Ace was the perfect venue for his book launch.
Unusually Sam brought his whole production team to give his fans a chance to meet the books designers and proofreaders, people usually left behind the scenes. Later event organiser Carl confessed he was “A bit new” to the job and was still “learning the ropes.” But he and his team did an excellent job judging by the happy faces of biker book lovers who packed the place.
Thanks to the generous amount of prizes, the worlds longest raffle began complete with obligatory cheers and good spirited shouts of “It’s a fix” after the same guy won several times. In aid of the charity Motorcycle Outreach, keeping control of the raffle were Elspeth Beard and Eric Richard. Nick Sanders
I managed to collar another prolific author and around the world biker Nick Sanders and asked him about his latest book. But ever the gentleman all Nick would say was “Let’s not talk about that, it’s Sam’s day.” He did, however, promise Bikersweb a copy for review so watch this space…
Sam’s road and life partner Birgit flittered around all day in quiet support from behind her SLR, stopping only briefly to tell me the day had been going great. It was lovely to meet Libby too, the BMW almost as famous as her owner Sam.
Music was provided by Nottingham based singer/guitarist Steve McGill who gave us some foot-tappingly pleasant rock tunes to eat my perfectly cooked Ace cheeseburger to. After the entertaining raffle bikers began to tuck prizes and freshly signed copies of ‘Distant Suns’ down the front of their jackets or into panniers and head back into the rain for home, presumably to settle down for a quiet Saturday night read of their newly acquired copy of Distant Suns or, more likely, to go down the pub. On their way out people told me they had had a “great” “wonderful” or “excellent” time and as soon as there was a bit more elbow room I sloped off to see about getting Sam to pose for some pictures with actor Eric Richard.
Big thanks to fellow Bikerswebbie Mr. Hawk T. Slayer for providing transport for yours truly (being a local he could ensure I wouldn’t get lost, so he told me, ahem…) as well as excellent company throughout the day.
 Sam and Eric
People came from as far afield as Yorkshire to meet Sam, actually even as far as Germany, if Birgit’s family turning up to surprise her counts. No one left with a bad word to say. It appeared to be a resounding success, but I wanted to know what Sam had to say, so I caught up with him a few weeks later to throw some questions his way:
Congratulations on the launch of your third book, Distant Suns, Sam. How does it feel to have a trilogy under your belt now?
Thanks Ezri.
A trilogy? Actually I feel a bit stunned. I’d never intended to write books, just to go out and have adventures, so when 'Into Africa' and 'Under Asian Skies' were enjoyed it felt like I’d been given some gifts. It’s great to be able to share the fun and the drama of the road. I’m delighted to be at this stage now, and the more people I meet who’d like to be able to go out and travel on a bike, the more I realise how lucky I am to have been able to do it.
In your first book 'Into Africa', you spoke of the joy and freedom of travelling alone, but sometimes wished you had someone to share the adventure with. You got your wish with Distant Suns, so how has riding with Birgit changed the experience?
It’s changed the experience quite dramatically. I write about this in the book because travelling solo in comparison to travelling with someone else is so very different. To begin with it was a very alien feeling and it took some time to get used to. I’d been travelling for too long as a two wheeled hermit! But once I’d got used to being part of a team all the advantages started to flood up. It is wonderful to have someone special to share unique moments with and of course it’s great to have Birgit around to help pick up my bike when I drop it! Book Signing
What was it like for Birgit to swap her pushbike for a motorbike? Will she ever go back to pedal power?
It was a challenge for her and I think that this was part of the attraction. She could also see that she’d have more options available to her if she was on motorised two wheels - having said that, if I’d been on a bicycle she’d have been more than happy to carry on riding hers. She said she missed her bicycle sometimes – in part because it kept her fit as well as being fun. I know that she wouldn’t be averse to doing a trip on a bicycle but she’d have to work hard to persuade me that it was a good idea!
Birgit, Sam speaks highly of you as a biker and companion, but what was he really like to travel with?
