Carole Nash Sponsors the Launch of Distant Suns
Added on Thursday, October 30th, 2008 by Carole Nash Editor
Carole Nash Sponsors the Launch of Distant Suns
With just three months experience of riding a motorcycle, Sam Manicom took off on his own to travel the length of Africa. In spite of being shot at twice, arrested three times, in jail once, and a seventeen bone fracture accident crossing the desert in Namibia, he decided that he really liked travelling by bike.
Sounds like he’s a bit of a masochist? He says, “They were just the off days, and I did have a guardian angel who, when she wasn’t catching a nap, kept me out of real trouble!”
Sam carried on around the rest of the world and by the time he returned to the UK he’d been away for eight years and had ridden 200,000 miles across 55 countries.
His first books Into Africa and Under Asian Skies take you the length of Africa and then from Australia, across Asia and the Middle East, into Europe. Ted Simon said, ‘a unique and wonderful adventure.’
Sam’s gripping new book Distant Suns covers a three-year adventure through southern Africa, and South & Central America. He’s now riding with his girlfriend Birgit. She rides her own motorcycle, and Distant Suns is written based on her diaries.
Birgit rides her first dirt road, in Africa, in the dark. Not planned, but life. She survives the madness of the traffic in such cities as Nairobi and Dar es Salam, only to have a major accident in the Transkei hills. She rescues Sam from a potential complete disaster when she realises that his bike is about to blow up, and he’s not noticed! They meet and get conned by an Argentinean ‘Nazi’ and by fluke of fortune the duo end up travelling across the southern Atlantic by luxury cruise liner instead of a tramp steamer. So the adventure rolls up to and through the magnificent Andes. Oh, and what was that about an air ambulance evacuation?
Sam’s richly evocative writing opens up a world where people travel their own fragile, unsupported paths, and his acute and quirky observations transport you to their universe.
Carole Nash are sponsoring the launch of Distant Suns at Ace Café-London. It’s a unique event.
- An official launch of a motorcycle travel book is an unusual thing. Most just suddenly appear on the shelves – not the plan for Distant Suns. We are going to have some fun!
- The launch is happening at the world famous ‘Ace Cafe – London’. How many of you have been meaning to get to the Ace but never got round to it? It’s a great opportunity to double up.
- Sam’s travel partner Birgit will be there. She’s an inspiration and a great encouragement to those who are thinking, ‘I wonder if I could…’
- The whole production team will be there for you to meet. The editor, designers and proofreaders are often left in the background, but not this time! Come and chat to them.
- Sam and the team will be raffling two Limited Edition Distant Suns T-shirts, a copy of Sam’s first book Into Africa and also of his second book Under Asian Skies in aid of Motorcycle Outreach.
- And, acoustic singer songwriter Steve McGill is going to be performing sets through the afternoon.
A whole string of famous people in the adventure motorcycle world such as Austin Vince, Lois Pryce, Nick Sanders and Elspeth Beard are intending to be there. Kevin and Julia Sanders are planning to call in on their way to Africa. Eric Richard, Craig Cary-Clinch and Barbara Alam all hope to be there too.
Will you be there on Saturday 1st November between 2 and 7pm? We are inviting you.
ISBN 978-0-9556573-2-0 £13.99 Paperback 40 colour images, 77 line drawings
Available from www.sam-manicom.com, BMW parts dealers and all good bookshops.
