In 2017 Y is for Yesterday was released and what was to follow was Z is for Zero, the final novel in the alphabet series. This popular series would have been a crowning achievement in the literary world. But it was not to be, because unforeseen events befall us all. The author Sue Grafton of the alphabet series died in December of 2017. Ironically, the fans of this popular series got exactly what was promised: Z is for Zero.
In writing this post I am not trying to be disrespectful to the family or to the beloved author. It is heartbreaking to see a wonderful series and, as I have read, a wonderful person, give up a promising career to death. From my understanding, the family has commented that as far as they are concerned; the alphabet ends with Y.
If you want to read more about this unique story, please checkout the article: Sue Grafton’s ‘Z Is for Zero’ Will Remain an Unwritten Mystery.
This is not the first time Z has faced the chopping block.
Around 300 BC, the Roman Censor Appius Claudius Caecus removed Z from the alphabet. His justification was that Z had become archaic: the pronunciation of /z/ had become /r/ by a process called rhotacism, rendering the letter Z useless. Stated dictionary.com. Another article made this statement. At c. 300 BC, Appius Claudius Caecus, the Roman censor, removed the letter Z from the alphabet, allegedly due to his distaste for the letter, in that it “looked like the tongue of a corpse”. A more likely explanation is the sound had disappeared from Latin, making the letter useless for spelling Latin words.
It is on this note, or rather on the letter (Z) that I hang my latest novel. Z Is For Zero: Zero Is For Out Of Time. On one hand, I risk many saying that I should let dead author’s lie, but the writer in me could not let perhaps one of the most purest works of fiction go unwritten. Especially that of a mystery wrapped up in a mystery.
In my defense, please read the following epilogue.
In Memory Of:
As artists we have made a living off of the people who have admired and even adored our work, the Fan. We should consider them when we finally close a chapter in our life, especially if that chapter is our own lives.
To the Fans, we owe you a debt of gratitude for your support throughout the years. As artists, we still deserve the respect that should be accorded to all humans. And in some cases where unforeseen occurrences befall us all, we ask for your gracious understanding.
I write this novel in memory of all those who left something undone because they ran out of time, remembering that there is never enough time, especially when you are…out of time!
Before you critique or judge this new and edgy novel, I encourage you to read it first. For a limited time the eBook will be priced at a 1.99 slated for release December 1st. This is the pre-order price which will not last long.
Fandom turns dangerous when an author dies before finishing her life’s work—a popular mystery series that had fans enthralled—and her family chooses not to finish the last book with the notes. They soon learn precisely how much those books mean to someone.
Author Arthur S. Newman announced a December 2023 release for his next novel, an edgy suspense thriller called Z Is For Zero Zero Is For Out Of Time. The novel delves into the story of Author Janae Mayfield’s heirs as they play a dangerous game with a deranged fan when their mother dies without finishing the final book in her wildly popular mystery saga, the Calendar Series, written under the pen name Annie Reeves.
Reese and Peter Mayfield vow to let their mother and her work rest in peace, declining to release the notes for her final novel or hire a ghostwriter to finish the series. However, as the fortune earned with Janae’s words begins to dwindle, a member of their family disappears, and they are pulled into a real-world mystery, leaving each of the Mayfields concerned they might be next.
An unknown assailant promises to chip away at the family and its fortune little by little unless they finish the last book to complete the series. The case lands in the hands of an ancient FBI agent who was more comfortable when secrets were traded through hidden notes, and he knew who the enemy was.
Agent Dan Wharton may seem one step behind; his fellow agents Luke Donovan and Kim Novak certainly think so as they ride along and look over his shoulder, but he’s more perceptive than he appears.
The case explores The Calendar Series and its heroine, Justine Phoenix Webb, an investigative reporter with a knack for finding the truth and leveraging justice with the help of an intuitive police captain and an FBI agent. While Justine may or may not fall into a romantic entanglement in the realm of fiction, the author’s heirs face real-world danger if the story remains unfinished.
Solve The Case Alongside Them
Readers can delve into the mystery alongside the agents and the Mayfield heirs when the book is released on December 1, 2023.
“Don’t forget you have an actual case to solve, unlike what you find in other works of fiction,” Newman said. “You must solve it before you discover you are…out of time.”
Find out for yourself; are there notes? Was the final novel completed? Who is behind the events that unfold in this new and thrilling novel.
Discover a case of fandom gone wrong when an author dies before finishing her captivating series, and her heirs choose not to complete her life’s work.
Z Is For Zero: Zero Is For Out Of Time, is waiting to be discoverd.