He was actually good fun to travel with. We complimented each other really well but also left each other space to be individuals. For me that’s really important, especially when travelling with someone 24/7 over a long period, and especially when the journey is through some diverse and challenging times.
Sam, you suffered some serious back problems in Distant Suns resulting in a long recovery before you could continue your adventure, what was that like for both you and Birgit?
It was one of those moments in life when you know that, potentially, everything is going to change. Long held dreams could quite possibly no longer be a reality. It was a very scary time and it hurt. I’d been injured on the trip before but never as painfully as this. I’d also never been told before that there was a good chance I was going to end up in a wheelchair. And of course, this time it wasn’t only me I had to worry about. It wasn’t only my dreams that were going out of the window. Birgit was fantastic by the way. Without her resilience, flexibility, patience and stamina the whole situation could have turned out to be far worse than it was.
How many countries have you visited in total now and how has all the travelling changed you?
Over the 200,000 miles of the trip I managed to visit 55 countries, and there are plenty more out there waiting to be explored. Perhaps that comment answers how travelling has changed me. I’m hungry for more. There are so many amazing things to see, get involved with and to learn from out there. It’s addictive.
On November the 1st Distant Suns was launched at the Ace Café, what was the day like for you and what kind of feedback have you had so far?
I went to bed the night before, having seen the diabolical weather forecast, and thought, ‘That’s it. We are stuffed. No one is going to turn up.’
But we had around 250 hardy bikers make it to the Ace Cafe. Everyone seemed to enjoy the day in spite of the lousy weather. Once people had got inside out of the rain there was a nice buzzy atmosphere. A lot of that was due to the people who came, and the hospitality of the crew at the Ace but also to Steve McGill who was showcasing his brand new album. I thoroughly enjoyed the day but I do admit that I got a bit frustrated at not being able to have a proper natter with people who’d made the effort to get there. Mind you, I’d have been complaining it if had been quiet enough for me to chat properly, wouldn’t I.
Feedback has been excellent. I’m delighted that so many people bothered to email me to say that they’d had a good day. Just goes to show the atmosphere that swirls around the overlanding world.
What were the best bits and worst bits during your journey in Distant Suns?
Grief Ez, that’s really hard to answer. So many good things happened. Rough times too. Rather than specifics, perhaps I can say that the things that give the biggest buzz are always the things that come out of really oddball happenings, or from the kindness of others. The worst bits are when things go wrong and for a long moment you can’t see a solution. There always is one though!
You’ve just got back from working long days on a stall at the NEC, tell us about it.
I really like book signing at the NEC. The atmosphere is great, though the weekends are a tad too manic for my taste. The show always seems to have some really interesting things going on. I was very conscious of how many mates meet up with mates at the show. It’s like a giant motorcycling crossroads in the middle of the UK.
As for working there, you are pretty pooped by the end of the show. We started work at around 7.30 most days and the day doesn’t stop until you get to about 7pm. No time for breaks either! No complaints from me though. I love the buzz.
So, what’s next Sam? Distant Suns wasn’t the end of your journey so will there be another book in the pipeline?
There could be another book. I’d like to do one and I’m already getting emails from people who’ve bought my first three books, asking when the next one is coming out. I suspect that it won’t be in 2009 though. I really need to concentrate on promoting the first three books. I’m planning to spend most of the year bouncing round the UK doing bike shows and doing talks at clubs – I’m always open to invitations by the way. But I’ve also got a couple of other projects on the go too, so perhaps I need to just say, ‘Watch this space.’ I’ll give you a shout as soon as those projects look as if they are going to come together.
Finally, are you planning to ride Libby through a few more countries in the future?
What a nice thought that is. I’d love to. She’s just passed her 250,000 mile mark and so far so good. All seems well with her, so why not? She’s a class act.
Thanks for your time Sam.
If anyone is interested in meeting Sam in 2009 have a look at our diary dates for forthcoming events throughout the year.
Check out Sam’s website on www.sam-manicom.com
For Ace Café information go to www.ace-cafe-london.com
Ezri.
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