Hey everyone! Andrew here.
I have some good news to share this week. After what feels like an eternity of wrestling with The Master's Munificence, I am finally closing in on finishing the first draft. I know, I know. I've been saying that for months now. But this time I mean it. Probably.
The thing about Muni that I haven't fully explained before is that this project has been absolutely kicking my behind. It's incredibly complex and I refuse to use AI to help with any of the creative work on this one. Call it pride. Call it stupidity. But if my brain can't handle the complexity, then I don't want to put it out there with my name on it. I may be a dinosaur the way the industry is moving on this one, but it's how I feel about it.
So this story has a plot that is the most complex thing I've ever attempted to write. How complex? Well, the novel now has a three-book structure (and that's because the story demands it, not because I wanted to split things up for commercial reasons). The first scene opens with something from Book 3. Nobody does that. It's nuts. There's also a paradoxical time loop which totally messes with my head and with the story structure and three different POVs with converging threads. I actually had to build an app from the ground up to help me visualize the timeline because I ran out of floor space in my living room for scene cards. Yes, really. Not kidding. AI did help me write the app. I'm not a software engineer. But the app works. My wife was not impressed with either outcome.
But I think I'm through the other side now. I can see what needs to be written. And strangely, this protracted period of analysis has helped me figure out how to fix issues with other projects that have been bugging me. Is there a takeaway from all this? Maybe just that sometimes things take their own sweet time and no amount of pushing and shoving is going to move them faster than they were designed to go. This is a lesson I clearly haven't fully learned even at my age.
In other news, I've been doing a lot less travel for my day job lately, which has been wonderful for my family, my mental health, and my writing. Coming back from an overseas work trip usually wipes me out for at least a week afterwards and drives my productivity into negative number territory, where non-math people like me fear to tread. Staying put has meant actual progress on the page. What a concept.
Speaking of concepts, the nanobot question from last week got me thinking about humanoid robots in our homes. We've seen them in countless science fiction stories, from helpful companions to terrifying infiltrators and they are in the press a lot more these days. The reality might be a lot more mundane but they creep me out. What would you actually want one to do? Clean the bathroom (please)? Cook dinner? Just be someone to talk to when the house is quiet? I'm genuinely curious where you all land on this one. Again, they creep me out, but I think they're coming. Sigh.
Check out the poll below and as always, please do explore the promo section. There are some real gems from our fellow authors this week. Once again, thank you all for sticking with us. There's lots happening and Damian is working hard on books as well so please check out his stuff if you are interested as well.
All the best,
Andrew (ZZ)
Zero-Point Awakening - The Complete Series Books 1-8
"Rollicking adventure with the worst superheroes, ever. Everything they do seems to backfire. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, maybe or maybe not."
- Amazon 5 Star Review
Read this Box Set Promos
Check out these bargain and discounted reads from our fellow speculative fiction authors!
After a high-risk helicopter rescue, a teen arrives at Rise Hospital needing experimental life-saving tech. Nico and Lacy step in—unaware that saving him will change their lives forever and push Lacy’s magic to its limits.
Ewan Scott is reborn by an ancient AI to save humanity from extinction—and reunite it with its true origin. As alien civilizations fall, Captain Velal faces rising horrors that now set their sights on Earth.
Bo Duckworth, a former Republican Marine master sergeant, was discharged after destroying an X103 battle bot during a critical mission. Now adrift and out of options, he heads to the edge of known space in search of a new life.
Superheroes are vanishing. No one knows why—not the villains, the heroes, or the ones just trying to get by. But Emma Edgin, aka Dragon Girl, is sure the Super Commission is involved.
Check this out If a humanoid robot lived in your home, what would you most want it to do for you?
Be someone to talk to
Clean the house
Cook meals
Care for elderly family members
Do chores I don’t like
Other (let us know your view by replying)
Survey Result
And now, let's take a look at last week's poll results. We asked, "You can gain superhuman abilities. The cost?"
Here are the results:
・I'd want more control first --> 55%
・I wouldn't - the risk is too high --> 22%
・I'd use them - power is worth the risk --> 17%
・Other --> 8%
YOUR THOUGHTS
Andrew: Well, that last poll certainly got you all fired up. The emails I received were thoughtful, passionate, and in some cases genuinely philosophical. I love it when a simple poll question turns into a proper discussion.
Tim made an excellent point that I hadn't fully considered: the real concern isn't whether the nanobots develop their own agenda, it's who programmed them in the first place. What buried instructions might they have? He painted some unsettling scenarios, from being nudged toward buying from certain corporations to having your eyesight switch off if you exceed the speed limit. That's the kind of paranoid thinking I absolutely love in a science fiction reader. Well done. You've actually managed to give me nightmares.
Larry pointed out that superpowers aren't really the draw for him (and a lot of folks). What he wants are nanobots that inventory the body, list every issue, and then set about repairing what they can. Sign me up for that version too. I have some aches and pains and a crook eye that could use some nanobot action. What I don't want is malformed eyes or an extra non-functional arm. Or modifications to my skin that make them show ads for Elon Musk companies. I'm going to stay firmly on the fence on this one.
Lily agrees with me, I think. That if there's no way to remove the healing nanobots, it raises the risk factor too far to make this workable. She made a compelling case for limited, single-purpose nanobots that leave once their job is done. Fix one thing, then get out. It's the last part that's the worry. I mean, what if they don't leave?
Eleanor cut right to the heart of the matter with a point that probably should have been obvious: we can't have these things until they've been properly tested for safety. No "catches" allowed. Fair point, Eleanor. I agree. But I am not signing up to be a test subject.
Ryen took the opposite approach entirely: "I'm old, so I'd take the powers. Do my best to help, and if I get out of control, go ahead and kill me." So there's a lot to unpack with that take. On balance, I think I like it. On the plus side, the nanobots might mean you end up younger than you started. Food for thought!
David went full dystopia on us (thanks David!), suggesting that nanobots will eventually be put into everything by governments and mega-corporations, whether we consent to it or not. Air, food, water, the lot. Science fiction becoming science fact, one quiet step at a time. He's not wrong that a lot of our genre's warnings have an uncomfortable habit of coming true. I worry that they would end up in our food and water accidentally no matter what position our governments take. And there they wait for some unscrupulous person to activate them and use them for their own ends.
Anyway, now I won't be able to sleep again, but I do appreciate everyone's thoughtful responses. Thanks for engaging so passionately. Your responses genuinely make writing this newsletter worthwhile.
**Please note: All links in this newsletter are affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
ZZ ADAMS
Kyodo Setagaya City, Tokyo
Japan
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