Gregory Greunke | Updates

Upcoming novel

Gregory Greunke — Sat, 31 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I just posted a blog post about my next novel, The Whispering Trees.

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The Whispering Trees

Gregory Greunke — Sat, 31 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I'm working on the edits from my Developmental Editor and planning to release a new YA series, The Secundus Resistance. My goal is to publish the first book, The Whispering Trees, this December.

Synopsis

One day, Ella would cut down her enemies with an axe. First, she had to learn that everything she'd been taught to want was a lie.

In a future where forests have reclaimed the earth, seventeen-year-old Ella lives in Cuna, a walled city where citizens pack food for distant masters and fear the wild Nature beyond the walls. The Menders keep order with kind smiles and deadly efficiency. Everyone believes the outside world is poison. Ella believes something worse: that her life of dull routine is all she will ever have.

When an old gardener whispers of an unlocked door, Ella ventures into the forbidden forest and hears a voice, not from the trees, but through them. It calls itself Noa, the last survivor of a failed revolution, and it knows why the walls were built. As Ella returns night after night, she discovers ruins of the old world and chilling evidence that her neighbors are not who they seem.

Her quiet resistance becomes dangerous sabotage. Her best friend hides a love she is too busy to recognize. But when he is captured by the city's true power, Ella must stop thinking only of her own escape and find the strength to fight for someone else. Because Noa keeps whispering the one truth she doesn't want to hear: home is a cage, and a seed that stays safe is just a stone.

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The future is not human vs. machine

Gregory Greunke — Sun, 25 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

It’s about humans who know how to work with machines to create better outcomes for all of us.

Sam Altman and Jony Ive just announced a partnership to “build a screenless companion that knows everything about you.”

Did they read The Water Carriers? In chapter one, I introduced the AI companion who did everything for Naomi and Bai, from driving the car to calling 911 when they were stranded on the road. From then on, AI companions were important characters in the book.

I realized early on that a story about the near future needed to include artificial intelligence (AI), and I had to create a device that would allow people to use AI at all times. Something with contextual awareness that knew where you were, what you wanted to do, and could augment your vision so that you didn’t need to rely on a screen.

A New Relationship with AI

AI isn’t a threat in the book; it’s a constant presence—a collaborator in everything from daily life to civilization-saving breakthroughs.

Today, a lot of attention is focused on AI agents. An AI agent is an artificial intelligence system that can make decisions and take actions to achieve a goal. But I was looking for a more personal experience.

This led me to use the term AI companion.

com·pan·ion

a person or animal with whom one spends a lot of time or with whom one travels.
one of a pair of things intended to complement or match each other.

In the novel, characters generally interact with their AI companions through AugWatches—wrist-bound devices that offer audible help and rich visual overlays. Companions have unique voices, names, and develop speaking mannerisms that mirror their human companions. They do far more than answer questions; they interpret the world, provide emotional support, and even co-navigate romantic decisions.

Before continuing, we must recognize that I gave myself artistic license. Today, the technology doesn’t exist to allow a device like this to work as I described. Still, considering the pace at which technology is innovating, none of these ideas is impossible.

There is already speculation that the device Jony and Sam are working on may be a device worn as a necklace. That makes sense; the body is essentially a pedestal (or vehicle) for the head, where your sense of sight, sound, taste, and smell all reside.

I explored whether the AI device should be eyeglasses, a necklace, a ring, a patch on the side of the head, or an implant. Something on the eyes makes sense because that’s the most obvious place to observe the world, and an easy place to add augmented reality. But while glasses are incredibly cool, would everyone want to wear them at all times?

A necklace is a good position to see what its wearer sees, but it would swing around, making it terrible for jogging, snowboarding, swimming, and pretty much any active activity. I decided it must touch your skin to provide critical health information and pass electrical impulses that allow you to see and hear digital information. An implant could be tiny and always on, but it would be far too invasive for broad adoption and challenging to update.

For privacy reasons, the watch should be easy to remove. If it were stylish, people would want to update it occasionally. If you pay close attention, you’ll notice the watch’s design in the book changes several times. In the first chapter, it has two straps. Later, it has a single strap and is more streamlined. Toward the end of the book, Kasemchai has a transparent model.

For a dose of reality, I decided to give it a practical limitation: For the augmented reality to work, it must be within sight of the eyes. This is why Liv rides her bicycle in her first scene, so her heads-up display information is visible.There’s no dial on the AugWatch, but Augmented Reality allows the characters to interact with a three-dimensional interface.

To make it easier to sit at a desk and work or share information with someone else, I created a disc that could be snapped off from the face and placed on a table. This led me to another problem to solve. If everyone had AugWatches, would we need TVs or monitors anymore? They would seem old-fashioned compared to the immersive experience of your AugWatch. The best way to watch Virtumersion entertainment with your friends would be on an Experience Sphere.

The Battery Breakthrough We’re Waiting For

Innovation requires imagination. Many of our greatest innovations today were inspired by science fiction, and I felt compelled to put technology into my story, which is impossible today.

I wanted the protagonist, Kasemchai, to become inextricably involved in the water shipping business, but I needed an unexpected way to do this. The shipping industry has many critical components, but none more important than power.

Early on, I came across this article on CNBC, Why the next electric battery boom may be in cargo ships. This created a great challenge for the story, completely changing the source of energy today, from bunker fuel.

This would require incredible innovation in battery density, but while I’m at it, why not change the very material of batteries? This article, Scientists achieve progress on batteries of the future, kicked off my research into battery innovation. I eventually landed on solid-state sodium-ion batteries. But how could the characters use AI to invent something people much more brilliant than I have been working on for years?

If I couldn’t solve this problem alone, I had to change the people. So, I decided to stop using the term engineer and switched to a more appropriate term: AI collaborators.

AI col·lab·o·ra·tor (my definition in the glossary)

In a world where AI can learn and improve on its own, engineers transition from being the sole creators to collaborators. Instead of managing all technical tasks themselves, they focus on guiding AI’s development and ensuring its ethical use—their role shifts to steering AI’s potential toward human-centered goals.

In Chapter Thirty-Three, I solved this perplexing battery problem with one AI collaborator.

She looked over at Kasemchai. “Do you know how we made the sodium-ion battery work? All those engineers we hired, and it only took one. She was able to talk to the AI about the future. She imagined the future and didn’t stop asking questions until it made it possible.”

You can talk to the Avatars in the room

Say goodbye to traditional WebEx and Zoom calls in a world without monitors. In The Water Carriers, AI doesn’t just speak — it moves. It gestures. It manifests as full-body avatars walking across the room, pointing to objects, responding to facial expressions, and participating in physical space.

An AugWatch could use technology like LIDAR to map a room, further enhanced by AI to have a scene like this in Chapter Sixteen:

Kasemchai heard the repeating tone when someone was being called, and then Angélique appeared before him. Her avatar looked around and sat down in the chair across from him. He knew his AugWatch had mapped his room and made it appear the avatar was sitting on the chair, but it still made him marvel to think the computer was putting on this show for him. They think of everything, he thought to himself.“Hey, Kasemchai! Hold on one minute.” Angélique turned and disappeared as she darted off to the left. She reappeared a moment later. He could tell she was leaning over her AugWatch disc, allowing it to scan the necklace so she could add it to her avatar.“I love them! What do you think?” She turned back and forth, revealing the pearl necklace around her neck.

