> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Fun Facts About The Z-Tech Chronicles - URL: https://newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com/fun-facts-about-the-z-tech-chronicles/ - Published: 2025-10-28T14:35:47.000Z - Updated: 2025-10-28T14:35:47.000Z - Description: Whirlwind travel. Inspiring students improve health for all. Fun Facts about The Z-Tech Chronicles. - Author: Ryan Southwick - Tags: Newsletter, Z-Tech Chronicles It's been a month of travel! Miami -> Key West -> Washington DC -> Rome (yay!) -> Armenia — and that last one was a doozy. We based in the capitol city of Yerevan, as usual, but from there traveled to the southern-most region, where I was a stone's throw from the Iranian border. After that, we drove to Vanadzor in a manual-transmission Lada Neva. The sight of an American behind the wheel of this infamous vehicle earned many smiles from the locals. In Vanadzor, we randomly ran into the head of [Health for Armenia](https://www.healthforarmenia.org/?ref=newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com) at a poodle coffee shop and, in the space of 18 hours, kicked off a project with the local high school that will hopefully improve healthcare quality across the nation. Seeing the students so engaged to solve *real* problems was definitely the highlight of the trip. Enthusiastic youth FTW! ![Collage: Church-fort on a mountain; clouds below; castle-inn; poodle in a chair; arc of lights; Roman colosseum](https://newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com/content/images/2025/10/armenia-2025.jpg) *Peleos* continues to plod along, albeit slowly due to a huge and urgent project in my other job. The climax is going to be epic! This month's feature are a few facts about *The Z-Tech Chronicles* that may tickle your har-har bone. Enjoy! ### In this newsletter - Fun Facts: The Z-Tech Chronicles - Currently Reading ## Fun Facts: The Z-Tech Chronicles I was thinking on some of the quirks of the series the other day and thought, heck, why not share. The following are a few random facts about the series. Some you may have read from interviews years past, but several have never been revealed. Read on, if you dare! WARNING: Small spoilers ahead. **Anne didn't have PTSD in the first draft.** She was instead terminally body shy, never-nude style. My dad expressed frustration that the book never said *why* she was shy. This prompted a deep character dive, followed by a major revision that changed the protagonist in many ways, including being more proactive, her PTSD, and her rocky history with alcohol. **Anne was supposed to end up with Charlie.** Zima was supposed to detest Anne. The kiss that turned things around was completely unplanned and changed the course of the series—for the better, I think. **Doris is based on Flo from the TV sitcom "Alice".** I'm a 70's child. Flo was my favorite character. It was fun bringing her to life on paper. **Dela wasn't intended to be a core character.** When Mark needed help to find Anne, Dela became the logical choice, which catapulted her into the group. Her straight-up, enthusiastic, couldn't-care-less attitude added a refreshing liveliness to the cast, so I gave her a more prominent role in the series. I regret nothing. **The Z-Tech Factory is three blocks from one of my previous jobs.** It's funny because I wasn't working there when I began writing *Angels in the Mist.* Little did I know that, years later, I would be taking weekly lunch walks right by it. **Restaurant Gary Danko was our favorite treat.** My wife and I discovered Danko's soon after moving to the Bay Area. It was very expensive for a couple of college kids, so we only went every other year or so. Making it Anne and Zima's special place was a tribute to our youth together. **I've never been to Montana.** Hope it didn't show too badly in *Angels Found.* **Cappa's training sequence is one of my favorite scenes, ever.** I grew up watching Kung Fu Theater. When the opportunity presented to write a classic martial arts training sequence, I jumped in with both feet. The tense dynamic between Charlie, Cappa, and Master Wung made it all the more fun. **Pixie Cappa wasn't planned.** Pixie Cappa, aka Rose, appeared spontaneously and was never intended to persist as a character. However, as I reasoned the situation through, she couldn't *not* exist, so she stayed, and Cappa got to fight with herself. Win-win. **I had no idea how Anne would retain her humanity.