Description
Set in a two year timeframe 2010-2012, aiming towards the London 2012 Olympic Games, seven principal characters in their twenties with very different interests and lifestyles come together, experiencing trials, tribulations, successes and failures, heartaches, romance, and learn to pull themselves together despite their discontent.
Tim Richardson (21) is a triathlete hoping to compete and win a title at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Can he become Olympic champion? He also excels at BMX biking and is coached by Ben Williams (29), an Ethics Professor with a PhD - based in Scarborough. Ben is the most mature of the seven characters. He becomes the owner of a cocker spaniel called Pépé who is admired by Suzanna Jeffries (22). Suzanna is a marathon athlete and triathlete. These two start to see each other after a long and troublesome intervention by her brother Shane Jeffries (24) who is neurotically obsessed with his younger sister to the point of physicality against potential suitors. Shane is a 3rd degree taekwondo blackbelt coach, and marathon runner who participates in the London marathon. His other self holds an interest in Physics and secretly hankers for the Nobel Prize in later life.
Alex Davies (32) is in effect 'the boss'. Alex owns a restaurant called "Collage" (NB not college), and goes on to open a café called "The Flaming Squirrels". Suzanna Jeffries is a waitress in both places as the story progresses. These two venues are often used as locations for the seven 'crew' members to hang out and catch up with each other. Alex is married to Melanie, and they have a five year old daughter called Fiona. The other characters always show great respect towards Alex Davies.
Charlie Morris (25) is an entrepreneur who goes on to establish a local tropical fish shop having written his entire business blueprint whilst serving time in a mental hospital with an ASBO for assaulting his father who denied him the necessary encouragement to start out in business. Whilst on the ward he meets Claire Halls (23) who attempted suicide by overdose and is a struggling singer-songwriter. Was this attempt anything to do with her friend Megan's husbands death? She springs back to life because of Charlie and forms a folk-rock band called 'Seachimp'. Claire is lead singer and acoustic guitarist. The band win a recording contract after they win a local battle of the bands competition and go on a UK tour. Claire and Charlie get married and have a baby called Luke.
There are 18 chapters in total tracing their experiences over the two year period. Good and bad, happy and sad, for richer or for poorer, Plan 103f demonstrates how sometimes the best intended plans will change owing to unexpected occurrences. The novel is set in various places including Scarborough, London and Scotland, and the people experience very real events, but the seven characters are supposed to be fictional.
The fiction-meets-fact element is intended to make it more real; to make the storyline believable. There is sex, blood, romance, love, money, enterprise, Olympism, and the story winds up with the seven 'crew' members in Alex's establishment 'Collage', evaluating everything they have been through together in this period of time.
The seven principal characters could be said to represent different aspects of the author's own character, dreams, and experiences.