Why This Matters Now

The world is changing fast. Bill Gates recently said AI will render most jobs obsolete in three years, but three jobs won’t be replaced: energy experts, biologists, and coders. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella said that AI wrote up to 30% of the company’s code, and Mark Zuckerberg said that AI will replace mid-level engineers by 2025.

The careers of engineers, the very people who developed and rolled out AI, are already being affected. But if you think AI is limited to text prompts, think again. Robots are running marathons. You can watch the G1 humanoid running or this robot working on a job site.

But there’s good news. AI isn’t just a threat, it’s also a tool for reinvention. Take Mark Quinn, for example. After losing his job due to AI-driven changes in the tech landscape, he didn’t walk away defeated. Instead, he leaned into the very technology that displaced him, using AI tools to launch a new career path with fresh purpose and creativity. And he’s not alone. As Business Insider reports, engineers across various industries are adapting by embracing AI, utilizing it to automate repetitive tasks, spark new ideas, and accelerate problem-solving. It’s a shift from resistance to collaboration, showing that those who learn to work with AI can stay ahead of the curve.

To navigate this new world, we don’t just need better tech. We need better stories—stories that show us how we could live with AI, not just as a tool or a threat, but as a co-evolving intelligence—a creative partner, a conscience, a mirror.

The Water Carriers isn’t about how AI takes over the world. It’s about how we improve our world, with AI at our side.

Want to see where this future leads? The Water Carriers is now available in ebook, print, and audiobook formats.

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Literary Titan Interview

Gregory Greunke — Wed, 9 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In April, something incredible happened — I won a Gold Book Award for Fiction from Literary Titan. Yes, a Gold Award! It feels a bit like being an Olympic medalist but without the athletic skills or the shiny tracksuit.

This lovely nod was followed by an interview with Literary Titan, where I tried to sound smart without using the phrase, “In my novel” (spoiler: I failed.) I did, however, create a new genre called post-post-apocalyptic fiction. Well, you can check it out here: My Story Evolved

We talked about the inspiration for the novel that came after a brief and tumultuous move to Florida and back. I also explained why I believe a story about drought and floods can ultimately convey a sense of hope, and you might be surprised by my thoughts on what makes great fiction.

I want to extend a big thank you to the team at Literary Titan for the recognition and the spotlight. And to everyone who has been following along—your support means the world to me, even if you only skimmed just enough to leave a vaguely positive review on Amazon. I see you, and I truly appreciate you.

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Amazon X-Ray for The Water Carriers

Gregory Greunke — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Early on, my friend Ed told me I had invented so many words I should start a glossary, which I did. It was fun to watch the list grow as the book evolved. Fantastic ideas were wholly made up, like a food called Butazeri and the incredible device everyone wears on their wrist called the AugWatch. Some terms sound impossible but exist, like Fish milk and the replacement for trees called a Photo Bio-reactor.

Then I discovered Amazon’s X-Ray for Authors and realized how incredible this would be for my glossary. Instead of thumbing to the back of the book, in the Kindle version, the reader can press on any word and immediately see the definition.

It’s a powerful tool to keep the reader in the story. While the Kindle allows you to press on any word to get a definition from the dictionary or Wikipedia, many of these definitions could be wrong because the algorithm didn’t understand the context. It could also be distracting because it often pulls up too many possible definitions. So I reviewed all the terms that X-Ray found and edited them to ensure the best, most concise definition was available.

After speaking to readers I learned they sometimes had to check how characters were related to each other. I realized this was a terrific opportunity, not only to help with a cheat sheet of names and relationships but also to help with pronunciation. I deliberately used names from Brazil, Cambodia, China, France, the Ivory Coast, Hawai’i, Japan, Thailand, and The Netherlands. X-Ray can help with context and make it easy to pronounce all the different names in the way they were intended.

Serendipitously, this turned out to be a fantastic discovery for authors. Amazon X-Ray begins by pulling up a list of words it thinks are character names or terms. After reviewing this list, I discovered I misspelled the name of the president of Brazil twice. And in one chapter, I changed Liv’s name to Liz (You might be surprised to learn Liv’s name is pronouced LEEF). We missed these mistakes even after many rounds with a copy editor and a copy proofer; another excellent example of how a computer can excel at a difficult task for humans.

I’ve just released version 1.1 of The Water Carriers which includes the new Characters list after the Glossary, and X-Ray for all the character names and terms in the Kindle version. You can also see them all below.

