Writer's Archive - #002 - 20/03/2026

 

Writer's Archive - #002 - 20/03/2026

With four chapters scheduled and two more on the way, I'm confident about my ability to keep this story alive and bring it to a satisfying end. New chapters of Murder in Heliopolis are now being released weekly on Royal Road— which is a deliberate shift in my publishing strategy.

Rather than a singular daily burst of chapters followed by a long silence of about five weeks, this allows readers to consume the story at a pace that's better aligned with my own ability to write it, even as I deal with my intensive teaching cycles. A more comfortable pace means less stress, which is the point. I want to enjoy writing again.

In reviewing my archives from the last few years of editing, I’ve rediscovered a series of worldbuilding 'bonus' chapters. I’m currently reworking these to integrate them into my new release schedule.

Thankfully, Royal Road’s Volumes feature will allow me to house these in their own dedicated space within the same project, so readers aren't bothered by them as they read the story itself. This creates a perfect environment for me to dive deeper into the lore of Murder in Heliopolis and provide thoughtful, detailed responses to the questions readers shared in the comments.

Here are a few questions that were asked, which I will be answering in upcoming worldbuilding chapters:

• Does PATET make moral judgements?
• Since it is responsible for crime prevention, does it report abusers or con-artists, where the damage might not be obvious at first glance? If PATET does not make such decisions or follow up after such crimes, who does?
• Do the ruling political party/entity have any control over PATET? Can they change its tax rates or the way loans are given? Can they also make changes to its electoral systems?
• Are there any emergency measures in case PATET is critically compromised for some reason, like a virus or even the destruction of the physical servers holding PATET's data?

If there are corners of the Heliopolis lore you’ve been curious about, the archives are open. If you are new to the mystery, you can begin your journey on Royal Road.