Below, dear reader, please find bonus content for Suzanne’s book: ELEMENTS: A Collection of Speculative Fiction.
This series of posts provides stories-behind-the-stories for each tale in ELEMENTS.
Sitting in the 7th slot in the Table of Contents is “Jelly and the D-Machine”
I’ve always believed in multiple dimensions where countless versions of “Suzanne” likely exist and are living (perhaps) similar lives to mine.
I’ve also taken just enough physics to superficially understand the double-slit experiment, which is referenced in Jelly and the D-Machine.
I am a mathie–not a physicist–so forgive me if I get the science a bit wrong. I earned a Bachelor of Mathematics (BMath) degree in Operations Research (now called Mathematical Optimization) from the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo, which, according to their website, “…has the largest concentration of mathematical and computer science talent in the world.”
So when people say, “Do the math,” in most cases, I can actually do it!
The symbol for the Mathematics Faculty is a Pink Tie. Cue the pink segue…
In Jelly and the D-Machine I explore teen sexuality, multiple dimensions, and bullying. And even though bullying is one of those words that gets over-used to the point where it doesn’t have much weight, I believe that all teenagers have a profound and thorough understanding of bullying.
Always have.
Always will.
Unfortunately, I doubt that we as a collective society will ever be able to eliminate bullying. But I am pleased that in Canada we continue the dialogue, and have so many initiatives, including:
and
to continue the struggle to if not eliminate bullying, at least lessen its power.
Rock on, PINK! You have the power to do the math and reduce bullying. That’s an amazing skill for a colour.
Fun Fact
For years I super-volunteered for my sons’ elementary school councils. One of the events I helped to plan was an annual Fun Fair.
And yes, we actually had a rubber-chicken target-toss game, and we re-used the wooden toss-board every year for the Fun Fair. We even kept a supply of rubber chickens on hand.
Seriously. Rubber chickens. I kid you not!
Lucky for our committee, the school allotted us a lockable closet where we stored all of the equipment for the fair from year to year. So if Austin from Jelly and the D-Machine had been my son, he wouldn’t have access to the chicken-toss-board in my basement and who knows what would’ve become of him.
ELEMENTS: A Collection of Speculative Fiction is available in Canada and the USA from EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing.