Characters

Aksel (AHK-sul) Rotterdam, The Netherlands – Liv’s colleague who works on government contracts.
Alessandra (ah-leh-SAHN-drah) Brasília, Brazil – Advisor to president Batista.
Amporn (am-PORN ) Preap’s AI companion.
Anela Malo (ah-NEH-lah MAH-loh) New Jersey, USA – Makoa’s wife. Mother to Kailani and Apikalia.
Angélique Labonne (ahn-ZAY-leek lah-BON) Anyama, Ivory Coast – Daughter of Philippe and Sophia.
Annop (ah-NOP) Sihanoukville, Cambodia – Kasemchai’s friend from the Aquadrome.
Apikalia Malo (ah-pee-KAH-lee-ah MAH-loh) New Jersey, USA – Makoa and Anela’s younger daughter.
Arlo (AHR-loh) Rotterdam, The Netherlands – Executive Chef of the secret restaurant.
Aroon (ah-ROON) Bangkok, Thailand – Young boy at the Songkran (Thai New Year) festival who helped Mari, the young Thai girl.
Bai (bye) Georgia, USA – Student at the University of Georgia.
Ben (BEN) New Jersey, USA – Deck officer of the bunker barge who first greeted Makoa.
Bob Hamilton (BOB HAM-il-ton) USA – President of the United States of America.
Brechtje (BREKH-tyuh) Rotterdam, The Netherlands – Base jumping friend of Liv.
Captain (KAP-tin) Ishigaki Jima, Japan. Captain of the dive boat.
Carina (kah-REE-nah) Brasília, Brazil – President Batista’s AI companion.
Champei Seng (cham-PAY Sung) Sihanoukville, Cambodia – Kasemchai’s mother.
Chantal (shahn-TAL) Rotterdam, Netherlands – Liv’s colleague.
Chantana (chan-TAH-nah) Sihanoukville, Cambodia – Leader from Personaspace who pitched the AISL business to Kasemchai.
Chantavy (chahn-TAH-vee) Sihanoukville, Cambodia – Kasemchai’s AI companion.
Darius (DAH-ree-us) Ghawar Field, Saudi Arabia – Egyptian roughneck on the oil crew.
Duncan (DUN-kan) Maine, USA – Pro-desalination senator ruined by Philippe and Preap.
Emma (EM-mah) Rotterdam, The Netherlands – Attorney at Sol-Vang.
Emmet (EM-it) Newark, USA – Owner of the Newark Winery.
Evelyn (EV-uh-lin) Georgia, USA – 911 AI operator.
Faya Camara (FAH-yah kah-MAH-rah) Anyama, Ivory Coast – Angélique’s husband.
Finn (FIN) Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Liv’s colleague.
Fran (FRAN) New Jersey, USA – Office manager at the tankerman office.
Fulin (foo-LEEN) Sihanoukville, Cambodia – The big man from Personaspace who pitched the AISL business to Kasemchai.
Harper (HAR-per) Georgia, USA – Student at the University of Georgia.
Haruka (HAH-roo-kah) Ishigaki Jima, Japan – First dive guide who worked with the Captain.
Helena (heh-LAY-nah) Rotterdam, Netherlands – Liv’s colleague.
Hendrik (HEN-drik) Rotterdam, Netherlands – Liv’s assistant at Sol-vang.
Jacob (JAY-kub) Ghawar Field, Saudi Arabia – Philippine driller on the oil crew.
Jia (JAH) Dailan, China – The daughter of the security manager, Xiaomeng.
Johannes Nielsen (yo-HAH-nes NEEL-sun) Rotterdam, Netherlands – Liv’s colleague who pitched government and military contracts.
Kailani Malo (Kah-ee-LAH-nee MAH-loh) New Jersey, USA – Makoa and Anela’s older daughter.
Karim (kah-REEM) Ghawar Field, Saudi Arabia – Egyptian roughneck on the oil crew.
Kasemchai Seng (ka-sem-CHAI Sung) Sihanoukville, Cambodia and New York, USA – Son of Preap and Champei. Sato calls him Kasem-chan.
Kato (KAH-toh) Ishigaki Jima, Japan – Kasemchai’s attendant at the hotel.
Keone (keh-OH-neh) New Jersey, USA – Makoa’s brother.
Koffi (KOH-fee) Anyama, Ivory Coast – Member of the video crew.
Kosal (koh-SAL) Sihanoukville, Cambodia – Preap’s head of staff.
Liv Anselm (LEEF AHN-selm) Rotterdam, The Netherlands – Engineer at Sol-vang who dove with Kasemchai.
Lucas (LOO-kahs) Brasília, Brazil – Secretary of Defense Products – Proposed Brazil / Sol-vang partnership.
Luuk Visser (LUKE FIS-ser) Rotterdam, The Netherlands – Founder of Sol-vang.
Makoa Malo (mah-KOH-ah MAH-loh) New Jersey, USA – Anela husband. Father to Kailani and Apikalia.
Mali (MAH-lee) Bangkok, Thailand – Young girl at the Songkran (Thai New Year) festival who was helped by the boy, Aroon.
Nakamura (NAH-kah-MOO-rah) Ishigaki, Jima, Japan. Manager of the ryokan where Liv stays.
Naomi (nay-OH-mee) Georgia, USA – Student at the University of Georgia.
Nary (nah-REE) Sihanoukville, Cambodia – Head of transportation for Preap.
Nee (NEE) Bangkok, Thailand – Young girl at the Songkran (Thai New Year) festival who is friends with Mali.
Nisay (nee-SAY) Sihanoukville, Cambodia – Preap’s driver who took Kasemchai and Angélique downtown.
Noa (NOH-ah) Rotterdam, The Netherlands – Liv’s AI companion.
Omar (OH-mar) Ghawar Field, Saudi Arabia – Egyptian assistant driller on the oil crew.
Peter (PEE-ter) New Jersey, USA – Owner of the bunkering company where Makoa works as a tankerman.
Philippe Labonne (fee-LEEP lah-BON) Anyama, Ivory Coast – Head of the African water family. Angélique’s father.
Preap Seng (pree-AP Sung) Head of the Cambodian water family. Kasemchai’s father.
President Ndlovu (Prez-i-dent Ni-lo-vu) President of Anglola.
Rangi (RAH-ngi ) Newark, USA – Makoa’s friend who worked at the Côte de l’Est Vinery.
Renato Batista (heh-NAH-toh bah-TEES-tah) Brasília, Brazil – President of Brazil.
Ryan (RYE-un) Georgia, US – Lizzie’s AI companion.
Samnang (SAM-nang) Sihanoukville, Cambodia – The tall man from Personaspace who pitched the AISL business to Kasemchai.
Sarin (sah-REEN) Krong Battambang, Cambodia, Cambodia – Auntie celebrating Choul Chnam Thmey (Cambodian New Year) with her family.
Sato (SAH-toh) Kyoto, Japan. Kasemchai’s business mentor.
Songkran (song-KAHN) Bangkok, Thailand – Young boy at the Songkran (Thai New Year) festival who knocked over Mali, the young Thai girl.
Sophia Labonne (fee-LEEP so-FEE-ah lah-BON) Anyama, Ivory Coast – Angélique’s mother.
Sophie (so-FEE) Rotterdam, The Netherlands – Liv’s colleague.
Tanaka (tah-NAH-kah) Ishigaki, Jima, Japan. Virtuoso distiller at the awamori distillery where Kasemchai first meets Liv.
Tiffany Day (TIF-uh-nee DAY) New Jersey, USA – Republican senator frustrated that the tankerman were standing in the way of progress.
Tiken (TEE-ken) Anyama, Ivory Coast – Directographer filming Look Up to God for the Labonne family.
U’ilani (oo-ee-LAH-nee) New Jersey, USA – Makoa’s older sister.
Xiaomeng (SHYOW-mung) Dailan, China – Security manager of the location in China where all of Preap’s engines are stored.
YanYan (YEN-yen) Dailan, China – Inspector of the location in China where all of Preap’s engines are stored.
Yara (YAH-rah) TK, Brazil – The little girl who sees rain on Easter Day.
Young-Soon (YUNG-soon) New Jersey, USA – Anela’s AI companion.
Yuki (YOO-kee) Ishigaki Jima, Japan – Second dive guide who worked with the Captain.
Yuting (YOO-ting) Dailan, China – The daughter of the inspector, YanYan.

Terms

I edited some standard terms for the terms, such as country names or terms from countries that could use an extra explanation, such as Ryokan in Japan and New Year in Cambodia. In this blog post, I will only include the more unusual terms.

