Murder in Heliopolis


 Murder in Heliopolis
A Solarpunk Thriller

In this page:

I. Synopsis
II. Status
III. Characters
IV. Settings
V. Worldbuilding
VI. Call for Alpha Readers - OPEN
VII. Beta Readers
VIII. Bonus / Deleted Scenes
IX. Future Plans


I. SYNOPSIS

The year is 2504, and sprawling eco-cities built over the ruins of fallen metropolises have created a haven for the people. In the most prosperous areas of the world, skyscrapers bursting at the seams with vibrant green life and towering turbines litter the cityscapes. Heliopolis is one such supercity, renowned for its spectacular architecture, sun-drenched weather, and numerous natural reserves.

But there are darker sides still to this futuristic utopia: cities, long abandoned, crumbling and wild, where the forsaken survive on the waste of the flowering megalopolises beyond. These people, who have turned their back on society, use any means to get by in a lawless place where the only rule is to stay alive – and to survive those who hunt in the Ruins.

When a businesswoman Cassia Grove is found murdered in her home, even PATET can't help the police solve this mystery. It isn't long before the investigation reveals a sinister link between PATET and the devils which dwell in the Ruins. But is it too late to stop them?

 

II. STATUS

Murder in Heliopolis was released as a serial fiction for a previous RR Writathon (official participant) and NaNoWriMo (unofficial participant). You can find that first draft in its entirety here on Royal Road.  

Due to a botched ending, I am now revising and editing the book, and have decided that this will be my main project for 2024.

Currently, the draft stands at 72,875 words, though it should be noted that this also includes some revision notes I have added to help me with the upcoming edit.

The first draft remains on RR. If you feel up to being an alpha reader, head on over there and let me know how you feel about the first draft of the story. I've taken note of many issues, but you may catch something I've missed. Read more about being an alpha reader in section VI.

First Edit: ▮▮▮▮▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯  13%

Note: The first edit refers to the editing of the first 30 chapters of the book, which have already been released. Once this is completed, then I'll move on to the second draft, which includes all of the 30 edited chapters plus new chapters to complete the second part of the story.

Updates:  26/01/2024   15/02/2024   

 

III. CHARACTERS

The following is an alphabetical list of all of the characters with POV scenes in Murder in Heliopolis. Some of these you will have never heard of; they do not appear in the original draft currently available on Royal Road, but they will be added to the story in the edit. 

Feel free to ask about any of the characters. I will be creating Character Introductions for each of them, and linking the character names to their respective introduction posts. Items that are listed next to the names of characters but are not yet linked to a post are coming soon.

AFAN KELIAT  //  OC INTRO //
Cassia's business partner; wealthy investor.

ASTER LOCKWOOD  //  OC INTRO //
Missing person; Grove's husband; Person of Interest in Grove's murder; PATET anomaly.

AUDRA HAIZE  //  OC INTRO  //
PATET HQ Specialist; Informant; Criminal (unwilling).

CALLIOPE FROST  //  OC INTRO  //
Peak Guide's daughter & favoured heir; Lockwood's friend.

CASSIA GROVE  //  OC INTRO  //
Owner of Nymphaeales; Murder victim; Lockwood's wife.

FLEUR VERDI  //  OC INTRO  //
Grove's assistant; Amateur detective; Lockwood's former classmate.

FRASER ZAMARAD  // 
Owner of Emerald Farm; Reputation-oriented.

GROT ANTRUM  // 
PATET HQ Specialist; Grove's family friend; Accessory to several crimes.

INVIDIA //  WHO IS INVIDIA?  //
Mysterious blackmailer; Person of Interest in Grove's murder. PATET anomaly.

IVY LEBBEN  // 
Work-from-home author; Ulv's sister; Amir's wife; Informant.

KALKOS MOGADOR  // 
Grove's cousin; Computer whiz; Hacker for hire.

LAITH ALAZRAQ  //  OC INTRO  //
HPD Homicide Detective assigned to the murder of Cassia Grove.

MOORLAND ZAMARAD  // 
Fraser's eldest son; Heir to Emerald Farm; Troublemaker... and worse.

OLIVIA FOX  // 
HPD Chief of Operations; Laith and Ulv's direct boss; Likes to be kept in the loop.

ORKEN  //  OC INTRO  //
Hacker.

PATINA GROVE  //  OC INTRO  //
Grove's mother; argued with her daughter before her murder.

PHEONIX ZAMARAD  //  OC INTRO  //
Grove's childhood friend. PATET anomaly.

TOMA POM  //  OC INTRO  //
Lockwood's assistant at Greenland Farm; informant.

ULV LEBBEN  //  OC INTRO  //
HPD Financial Department investigating financial inconsistencies in the Farms.

WARDA EL YAZIDI  //  OC INTRO //
General Surgeon at the Central Hospital of Heliopolis; Laith's wife.