** The time had come; Anne was about to transform into a vampire, and I had no idea what to do. Charlie was stumped. The virus was unstoppable. I had written myself into a proverbial corner. It was only as the characters were talking through options that I realized the path. Charlie's laugh in the book is a reflection of my own relief. I didn't realize at the time how significantly that solution would affect Anne's fate, nor her options through the rest of the series. [Learn more about The Z-Tech Chronicles](https://www.ryansouthwickauthor.com/series/z-tech-chronicles?ref=newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com) ## ## Currently Reading ![](https://newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com/content/images/2025/10/book-reviews-ghost-brigades-1.jpg) #### The Ghost Brigades Finished! Great book, even though it doesn't feature the protagonist from Book 1\. An in-depth view of life in the elusive Ghost Brigades that ties very nicely into Books 1 and 3\. Highly recommended for fans of **Old Man's War.* [Read full review](https://newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com/book-review-ghost-brigades/) ![](https://newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com/content/images/2025/10/last-colony-book-review-1.jpg) #### The Lost Colony The nice thing about travel is I read a lot, so I have a whopping two reviews for you this month. **The Last Colony* was an interesting departure from the rest of the series that I enjoyed. It takes place almost entirely on a single planet, and is filled with interpersonal conflict and colony politics, combined with survival elements that keep the plot moving. Check out my full review for more. [Read full review](https://newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com/book-review-the-last-colony/) ## My Books [!["Lost Colonies". 2 book covers: "Project Xerxes" and "Enigma" by Ryan Southwick](https://newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com/content/images/2024/07/lost-colonies-all-books.jpg)](https://www.ryansouthwickauthor.com/series/lost-colonies?ref=newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com) Enigma is an epic science fantasy adventure that fans of **The Expanse* and **Lord of the Rings* will enjoy. Download **Project Xerxes* Free! [!["Timeless Keeper Saga". 2 book covers: "Holtondome" and "New Denver"](https://newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com/content/images/2024/07/timeless-keeper-all-books.jpg)](https://www.ryansouthwickauthor.com/series/timeless-keeper-saga?ref=newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com) On a war-ravaged Earth no longer able to sustain life, a half-blind dome farmer and a mysterious city dweller may hold the keys to humanity's fate. A science fiction dystopian thriller series about forbidden love, mysterious ancient artifacts, hidden powers, and the indomitable human spirit. [!["The Z-Tech Chronicles" featuring 6 techno book covers. "Save the waitress, save the world."](https://newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com/content/images/2024/07/Z-Tech-covers-save-the-waitress.jpg)](https://www.ryansouthwickauthor.com/series/z-tech-chronicles?ref=newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com) In the face of a rising, ancient evil, a traumatized San Francisco waitress may be the only thing standing between humanity and oblivion. **The Z-Tech Chronicles* is a science fiction / urban fantasy saga that follows Anne Perrin on her journey from a traumatized waitress to becoming more than she ever imagined. Download **Once Upon a Nightwalker* Free! [!["One Man's Trash by Ryan Southwick". Robot hand holding a coin with treasure coins below.](https://newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com/content/images/2024/07/One-Man_s-Trash--social-media-image-.jpg)](https://www.ryansouthwickauthor.com/books/one-mans-trash?ref=newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com) Love collides with adventure when one couple’s romantic getaway turns into a high-stakes journey of self-discovery, forgiveness, and the enduring power of connection amidst the stars. [!["Dragon Assassin by Ryan Southwick." Beach and sunset.](https://newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com/content/images/2024/07/dragon-assassin-now-avail-pb-hc-beach.jpg)](https://www.ryansouthwickauthor.com/books/dragon-assassin?ref=newsletter.ryansouthwickauthor.com) Lust and duty tangle inextricably when Charon meets the assassin of her dreams. A steamy dragon shifter romance. 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