AI Collaborators In a world where AI can learn and improve on its own, engineers transition from being the sole creators to collaborators. Instead of managing all technical tasks themselves, they focus on guiding AI’s development and ensuring its ethical use—their role shifts to steering AI’s potential toward human-centered goals.
AISL Artificial Intelligence Service Layer (AISL) In the future, a series of services will be required for AI to provide a robust experience for people, especially when it comes to private information, such as financial or health information, placing orders at a store or restaurant, or enabling personalized services, such as dating. The AISL provides the UI/UX based on user preferences and behaviors. People interact with the AISL, which can use many different AI models from the AI Personalization Layer. Below the AIPL are the compliance and regulation layer (which may be religious, government, or ideology), the security and privacy layer, the data integration layer, and finally, the vendor and data sources.
Aquadrome An enclosed stadium for watching water sports, such as underwater rugby.
Arima Onsen (有馬温泉, Arima Onsen) is an onsen, or hot springs in Kita-ku, Kobe, Japan. This Onsen is still a hidden treasure of modern Kobe, behind Mount Rokkō. It attracts many Japanese who want tranquility with beautiful natural surroundings and yet easy access from the busy cities in the Kansai metropolitan area including Osaka. Arima Onsen was named in the Heian-period The Pillow Book as one of the three famous springs in Japan. It was selected as the most prestigious hot spring during the Edo period.
Aston Martin Valhalla The Aston Martin Valhalla is an upcoming sports car developed by British manufacturer Aston Martin in collaboration with Red Bull Racing. The mid-engined car has a plug-in hybrid powertrain and is meant to sit below the flagship Valkyrie track-focused sports car and is intended to be more usable as an everyday car.
AugWatch The colloquial term used after the first augmented reality watch was released. The disc on the top can be removed and placed on a table to place the view directly in front of the user or to share information with other people.
Baga Jima This is the real name of a dive shop in Ishigaki Jima. In 2003, I was lucky enough to dive with this crew to see giant manta rays, and, as you can tell from this story, it left an indelible impression on me.
Bon Om Touk Bon Om Touk (Khmer: បុណ្យអុំទូក, Bŏn Om Tuk, lit. “Boat Racing Festival”), also known as the Cambodian Water Festival, is celebrated in late October or early November, often corresponding with the lunar Mid-Autumn Festival. It marks the end of the monsoon season. The festivities are accompanied by dragon boat races, similar to those seen in the Lao Boun Suang Huea festival. The festival is celebrated over the span of three days and commemorates the end of the rainy season, as well as the change in flow of the Tonlé Sap River. The festival attracts several million people each year. Some activities that take place at the festival are boat races along the Sisowath Quay riverfront, fireworks, and evening concerts.
Brazil-Sol-vang A joint venture between Sol-vang and the Brazilian government established to develop a fleet of battery-powered tankers and convert heavy military vehicles to battery power.
Bucha Slang for Kombucha. It’s an alcoholic beverage, generally five percent alcohol, but it can pack more punch with boosters.
Byte Slang for ass. Originated from people who shared too much data about themselves on social media. It became a cheeky way to refer to someone who was being an ass.
Choul mouy “Choul mouy” or “Chol muy” means “Cheers!” in the Khmer language.
Choul Chnam Thmey Cambodian New Year (or Khmer New Year; Khmer: បុណ្យចូលឆ្នាំខ្មែរ, also known as Choul Chnam Thmey (Khmer: ចូលឆ្នាំថ្មី; lit. ’Enter the New Year’) and Moha Sangkranta (Khmer: មហាសង្ក្រាន្ត; lit. ’Great Sankranti’) or just Sangkranta, is the traditional celebration of the solar new year in Cambodia. A three-day public holiday in the country, the observance begins on New Year’s Day, which usually falls on 13 April or 14 April, which is the end of the harvesting season, when farmers enjoy the fruits of their labor before the rainy season begins. Khmers living abroad may choose to celebrate during a weekend rather than just specifically 13 April through 16 April. The Khmer New Year coincides with the traditional solar new year in several parts of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand.
Directographer Using camera drones and light drones, directors can control all aspects of creating a Virtumersion. The name combines the roles of the film director, cinematographer, camera operator, lighting team, and sound team.
Energy Center (EC) A location created by the Sol-vang company to store and repair batteries before they are recharged and returned to service ships. They need to have a reliable source of electricity and can be located a short distance from the port to keep costs down.
Experience Sphere An alternative to the AugWatch that allows many people to see or experience anything digital from a communication to Virtumersion.
Fish Milk A milk substitute made by deboning and grinding fish into a powder, then mixing it with water, emulsifiers, thickeners, and flavorings. It’s high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids.
Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; Hebrew: חיים ויץ [χaˈim ˈvits]; born August 25, 1949) is an American musician. Also known by his stage persona “The Demon”, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss, which he co-founded with Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss in the early 1970s. Simmons was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of Kiss.
Gibson The Gibson is a mixed drink made with gin and dry vermouth, and often garnished with a pickled onion. In its modern incarnation, it is considered a cousin of the ubiquitous martini, distinguished mostly by garnishing with an onion instead of an olive. But the earliest recipes for a Gibson – including the first known recipe published in 1908 by Sir David Austin – are differentiated more by how they treat the addition of bitters. Other pre-Prohibition recipes all omit bitters and none of them garnish with an onion. Some garnish with citrus twists. Others use no garnish at all. There is no known recipe for the Gibson garnished with an onion before William Boothby’s 1908 Gibson recipe.
Heatwave Pascal In this world, the World Meteorological Organization keeps six alphabetical lists of names designated for significant global heatwaves. The first heatwave of the season receives an “A” name, the second is named with a “B” name, and so on. Each year, the organization begins with a new list of names.
Hydrotank I wanted to create a futuristic dive tank for the chapter about diving with giant manta rays. Most of my research focused on concepts like scuba rebreathers or smaller tanks, but I found that rebreathers often appear bulky, and smaller tanks are limited by how much air they can safely compress. Then, I discovered the Avelo System. I made a few guesses on how this could be improved in the future, but the reason I love this solution is that it eliminates the need for a BCD (Buoyancy Control Device).
IE Gel This snack is specifically designed to provide a quick energy boost for athletes and individuals on the go. It is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals, and also contains fast-acting carbohydrates such as sugar or glucose syrup, along with caffeine and electrolytes. IE stands for “insane energy.”
Ishigaki Island Ishigaki Island (石垣島, Ishigaki-jima, Yaeyama: Ishanagï, Okinawan: Ishigachi), also known as Ishigakijima, is a Japanese island south-west of Okinawa Hontō and the second-largest island of the Yaeyama Island group, behind Iriomote Island. It is located approximately 411 km (255 mi) south-west of Okinawa Hontō. It is within the City of Ishigaki in Okinawa Prefecture. The city functions as the business and transport center of the archipelago. The island is served by New Ishigaki Airport, the largest airport in the Yaeyamas. Much of the island and surrounding waters including Mount Omoto and Kabira Bay are protected as part of Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park.Ishigaki Island, like the rest of Okinawa, is culturally influenced by both Japan and Taiwan due to its location, about 300 km (186 mi) off the north eastern coast of Taiwan.
Mae Kongkea known as the Cambodian Water Festival. The festival’s celebrations occur over the span of three days, with the Royal Boat Race taking place on the first day. After the boat race, large lanterns are released as part of the “Bondet Bratib” ceremony at 6:00 pm as representatives from national institutions pray for peace from Preah Mae Kongkea or the Goddess Ganga.
Panamax Vessel Ships that must pass through the Panama Canal lock chambers are regulated by the Panama Canal Authority. A Panamax vessel can be up to nine hundred fifty feet in length, one hundred and six feet across the beam, and have a draft of thirty-nine-point-five feet.
Personaspace Personaspace is one of the largest AI Service Layers in the world.
Photo Bio-reactor A tank of liquid filled with microalgae. They were common in dense cities that no longer had trees to help consume CO2 and oxygenate the air.
Preah Thorani Water A brand of water from Cambodia.
PrefX An amalgamation of preferences with experience-centric design. It allows people to share how they view and interact with data. People can share their PrefXs on an AISL, the Artificial Intelligence Service Layer. PrefXs can also be monetized to allow anyone to make money from a clever AI-designed interface and experience.
Rain Wall In this book, a Rain Wall refers to an area where rain falls continuously—appearing to be a wall of rain. The rain is so intense that it’s impossible to navigate to the center of the Rain Wall.
Seaweed Sachet Containers for holding liquids like water or kombucha. The odorless and tasteless containers are soft like a plastic bag but made from seaweed. They sink in seawater and are biodegradable after two years. They are also edible and high in fiber and essential vitamins.
Shima Uta Shima-uta (しまうた, 島唄) was released by The Boom in 1993. Blending Okinawan folk music with pop-rock, it served as a poignant tribute to the Battle of Okinawa, symbolizing both the sorrow of war and the resilience of Okinawan culture.
Soursdey Chnam Thmey A Khmer phrase for “Happy New Year!”
Tam Total addressable market (TAM), also called total available market, is a term that is typically used to reference the revenue opportunity available for a product or service. TAM helps prioritize business opportunities by serving as a quick metric of a given opportunity’s underlying potential. One approach is to estimate how much of the market any company can gain if there were no competitors. A more encompassing variation is to estimate the market size that could theoretically be served with a specific product or service. TAM can be defined as a global total (even if a particular company could not reach some of it) or, more commonly, a market that one specific company could serve (within realistic expansion scenarios). This focuses strategic marketing and sales efforts and addresses actual customer needs. The inclusion of constraints such as competition and distribution challenges then modifies the strategy to frame it with realistic boundaries, reducing the market down to the serviceable available market (SAM), the percentage of the market that can be served (either by that company or all providers) out of the TAM. This is occasionally referred to as PAU (Potential Active Use).
Tankerman Tantrum A derogatory term used to belittle the tankermen complaining about the fear of losing their jobs due to the conversion of large ships to battery power.
Tao The Tao is the natural order of the universe, whose character one’s intuition must discern to realize the potential for individual wisdom, as conceived in the context of East Asian philosophy, religion, and related traditions. This seeing of life cannot be grasped as a concept. Rather, it is seen through actual living experience of one’s everyday being. Its name, “Tao”, or “Dao,” came from Chinese, where it signifies the way, path, route, road, or sometimes more loosely doctrine, principle, or holistic belief. Laozi in the Tao Te Ching explains that the Tao is not a name for a thing, but the underlying natural order of the universe whose ultimate essence is difficult to circumscribe because it is non-conceptual yet evident in one’s being of aliveness. The Tao is “eternally nameless” and should be distinguished from the countless named things that are considered to be its manifestations, the reality of life before its descriptions of it. The Tao lends its name to the religious tradition and philosophical tradition that are both referred to in English with the single term Taoism.
VidSheet A paper-thin sheet that allows you to view a document or video.
Virtumersion A digital experience format. Instead of a two-dimensional experience, people participate in a fully immersive and sensory-rich experience from their AugWatch or Experience Sphere. Virtumersion allows people to watch in movie-screen format or step directly into the middle of an augmented reality or virtual reality view. Using AI, all people involved with production are removed from view, users can talk and manipulate the environment, and viewers can create new content based on the guidance or story background provided by the directographer.