WOLF ACKER  //  OC INTRO  //
Mechanic working in The Gears; Ivy's husband; Lockwood's friend.

 

IV. SETTINGS

The following are a range of settings explored in the current draft of Murder in Heliopolis. However, as I would like to showcase more of the sprawling eco-city that is Heliopolis, I am hoping to add a few more locations to the mix, so this list may be updated soon. I will also create a range of posts discussing the settings in more detail, and will be linking those posts here. 

HELIOPOLIS //

> The Academic Quarter  //  Setting Intro

>> Agricultural University of Heliopolis  //  Setting Intro //

> The Farms  //  Introduction to The Farms  //  Establishing the Farms  // 

>> Greenland Farm  //  Setting Intro  //
>> Emerald Farm  //  Setting Intro  //

> The Floats  //  Setting Intro  //

>> Nymphaeales  //  Setting Intro  //  Club Brochure  //

> The Forest  //  Setting Intro  //  Urban Design  //

>> Audra Haize's Apartment  //  Floor Plan  //
>> Grot Antrum's Apartment  //  Floor Plan  //
>> Ivy & Wolf's Apartment  //  Floor Plan  //
>> Platano Maduro  //  Setting Intro  //  Menu  //
>> The Bone Bouquet Cafe & Eatery   //  Setting Intro  //  Menu  //
>> The Greenhouse Cafe  //  Setting Intro  //  Menu  //
>> Warda & Laith's Apartment  //  Floor Plan  //

> The Gears  //  Setting Intro  //

>> Farm Hands Machines  //  Setting Intro  //  Company Brochure  // 

> The Hills  //  Setting Intro  //  Neighbourhood Design  //

>> No. 23: Cassia & Aster's House  //  Floor Plan  //

> The Official Quarter  //  Setting Intro  // 

>> Heliopolis Police Department HQ  //  Setting Intro  //
>> Heliopolis Slate Commission  //  Setting Intro  //  Slates  //
>> Heliopolis Assembly  //  Setting Intro  //  Guide List  //

> The Outskirts  //  Setting Intro  //

NOVUS ATLANTIS

> Grove Family House  //  Floor Plan  //

THE RUINS

> Devils HQ  //  Setting Intro  //  Members List  //


V. WORLDBUILDING

As I rework my novel, I'm doing a lot more worldbuilding. I noticed that the solarpunk worldbuilding tends to die off a bit after the first several chapters, and I decided that I want every chapter to give readers that same sense of wonder as the first few chapters - and even those need a little sprucing up! So, here is a SPLITE list of neat worldbuilding you need to know about the futuristic solarpunk world of Murder in Heliopolis.

HELIOPOLIS  //  History of Heliopolis  //  

SOCIETY  //   

Death & Funerals  //  Collectivism vs Indivisualism  //  Crime  //  Heli-Goth  //  Love & Marriage  //  Population Growth  //

POLITICS  //  

Districts  //  Guides  //  Inter-City Cooperation  // 

LOCATION  //  

Geography  //  Urban Design  //  Allergies  //

INTELLECTUAL  //  

Education  //  Arts  //  PATET Specialists  //

TECHNOLOGY  //  

Slates  //  A-Lanes  //  Energy Harvesting  //  R-Investigators  //  MedBands  //  X-Drives  // 

ECONOMICS  //  

Money  //


VI. CALL for ALPHA READERS 

I have put out a call for preliminary readers of the first draft of Murder in Heliopolis. 

The deadline for feedback from alpha readers will be the 5th of May 2024.
Readers can still send me feedback past this date, but I'll be finishing up the next draft by then.

Since it can be found on Royal Road and is freely accessible, the alpha reading process for this novel is very simple and stress-free. All I need from you is to read the story and share your preliminary thoughts and feelings about it with me. 

You can do that in the comments of the chapters on Royal Road, or by sending me feedback directly via this form if you prefer a more private feedback channel. I will be collecting all feedback into one big document for my own use in a couple of months!


VII. BETA READERS

At this time, there is no call for beta readers. If you're interested, I will put up a notification here on my blog, and on my social media when the call opens. Keep an eye out!


VIII. BONUS / DELETED SCENES

There are a range of bonus scenes and deleted scenes - scenes that I cannot add to the story but that might offer more insight into the story and may therefore be of interest to readers, as well as scenes that were once in the draft but were removed for whatever reason. You will find them all listed here.

Cassia Grove's Last Day [bonus scene]

 

IX. FUTURE PLANS

I plan on revising, editing, and finalizing the book so that I can self-publish it. My aim is to have this complete by the end of 2024. However, it will remain on Royal Road as well, so readers can still enjoy it for free! 

Purchasing the ebook would simply be a form of supporting me if you like my story. Moreover, the ebook would not be sold alone; it would come with additional goodies, such as short stories or the Encyclopaedia Heliopolitana, which you won't find on Royal Road!


To find more posts related to this book, check out the Murder in Heliopolis label on this blog.

 

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