With springtime weather filling London with the scent of flowers and friskiness, it’s never been a more auspicious time to jump onto the Geek Chic wagon. And what better way to attract the attention of that sexy post-doc down the corridor than to flaunt your Renaissance Scientist credentials? <\/p>\n
\nFiction Lab, a book group dedicated to lab lit<\/a> novels at the Royal Institution<\/a>, is here to help you cultivate that aura. But it’s not for the faint of heart. Although all are welcome and we have new faces every month, the group has evolved a core of diverse and entertaining regulars who can trash the most beautifully written story with the surgical precision of a nano-scalpel. When we have occasionally had authors stop by to join in the discussion, words have not been minced.<\/p>\n \nMarch’s book, The Behaviour of Moths<\/a> by Poppy Adams, raised the hackles of a number of the group due to its unreliable first-person scientist narrator, although others, myself included, enjoyed the feeling of not knowing, even by the end, if her account was actually trustworthy. On balance, though, it is probably a good thing that Ms Adams’ agency didn’t deign to respond to our invitation to lay into her in person.<\/p>\n \nThese same regulars have been nagging me for some time to put my own novel, Experimental Heart<\/a>, under the knife. And, because resistance is futile, I have finally given in. If you want to join in the spectacle, please read the book and scrub in for 7 PM on Monday, 6 April. After doling out the usual preliminaries and introductions, I’ll retire meekly to the bar, out of earshot with a stiff drink, while everyone else lets rip under the firm grip of guest chair Stephen Curry<\/a>. Later, I’ll join in on the wrap-up discussion.<\/p>\n \nI’m not as nervous at the prospect as I thought I’d be, now that’s it’s decided. This may be because I was pummelled by so many rejections on the long road to publication that I have long since learned not take criticisms personally \u2013 in fact, I actually crave any tips that might help me improve. Also, being hard at work on my third novel, the first invariably suffers by comparison \u2013 you can only write a first novel once, and there are things I would do differently now. Most of all, I’m keen to see what a group of people specializing in scientific novels for the past year make of what is, in many way, a type specimen of hard-core lab lit \u2013 especially as most of the group are not scientists.<\/p>\n \nThere’s only one way to find out. Do join us!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With springtime weather filling London with the scent of flowers and friskiness, it’s never been a more auspicious time to jump onto the Geek Chic wagon. And what better way to attract the attention of that sexy post-doc down the … Continue reading