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Why I wrote The Water Carriers

Gregory Greunke — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

There are so many reasons why I started writing The Water Carriers. I’ve had many book ideas before now. The real question is why did I finish writing this book?

The last few years have been bizarre. During the Covid-19 lockdown, I often thought about how to prepare for emergencies. Ultimately, I concluded that preparing for the worst was smart, but I didn’t want to wait for the worst to happen. The best future for my children, now nine and ten, wasn’t a well-stocked bugout bag but a world where we didn’t worry about droughts, fires, or civil unrest.

The Genre

So, I set out to write a near-future dystopian novel that explored the worst path for our society and presented an alternative way forward. I was perhaps one-third of the way through my book when I realized it wasn’t dystopian—at least not the societal dystopia we generally think of: totalitarian governments, surveillance states, and class stratification.

There was a strong climate fiction vibe. I had built a world where environmental catastrophes had changed society forever. It was post-apocalyptic, but not how people usually imagine such fiction. I was exploring the idea that no matter how catastrophic a situation, people always want to return to normalcy—a post-post-apocalyptic story. The genre my novel most aligned with was speculative fiction. Exploring “what if” scenarios that spring from our current reality.

The Story Kernal

In July 2022, I wrote in my notebook, “It always rains in Taiwan.” No doubt, I was thinking about the lack of rain in California. I began researching what would happen if it stopped raining. What if there was no rain for five or ten years?

In articles on the environment and climate change, I often encountered a statement that developing nations would be hit the hardest. This implies that first-world nations should recycle soda cans so that other countries don’t slip under the sea or run out of water.

It’s a nice thought, but nature is unpredictable, and that was the beginning of my story. What if first-world nations faced prolonged drought while the only nations with water were developing countries? The balance of power would shift dramatically. Everything we know about the world today would be turned upside down, especially if I concentrated all the power within two families.

I decided to write a story where the drought didn’t end, but civilization rebounded. Technology picked up where it left off, and people returned to the office and enjoyed parties with friends. Anything to make life feel normal in a world where more than half the population had died and people had only recently been fighting to survive.

It wouldn’t be an easy path for the water families either. If all the water in the world fell in only two places, the rain would never stop. The floods would be horrific, followed by disease and collapsed infrastructure. It must be tamed before my two superpowers could rise to prominence. Once they did, they would rapidly change, much like oil-rich nations or great shipping nations of the past.

The Protagonist

The protagonist, Kasemchai, is the playboy son of the Cambodian water family. Early on, I decided he was instrumental to the ending I wanted to achieve, but he presented a big challenge. It’s tough to make a wealthy playboy endearing.

This was compounded halfway through the book when I realized Liv, the secondary character, progressed through a fantastic character arc as she rose from a downtrodden subordinate to the leader of a powerful technology company. Her development made it even harder to relate to Kasemchai, who appeared more like a whiny rich kid.

That’s when I dialed up the treachery and setbacks. To truly evolve, he had to be tested on multiple levels. That revelation made him someone I cared for and helped ensure a much more triumphant ending. In a tragic world, I wanted to leave the reader with a sense of hope and accomplishment.

Is there a message?

Books are a unique form of storytelling. When we watch a movie, we passively absorb the visuals and sounds. A book triggers images in your mind. When I read, I often pause to let my mind wander along tangents. I encouraged that as much as possible through unique characters, descriptions, and conflict. I added a glossary to the end because I had invented so many words and concepts.

My goal was to give the reader food for thought. I wanted the writing to disappear and the story to move you forward. I will proudly carry the label of consumer fiction if that means the story grabs your attention and moves quickly.

So, why did I finish this novel? I was busy at work and needed a distraction. I appreciate good stories and love trying new things. Perhaps most importantly, I wanted to do something tangible to ensure my kids could see that I had left the world better than I had found it. Pass it on.

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The future of AI

Gregory Greunke — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

While writing The Water Carriers, I constantly tried to imagine how AI would work in the future. I decided this experience would be highly personal and everpresent. It wouldn’t be a tool you ask questions, like today. It would be more like a companion always there to help you get the most out of life. When I saw what ChatGPT could do in 2023, I realized I had completely underestimated the future of AI.

I was already 70% through my book, but it was clear I needed to go back and rethink all references to AI. A key scene was in the third chapter. I wrote about the life of the uber-wealthy protagonist, Kasemchai, who invested in new apps. I originally speculated that apps would be so simple to build that teams wouldn’t pitch ideas with rough concepts. Instead, they would present fully functioning apps designed by behavioral scientists and emotion design specialists.

After seeing how AI was writing code, I realized that no one would code in the future. It would not only be cost-prohibitive and slow, but it would also be impossible even to understand what AI was doing with code. Kasemchai was investing in a dating app, but in a world where anyone could create any app they wanted, why would anyone invest in a company like this? If every kid could design a dating app and share it with friends, then App stores would be filled with tens of thousands of dating apps.

I had to rethink the value an app could bring, which made me consider how we would work with AI in the future. While we think today’s large language models (LLMs) are revolutionary, they will eventually become indistinguishable and a commodity. So, how will we build value in this world?

I started with brands like Amazon.com or Alaskaair.com to imagine what it would be like if anyone could create their own unique experience to interact with these brands. If you find a fun way to search for your next trip or buy shoes or appliances for your home, you would want to share that experience with your friends. The data for shopping would be valuable but available to anyone. And how would customers be protected in a world where anyone could create a clever or horrible shopping experience?

