[ONC 2021 WINNER: 3rd place] When a car accident reveals a shocking secret even he didn't know about himself, an android finds himself hunted by his own husband.
BioSynth is one half of a duology of novellas. Both follow the same sequence of events...
Thank you for having come along Quentin and Ian on their journey. I can barely believe it's over (for now, at least). It feels too fast, and I've had a blast writing these two.
One of the reasons I enjoy posting on Wattpad so much is reader interaction. With that in mind, I have a laundry list of questions and would love it if you guys could find it in yourselves to answer some/all of them. So, without further ado,
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Questions:
- Did you choose to read just BioSynth, or both in parallel?
- Why, and how would you say it affected your enjoyment of the story?
- If you read just BioSynth, are you planning on reading SynTracker or did one satisfy the need to know what was going on in this story?
- If you read both, did one feel markedly more enjoyable/fleshed out than the other? Which one? Why?
- If you read both, does this feel like the experiment I meant for it to be? Two novels (novellas for now, but we all know I'm chomping at the bit to expand them after the ONC)? Or did it feel like a single, dual-PoV book that needs adjusting?
- Were there any characters or scenes you felt were superfluous or, conversely, any you wish you'd seen more of?
- In a potential sequel, would you prefer to follow Quentin and Ian, someone else from the cast I've introduced, or brand new characters? Assume Quentin and Ian are likely to show up one way or the other.
- Did you pick up anything that made your eyebrows reach your hairline and that didn't end up getting resolved? I left several deliberately hanging threads, and would love to know which ones landed.
- Do you have theories, suspicions, anything you'd like to share?
- How did you come across this novella? (ie Wattpad search, friend rec, ONC cross promo, having read Utterly Forgettable first, etc)
- Free space — go wild!
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Special thanks:
to my lovely readers: I feel that it would be unfair to refer to you by name only to end up letting one or two fall by the wayside, but know that your comments made my days — sometimes my weeks — and I cherished every vote, and every read.
BioSynth — both of the Syn novellas, really — would not be what they are now without the help of a few very special people. For all their input, both before I wrote a single word and during the process, I need to thank:
kataraqui for listening to me freak out that writing a love story featuring an android might be too similar to his Static Crush (have you read it? No? What are you waiting for, then?), for listening to all my ideas, running his eyes through the opening chapters and assuring me that no, a swallow does not a summer make, and neither does an android a story make.
SmokeAndOranges for bearing with me while I knew nothing of structure, for working his dark magic on chapter word count estimates (even if I then bungled all of them in the actual chapters) and staying up ridiculously late while I went on and on and on about my plans for this.
smaoineamh for asking the really difficult questions, some of which I had no answers to, at the time, about where I wanted this story to go and what tale I was trying to tell.
CeeMTaylor for... Is everything a thing? Because, if so, for everything; I feel like I'm going to be saying that a lot in all my upcoming stories. For all the brainstorming, all the suggestions, all the guffawing, the sparkly gold speedo, and the bingo. And the upcoming eggs benedict. You know what I mean.
You guys are my tribe. Thank you. ❤
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What now?
Now I'll be working on a different novel, as well as working to expand and combine Syn. It doensn't have a name yet, but it'll feature the characters you can see in the Dawn flashfic, in my Something Equally Nonsensical flashfic collection, available on my profile.
If you're looking for a completed romance to binge while you wait, might I suggest my Utterly Forgettable? It started out as my 2020 entry to the ONC, before being expanded into a full novel later in the year, in time for the Wattys.
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There's a delicate balance between self-preservation and self-isolation.
Palliative carer Josh Winters has dedicated his life to bringing joy to someone's final months. His nurturing nature finds an outlet there for all the feelings he refuses to attach to anyone with a full life ahead of them. It's easier that way, simpler. Former millionaire
Emery Hall has his own ideas about ease and simplicity, and they created an unspeakable rift with Josh in their past. Josh can never forgive him, but when he discovers Emery has been homeless for months, he will do everything in his power to convince the proud man to accept his help. Between his conscience and his lingering feelings for the man, he can do no less, not while he has a roof to offer.
His only goal is to help Emery get back on his feet and let the past stay in the past, but he should have known better than to believe he could be unaffected by the only man he's ever loved. Torn between his inability to forgive and his need to help, escaping this situation with his heart intact may be more than Josh can hope for, especially once he discovers that there are still things about Emery he doesn't know.
