Hey everyone! Andrew here.
Spring has sprung and it is already warming up here in Tokyo. The cherry blossoms are doing their thing, my never-ending cough is (finally) getting better, and I have actual good news to share on the writing front. Which, as long-time readers will know, is not always the case. So settle in.
Writing update: First things first. I wrote a few more chapters of what I have been calling Muni for what feels like approximately one geological era, and it now has a new name. The series is now called House of Bones, and book one will be The Bone Singer instead of 'The Master's Munificence'. It makes sense within the story whereas the old working title really didn't. For those just joining us: this is a novel I have been working on for years. (Never give up!) I have over 100,000 words written and a few key chapters left to finish the first draft. After a too-long lull, I am finally making headway, and the reason is that I forced myself to go through it chapter by chapter and build a proper outline from what I had. Turns out that helps. Who knew. (Everyone. Everyone knew.)
Here's my confession about middles: as a writer, I can do beginnings all day long. I genuinely enjoy them. And when I can find them, I don't mind a good ending either. But middles and I have a complicated relationship. I usually have to slog through the sad middle to reach the juicy ending, and that's if I can find it at all. That is precisely what happened with this one. I started it in the wrong place, got turned around, fell into a mild panic, threw it down in dismay, picked it back up again when I was thoroughly lost, and eventually — eventually — got my bearings. Long story short: it's called The Bone Singer now, I know how it ends, and I think it's going to be a good one, and I will definitely be asking you if you want to be alpha or beta readers when I get to that stage, but that's still a few months away. That said, if you want to see one of the
maps I have been working on, swing by the ZZ Discord and say hi! I will update there with my map progress. Do you like fantasy maps as much as I do?
Anthropoid is also still very much in motion, for those keeping score at home. The Bonesong Trilogy is outlined. The website is still getting there. Lots of plates spinning, none of them on the floor. Progress!
This week's poll is: When science meets magic... does it elevate the story, or break it?
It won't come as a great surprise that The Bone Singer (which features a cursed demonic guitar) contains music-based magic. Magic is tricky to pull off well and tends to polarize readers. The Brandon Sandersons of this world say you need a hard system with rules. The Tolkiens say rubbish, handwave it, leave it up to the reader's powerful imagination and move on. I land somewhere in between. I like a bit of science mixed in with my handwavium, but I also think going too far in either direction is a problem. Too much hard science and the magic stops feeling like magic. Too much handwaving and nothing has weight.
On the sci-fi side, I really love how the Honor Harrington books handled this. That world and its technology (especially the missiles) was so thoroughly thought through that the universe feels like a real place and the technology feels achievable and not out of place. That's the bar I am aiming for with the magic in The Bone Singer.
This group has some of the most well-read people I have ever encountered anywhere. So I am keen to hear what kind of mix you think works best. That's it for this one. Thank you all so much for reading.
All the best,
Andrew (ZZ)
Zero-Point Awakening - The Complete Series Books 1-8
"Do I love every single thing in every single book? No. There are some plot twists that actually angered me as I read them. At least once I wanted to slap the authors on the back of their heads. It felt personal. And that is the secret to ZZ Adams."
- Amazon 5 Star Review
Read this Box Set Promos
Check out these bargain and discounted reads from our fellow speculative fiction authors!
Behold a cosmic competition! Discover the strange, immortal aliens known as the Cruiskeen! Witness Shakespeare and Marie Curie in a galactic battle of wits with some guy from Knuckleville, USA!
After Alexander the Great’s death, rival armies clash in Egypt—until some mysteriously vanish, drawing Louisa Sophia into a dangerous search for answers and treasure.
An FBI agent on leave. A street preacher who knows her name. A prophecy that could cost her everything. Some warnings can’t be ignored.
Can she collect enough fragments of her past before the nightmarish figure from her dreams catches up with her?
FREE When science meets magic… does it elevate the story—or break it?
Best of both worlds
Works if done right
Depends on the story
Usually a mess
Survey Result
And now, let's take a look at last week's poll results. We asked, "Imagine life 50 years from now. What futuristic tech will every home have?"
Here are the results:
- A humanoid robot assistant --> 34%
- Medical nanobots that constantly repair your body --> 31%
- Other --> 22%
- A flying car in the garage --> 6%
- A teleportation pod for instant travel --> 6%
YOUR THOUGHTS
Andrew: Right. So I asked you all to imagine the future, and you delivered.
David even came in with a full engineering proposal. David, if you are not working in some kind of speculative futures research, it is a genuine waste of your talents. Sonic cooking. Polycarbonate walls. AI nodes monitoring everything from power usage to tumors. Histotripsy chairs. I had to look that last one up, and now I can never un-know what it is. "Imagine no more outlets" This is a short story pitch. Please write it!
Gail wrote in to say she will be 117 years old, and on that basis voted for nanobots and a humanoid robot assistant simultaneously. Practical! Gail also had kind words about The Bone Singer (formerly Muni), and I want you to know, Gail, that your patience and encouragement means a lot to me. David, you too!
Margaret broke my brain with a response about passive thermal regulation. It took me a while to think this through but I like it a lot.
Tim G., I haven't forgotten about the nanobots rattling around in my feeble brain from a few weeks ago either. Between you, David, and now Gail, I have enough 2am material to last me through winter.
As always, thank you all for writing in. These responses are the best part of putting this together every week.
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ZZ ADAMS
Kyodo Setagaya City, Tokyo
Japan
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