That’s when I realized the true value was not in the app or the UI but in the data—more precisely, the control of data that would allow privacy and security. This would allow you to create your own bank app that could securely access your bank account and transfer funds.

Therein lies the challenge. Anyone creating their own bank app could easily make mistakes tracking payments or fees and easily put their account in the red. And in a disseminated dating app experience, who owns your dating profile? How would people agree to make their profile visible in someone else’s AI-made dating app?

In time, I came up with this model:

Like your car or any technology, few people really know what’s going on under the hood. In this complex world, people are only aware of the AI Service layer (AISL). People choose these brands because they align with their identity. The AISL could be a large company, a religion, or a community.

While a religious AISL has access to all the LLMs available in the AI Personalization layer (AIPL), they would only present information aligned with the values or expectations of the AISL community. A less restrictive AISL could show all information to its users, even information that is dangerous or violates country laws. This is why a Compliance and Regulation layer (CRL) needs to be present.

The Data Integration layer would allow any country’s SPL to securely integrate with data anywhere in the world. Anyone could create their own bank or shopping experience, and banks and stores would know they are protected working with anyone, whether they design a unique visual experience or ask their AI companion for their bank balance. A bank would never send data to an AISL that didn’t comply with the CRL.

If you were to find a neat way to search for trips or track your expenses, how could you share that experience with other people in your AISL? There wouldn’t be a concept of apps. Instead, people could share a combination of preferences with experience-centric design or a PrefX. People could share their PrefXs on an AISL, and PrefXs could be monetized to allow anyone to make money from a clever AI-designed interface and experience.

How would a dating app work if there’s no vendor with your dating profile? That’s the beauty of this model. Your personal data would still flow up and down the layers. This would prevent underage children from participating in a dating app. It would protect people who want to overshare by following guidelines set by either a country or an AISL.

In this world, people interact with their companions so much that they lose sight of the AISL. Only when they meet a spouse or make a life change, do they change their AISL. That is where Kasemchai’s opportunity for enormous wealth opens up. Find out what he does in chapter three of my book when it comes out.

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It’s dystopian

Gregory Greunke — Sat, 7 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Nothing says joy to me like a good dystopian novel. Well, maybe not joy, but they are fascinating—a dark future where the oppressed fight against tyranny.

The first book I wrote, The Water Carriers, was meant to be dystopian, but as the plot developed, I realized I had the wrong genre. It was really post-apocalyptic fiction. It could also be considered cli-fi, or climate fiction. It most definitely was not what most people think of as dystopian.

After I finished writing my first novel, I began to plot the prequel when another idea came along—another idea for a novel, and this one was definitely dystopian. I knew the back story for this book that takes place more than 100 years in the future because I had written 104,000 words about its history.

I also decided to find a new kind of protagonist, which puts it in a very clear genre of YA with a dystopian story and a dash of fantasy. Wow, there are so many good books to read again; Hunger Games, Divergent, Feed, Animal Farm, The Warehouse, Harry Potter, The Giver, Silo, Mortal Engines, and the list goes on and on.

Where do I write?

I always thought if I became a writer, I would lock myself in a room with a cozy fire. Maybe some kind of fancy desk and a wall of bookshelves behind me. I was wrong.

My lovely wife, two kids, a dog, and a full-time career are my first priority. Writing is a hobby—a frustrating passion I squeeze between the aforementioned priorities and a little stand-up paddle boarding. The truth is the places you can most often find me writing are at my desk at 5:30 AM, on the floor of my son’s taekwondo class, at the library (the Los Gatos library has an amazing row of chairs that face a window onto the trees), and Starbucks. Well, at least the library has a wall of books behind me.

So now I read, and I write. The first 10k words went faster than before. It seemed so daunting when I wrote my first book. 30k is still far away, but I know I’ve been there before. The world is dark and dystopian in my mind, and I couldn’t be happier.

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Pauper to Prince

Gregory Greunke — Thu, 1 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Pierce Brown’s “Red Rising” is a dystopian novel set on Mars. A rigid color-based caste system divides society, and the protagonist, Darrow, is a Red. The Reds are the bottom caste suffering a harsh life below the earth’s surface, terraforming the planet in preparation for the other colors to join them.

A swift series of events forces a reluctant Darrow to reinvent himself to free his people. The Reds are not owned in the true sense of a slave, but it quickly becomes clear that they have no other choice in how they lead their dreary lives.

It’s like a horrific mashup of “The Prince and the Pauper” by Mark Twain and “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins. Darrow must learn to speak and think like the highest caste, the Golds, and he must also go through agonizing surgery to dramatically change his body.

His tutors can hardly be described as nurturing, but the task ahead of him is more brutal than anything he could ever imagine. In fact, the phrase “I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy” has quite an ironic twist.

The novel was slow initially, but once I got over the world-building and into the action, it was a straight, steep chute to the ending.

As I read this story, I couldn’t help but think of the 12 stages of Joseph Campbell’s Heroes Journey. Pierce followed the stages so well.

The Ordinary World is Darrow’s impoverished life mining underground, never seeing the light of day. However, I am conflicted about the Call to Adventure and the Refusal of the Call. In the secret garden with his wife, Eo, Darrow learns there is more to his world than he ever imagined.

I thought Eo’s challenge for Darrow was the call to adventure, followed by his immediate refusal. On the other hand, perhaps the call to adventure comes later as he is confronted by tragedy and still refuses the call.

I don’t want to give away any more of the story, so I’ll end here. If you can stomach a steady series of gory battles with lots of twists, I think you’ll find this story captivating.

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Rain is out there

Gregory Greunke — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

While my novel hasn’t been published yet, I’m very excited to get the story out there. My company has a writing group and publishes a quarterly book of writing called From The Orchard. Kudos to Lloyd Hall, who is an amazing champion for writers and leads our writing group.

This quarter’s issue focused on the future, which was the perfect topic for my novel, The Water Carriers, about a near-future world that explores the tension and moral dilemma of a duopoly in a world ravaged by drought.

I published chapter two to give my coworkers a sneak peek. I used the draft title Rain instead of the final Title, the Water Carriers, and I have to confess it’s an early draft, and I’ve made a few critical changes to my current version of this chapter. Nevertheless, It was terrifying to reveal something on which I had spent two years working largely in private. I have shared my drafts and ideas with a few confidantes but never with anyone outside my inner circle.

It’s out there now, though. So here’s to the future!

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Pantser or Plotter?

Gregory Greunke — Sat, 6 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Water Carriers takes place in a near-future world that is both the same and very different from today. There are still companies and jobs. There are still laws. People still buy necessities like clothes and food, but wow, the food has changed.

While writing the book, I struggled to understand why the world was the way it was. The story felt flat until I understood what drove the protagonist to take the action he did and why his father was so powerful in this future world. In one of my many conversations with my friend Ed, he advised me to map out significant events that led up to my book.

I wrote a timeline and went back ten years before the story began. None of my ideas were very concrete. Notes along the timeline that said things like, “Taxes are abolished in the US,” “AugWatch cheap enough for everyone,” and “US, Germany, Japan & China attack Cambodia and Ivory Coast.”

Now that I’ve finished the book and am searching for an agent, my brain keeps returning to the story. I thought I could stop thinking about my characters and focus on work and family, but I’ve spent so much time thinking about every action and conversation in the book that I can’t seem to turn it off.

I’m constantly wondering what will happen next, but more and more, I’ve started thinking about the story that needs to be written first. The cataclysmic event that created the environment in the novel is not a mystery. It was intentionally written to feel horrible and incredible, but if you ponder it, can you say with certainty that this event could never happen?

