The story behind the story – Sakura: Intellectual Property

As readers, and as writers, we’re all in this for a good story. And sometimes your fans want the story behind the creation of the story, or “the making of.” Sometimes this is fun and cute, like the romance novelist who blocked when writing at home, and found her inspiration while waiting for an oil change at Tires, Tires, Tires. (After the sixth oil change from a friend’s car, the guys knew something was up… and they made her their author-in-residence!)

Sometimes, the story is tragic, defiant, and heart-tugging, like  the story behind Sakura: Intellectual Property by Zach Hill ( and Patrick M Tracy & Paul Genesse )

We’ve talked about awesome writing groups before – well, Zach Hill was in a gaming group with Larry Correia, Patrick Tracy, and Paul Genesse. Three days after he finished his first draft, just a few days shy of his first wedding anniversary, he was cut down in his prime by a pulmonary embolism. Pat and Paul collaborated together to take his first, rough draft, and turn it into the most awesome novel ever, and the best tribute to Zach they could craft.

As Larry Correia wrote in his book bomb post:

I got to read an early version, and it is really good. I’m not just saying that because Zach was my friend (because I would totally lie for him!) but I don’t need to, because this book rocks. It’s everything that Zach thought was pure distilled awesome in book form.

It’s the story of a heavy metal singing android super star, who becomes an assassin during a cyberpunk apocalypse.  Zach lived in Japan, loved the culture, the people, and the music, and it shows. It’s ninjas, and bullet bikes, and gun fights, and jet packs, and killer robots, and lots and lots of heavy metal. This book is Zach and everything he loved.

And that’s why I want as many people as possible to see this, so they can get a glimpse into the fun, neat, guy that some of us were lucky enough to know in real life.

While in this blog we keep coming back to “pay the writer”, and avoiding anything that is for “exposure”, this is one of the exceptions as big as the co-author’s hearts: All profits, including all royalties, are being paid instead to Zach’s widow, Mackenzie.

I’m not a great fan of heavy metal myself, nor am I usually one for dystopias – but this? I got it and it’s awesome on every page, lovingly illustrated and crafted, full of heart and power chords, linked playlists at the start of section. Best of all, this isn’t a grimy grey dystopian story that leaves you feeling disappointed in humanity and the writer when you put it down and wander off – this is a cry of defiance, of humanity is awesome! (And so are rockstar androids who, when their morality programming is removed, still choose to do good!)

Check it out. For a great read, for a good cause – Sakura: Intellectual Property.

And when it comes to your own books? If there’s a nifty story behind the story, it never hurts to let your readers know!