Stroud Writers’ Group’s Peter Uren has released his debut book The Old Mechanic – a story about an old motorcycle mechanic who takes on an apprentice and together they restore a classic 1959 Norton 500cc ES2.
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The story takes the reader through the process of restoring an old classic motorcycle, right from rebuilding the engine to getting the bike on the road.
Along the way, they maintain, repair and service many classic old British motorbikes. But the book is more than just about motorcycles; it is about the intergenerational relationship between the two men.
Uren grew up in the Illawarra region of New South Wales. He had a love affair with motorcycles from an early age.
Following a 23-year career with the Royal Australian Air Force, he settled in Port Stephens and served a further seven years with the Department of Defence before ill-health forced his retirement.
His illness sees him with impaired balance and speech but that does not stop him from pursuing his great passion for motorcycle riding, albeit on three wheels not two, and photography and writing.
Now living in Raymond Terrace, Uren, 57, says he started writing fiction when he joined Stroud Writers’ Group in February this year.
His book started out as a short story about his motorcycle adventures. He sent it to friends who encouraged him to write more, so he added a few chapters.
“When I got up to 10 chapters I thought I should get a plot going, so I listed all the chapter headings then started to write to them,” he said.
“I love writing,” he said. When I was working, I looked forward to retirement and had a plan of all the things I was going to do.
“But being forced to retire early and not being able to do all the things I wanted for health reasons made me hate retirement. But it did let me pursue my passion for writing”
Uren is “half way” through his next novel. It’s about a man who wakes up in hospital suffering from amnesia and his struggle to get his life back.
“I have a good imagination,” Uren says. “So I am putting myself in that hospital bed and trying to imagine what emotions he is experiencing.”
Uren self-published his book. It cost around $1500 to print 250 copies and so far he has sold 107 copies at $14.95 each to break even. They are also available on Kindle as an eBook for 4.99 USD.
Peter Uren can be contacted on theoldmechanic1@yahoo.com.au