However, that’s not the story that keeps rolling around in my head. I can’t stop thinking about what happened to the protagonist’s father. How did he become the person he is in the book? What dark secrets does he have that concern the protagonist so much?

And what about President Bob? He has a very colorful past. How did he become president? The first thing that makes him so interesting is his name. The most mundane name I could think of, well, at least to people of my age.

The people I grew up with had pretty boring names—there were a lot of Davids, Johns, and Peters. When people of my generation had kids, we wanted to give them incredibly unique names. We read loads of websites and studied the credits at the ends of movies.

A whole generation was born with names we had never heard of growing up. So, I shouldn’t have been surprised when I overheard my son playing Minecraft and Roblox with his friends and discovered they had given their characters names like Bob or Steve. A generation later, these names are uncommon and fascinating. And so we have a future president named Bob.

Now, pantser or plotter? A pantser is a writer who “flies by the seat of their pants.” They say they write without a plan and see where the words take them. On the other hand, a plotter is a writer who carefully plans out the novel. I fall into the plotter camp. I give a great deal of thought to how earlier events lead to later events.

That doesn’t mean the story won’t be a complete surprise to me. When writing my first novel, I had a roadmap of where I was going and knew I had to write certain scenes. However, the action and motivation were only discovered when I wrote about them. Similar to a sailor who knows their final destination, and also knows that the wind and tide will always dictate their path.

In my first book, I finished the second draft and then wrote a completely new beginning and ending. The beginning was added because I needed to explain more about the world they lived in. The ending was changed because, thanks to another good friend, Sean, I realized that I had strayed from my original idea in my story map.

To get the ending back on track, I needed to invent new characters and amp up the destructive actions that led to the right ending. I wracked my brain for several weeks, but when the loose ideas came together, I could see exactly where they fit on my timeline.

After completing my first book, I thought about the many tools and ideas I experimented with to organize and write. Knock on wood, I expect the next book will go much faster. So, what is my methodology? Below is a screenshot of the story map I’m working on now. I started with the years because they already existed in my first timeline, but I took it even further back in time.

Next, I selected a content genre and sub-genre as defined by Shawn Coyne. I toyed with using an action drama for this version but ultimately realized it needed to fall under the same performance genre and business/profession sub-genre of my first book.

While there is a timeline of years, the orange bars going from left to right represent the fifteen story beats by Blake Snyder. I’ve also selected the Golden Fleece genre as defined by Blake Snyder.

Below the orange bars are stages of the hero’s journey that fall along the beat sheet. I’m using the shortened version by Christopher Vogler, but they’re based on the seminal work of Joseph Campbell.

If you want a fun way to learn more about the hero’s journey, I highly recommend The Hero’s Journey Podcastby Dan Zarzana and Jeff Gavin. In each episode, they review a movie and debate which scenes represent each stage. They don’t always agree, which makes for great fun. They also pause during each episode to surprise each other with an adult beverage with some obscure connection to the movie. Great stuff.

Anyhow, back to my plotting. The light orange bars are the obligatory scenes related to my selected content journey. That’s where the organization ends, and the real story begins. Above the orange story beats are the scenes. Some are specific scenes, while others are ideas that will play out over several themes. Below that, in green are important notes, and in red are important questions that need to be answered somewhere in the story.

The light orange bars are the obligatory scenes related to my selected content journey. That’s where the organization ends, and the real story begins. Above the orange story beats are the scenes. Some are specific scenes, while others are ideas that will play out over several themes. Below that, in green are important notes, and in red are important questions that need to be answered somewhere in the story.

And that’s where I am today. I haven’t started writing yet. I still have a few characters I haven’t identified, and I need more conflict; the juicy stuff. Every day, I get deeper into my head, imagining the history of a future that has yet to be written.

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I could have said it better

Gregory Greunke — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I have sent off my query letters for The Water Carriers, and now I’m waiting for the end of summer. Most agents have said they will reply in two months, or not. In the meantime, I’m going through my manuscript to see what else I can do to improve it. Well, that and getting on the water with the kids.

To help with the process, I went back to the rules I’ve added to my writing notebook. A few are about proper grammar that I stumble on, but most are about improving my writing craft. Are there more? Yes, there are so many more. But for whatever reason, these are the ones I felt needed to be written down while worked on my book.

I’ve gathered many of these from two podcasts I regularly listen to: James Thayer’s “The Essential Guide to Writing a Novel” and Savannah Gilbo’s “Fiction Writing Made Easy.” And books such as Steven King’s “On Writing: A Memoir of the craft.”

At this very moment, I’m reviewing every time I wrote “paused.” I’m quite surprised that I use this word so often, and in nearly every case, the sentence I rewrote is better without it. Either I eliminated the word entirely, or I added more detail.

When I come across the word I ask myself, “What was that person doing when they paused?” An edit I particularly appreciated was a scene on the beach when Mr. Tanaka (Yes, you’ll need to read the book to find out who he is) returned to the group. He was very old and frail. In my original draft, I wrote that he paused before getting up. When I saw the word “paused” I realized the opportunity to describe how frail he was. It was a simple change, but the word “pause” really said the wrong thing about what he was doing.

My list (so far) of rules to improve my writing

Show rather than tell. “She pulled her sweater closer around her and shivered.” instead of, “She was cold.” This is a tough one. There are times when I just want to say how they feel and move on to keep the story moving, but I’m always happier when I can write in this way.
Use a stronger verb instead of a verb and an adverb. Instead of “ate quickly,” say “bolted his food.” This is one you have to think of when you’re writing. It’s not easy to go back and search for these sentences that can be improved.
Characters with accents or poor grammar: instead of trying to spell out how they speak, say something like, “She spoke with a Thai accent.” or “She spoke with a southern drawl.”
Avoid stop signs like didn’t or not. Instead of saying, “She didn’t eat her food.” say “She was still hungry.” Instead of “The sun wasn’t out.” try “It was cloudy.”
Leave out the things people will want to skip over. In other words, cut, cut, cut.
Use active voice rather than passive voice. “He flew the plane.” instead of, “The plane was flown by him.” (Subject verb instead of object verb subject) A passive sentence can be used for variety if using a lot of active voice. Or to show weakness.
Dialogue (Subject verb): “Jones said.” Not, “said Jones,” or, “asked Jones,” or, “the driver said.” The dialogue after the speaker’s name is smoother. I’ve also tried to find as many situations as possible where I could talk about the speaker before the quote when I was tempted to use “Jones said glumly,” or “Jones said with dismay.”
One paragraph per speaker.
Avoid “there.” “The ship steamed toward the pier.” instead of “There was a ship steaming toward the peer.”
Dialogue that continues to a second paragraph. Start each subsequent paragraph with an opening quotation mark, and only use a closing quotation mark on the final paragraph.
Remove “less” or included words like “stood,” “reach,” etc. Instead of saying, “He stood and walked to the door.” just say “He walked to the door.”
Remove “paused” and “suddenly.” These add nothing and draw attention away from the action. The cougar doesn’t pause and then jump. Hesitated and waited are generally not needed either. Readers want the story to progress in real-time.
Use the senses of smell, sight, touch, and taste in your descriptions. Play with contrast or the senses that drive love, fear, nostalgia, etc.
Don’t use filters. Filters add how the character perceives something. Saying, “The driver climbed down from the cab of the truck,” is stronger than saying, “He saw the driver climb down from the cab of the truck.”
Remove direct answers, yes or no, from the dialogue.

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Stuck in normalcy

Gregory Greunke — Sun, 9 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A woman in Costa Mesa, California, was trapped inside her Tesla for 40 minutes. Outside, people walked around the car, but she made no effort to call for help because her car told her to stay inside.

Imagine you were stuck in your car while mere feet away; people walk out of Chick-fil-A with ice-cold glasses of lemonade. Would you panic and bang on the window as the internal temperature rose to 103° F?

When this woman realized how desperate the situation was, she did what any sane person would; she recorded a TikTok. I have to wonder if she would have stayed in the car if she began to feel symptoms of heat stroke, or that she might pass out.

See her stuck in her Tesla on TikTok

The novel I just finished, The Water Carriers, takes place in the near future when the world has been ravaged by floods and drought. The story is not so much about this ecological disaster but about what it’s like to live day to day in this extreme environment, where power is found in unexpected places.

A future like this isn’t difficult to imagine. This Summer is sure to be the same as last year: heat waves and perhaps the orange sky of forest fires. The East Coast will no doubt experience record hurricanes and flooding. There will be a new term for weather I’ve never heard before. Perhaps something like a “heat hurricane,” or a “wind cataclysm.”

I thought a lot about why people don’t recognize change. In fact, why do people stay put when a hurricane is bearing down on their home or a nearby volcano threatens to bury them in lava? Why don’t more people prepare more for emergencies? There’s a term for this: normalcy bias.

Normalcy bias is a powerful psychological phenomenon that influences how we perceive and respond to extreme situations. Our brains are wired to operate efficiently, filtering through vast amounts of information to keep us functioning in our day-to-day lives.

When something gives us stress, like imminent danger, we try not to overreact; we maintain normalcy by rationalizing that the change is now normal. The decision to prepare or remove ourselves from danger is more extreme, and that makes us uncomfortable. In other words, we would rather die than die of embarrassment.

How can we overcome normalcy bias and take proactive steps to prepare for emergencies? One approach is to start with small actions to help our brains process the situation more effectively. Instead of waiting until the last minute to evacuate or gather supplies, consider taking incremental steps such as filling jugs with water, packing essentials, or running to the store for supplies.

By breaking the task into smaller, more manageable actions, we can gradually acclimate ourselves to the idea of preparing for the emergency without feeling overwhelmed. These small activities help us process bigger ideas and make it easier to take more significant steps toward ensuring our safety and well-being.

Next time you feel imminent doom, take a small step. For example, stock up on water or toilet paper or, I don’t know, open the door and order lemonade.

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Oryx and Crake book review

Gregory Greunke — Thu, 9 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

“Oryx and Crake” by Margaret Atwood explores an all-too-familiar theme today. Techno Bro builds a fantastic, successful business and then explores his philosophy on what is wrong with the world. It doesn’t end well.

Set in a not-so-distant future, the story begins on a beach in a post-apocalyptic landscape where environmental catastrophe, genetic engineering, and bioterrorism have reshaped humanity. Snowman’s interactions with the genetically engineered humans known as Crakers are somewhat humorous, very intriguing, and a little sad.

The protagonist, Snowman (formerly known as Jimmy), is one of the last surviving humans. He mourns the loss of his best friend, Crake, and his lover, Oryx. As Snowman navigates this desolate world, he grapples with memories of their past and the choices that led to humanity’s downfall.

His only conversations are with the Crakers. They have been bioengineered to live in the next chapter of the earth, and it’s debatable if we should still call them human. They live a simple and happy life, oblivious to the dangers Snowman faces every day to survive.

Moving from before the catastrophe as Jimmy and afterward as Snowman, the majority of the book is focused on the protagonist’s internal thoughts as he reflects on memories of a world filled with sexual abuse, abandonment, and poor decisions. I was constantly intrigued by the mystery of who exactly Oryx, Crake, Jimmy, and the Snowman were and their relationship with each other. When I finally learned the truth, I wondered if Crake’s decisions, made under those depraved circumstances, were perhaps humanity’s best course of action.

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Deadlines come and go

Gregory Greunke — Wed, 8 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

My family and I had a lot going on from November through January, with numerous holidays and birthdays to celebrate. I imagined myself sitting at my desk, listening to holiday music, and enjoying the sound of my kids playing in the background while I worked on writing my book. I began drafting my book, tentatively titled “Rain,” in July 2022, and I set a goal to complete my second draft by the end of December.

A few days after my birthday, my wife greeted me with freshly made chocolate fudge at the door. Even though it was the holiday season, something felt off. She sat me down and asked if I enjoyed the rich chocolate taste. I told her it was delicious. Then she began to share with me the many wonderful things about Corgis – how they make great family pets, love the outdoors, and are so very friendly.

She showed me a photo of a 12-week-old puppy that a breeder in San Francisco had available. My kids stood behind her with their hands tightly clasped together, pleading for a Corgi. I prepared my rebuttal, confident that logic was on my side. I rattled off a list of additional costs, cleaning, and training that come with a new puppy. I reminded everyone of the work involved with keeping a puppy and how this would make it difficult for me to finish my book.

We brought our new Pembroke Welsh Corgi home a few days later. The little tan and white puppy sat quietly on my daughter’s lap throughout the hourlong drive home. Not a single bark or whine. We had already agreed on the perfect name for our soft and round new family member – Mochi.

Everyone loved playing with a tiny Christmas puppy. Tammy and I kept busy cleaning up after him and shopping for an endless supply of new puppy cleaning supplies and toys. We bought games to stimulate his little puppy brain. He was clearly very talented, carefully ensuring every poop landed on the carpet and never on the hardwood floor. Not even one…darn…time.

Then, my wife caught the flu and spent much time in the bedroom. After a few days, she tested positive for COVID-19. It was a miracle that I had been sleeping next to her every night and hadn’t caught it.

It now fell on me to wake up at 5 a.m. every morning. Although we live in California, this time of year was exceptionally dark and cold—not just cold, but windy and rainy as well. I kept a down parka and leash near the bed for my frequent trips outside. Unfortunately, I had to hide my warm sheepskin slippers because Mochi found them so tasty.

For several nights in a row, my wife woke and feverishly told me that getting the puppy was a mistake. I secretly agreed with her, but I assured her everything would be okay. My throat became sore on Christmas Eve, and I slept all through Christmas Day. The kids were stuck indoors but entertained by playing with the puppy and eating sweets. They screeched with delight and called me whenever the puppy peed or pooped in the house. I was sick but not as ill as my wife.

With each new accident, I began to accept that it would be easier to replace the furniture the puppy had chewed on rather than protect it. We slowly recovered. Each day, we cleaned and moved furniture around. I stacked the plants on boxes to prevent him from chewing on the leaves.

New Year’s Eve was quiet. After two weeks, I had not written a single word. I had failed to meet my goal of finishing the second draft. I hadn’t even polished a single paragraph. Despite my regrets, returning to work was a welcome relief. The kids were back in school, and I was wearing clothes again. I caught up with my work and found long periods after work and on weekends to work on my book.

On February 1st, I completed my second draft and sent a copy to my friend Ed, my wife, and a few friends who I wanted to read it. It was a month later than planned, but that was okay. Mochi had started his training and was sleeping in later, and he often went to the bathroom in the right place. My writing, family, and dog are going differently than my plan. But that’s ok. That’s where great stories come from.

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