AI, Middle-Grade Sci-Fi, and Engaging Boy Readers with Steve Blackman

In this episode of The Write and Wrong Podcast, host Jamie is joined by children's author Steve Blackman. Steve discusses his debut middle-grade sci-fi novel, Zero Override, his passion for getting young boys hooked on reading, and how his background working alongside coders in digital agencies informed his approach to writing about technology. He also dives into his evolving writing process, explaining how signing a two-book contract completely changed the way he drafts.

Key Takeaways:

• Zero Override follows a 13-year-old hacker in near-future London who must team up with a mysterious robot to stop a virus from wiping out the country's AI—including his sister's artificial heart.   

• The novel was heavily inspired by ongoing industry conversations regarding AI; his agent, Callum Martin, suggested leaning into robotics to give the AI antagonists and protagonists distinct personalities.   

• Steve specifically wrote the book to engage boy readers—an underserved market—by utilizing propulsive plots, short chapters, and detailed technology, similar to the Alex Rider or CHERUB series.   

• While he started as a slow, meticulous editor who polished each chapter before moving on, writing his second book under contract forced him to write a fast "vomit draft" and rely on his editor for structural help later.   

• He considers himself a hybrid "planner/pantser," outlining the major beats (the "North Star") of a story using the Save the Cat! method, but allowing the journey between those beats to remain non-linear and exploratory.

  
  

Hacking and Artificial Hearts in Near-Future London

Steve’s debut novel, Zero Override, is a fast-paced middle-grade sci-fi adventure. Set in a near-future London where humans and humanoid robots live side-by-side, the story follows Zero, a gifted 13-year-old hacker who lives with a "found family" of other hackers. Zero distrusts robots and has no interest in saving the world—he prefers to hack greedy corporations and redistribute the money Robin Hood-style.   

However, when Zero discovers a virus designed to wipe out all AI in the country, the stakes become personal. His younger sister, Grace, relies on an artificial heart powered by AI. Forced to team up with a mysterious bot that refuses to leave him alone, Zero goes on the run from MI6 to stop the virus and save his sister.   

The book's themes were highly influenced by the current zeitgeist. While planning the novel, Steve was immersed in the publishing industry's heated conversations surrounding AI. Following a suggestion from his agent, Callum Martin, Steve decided to physically manifest these AI themes into robots to give his characters clear personalities.

Engaging the Underserved Boy Market

Steve wrote Zero Override with a pure intention: to combat the current literacy crisis by getting young boys hooked on reading. He noted that boys are an underserved market, but they respond incredibly well to propulsive pacing and technological detail, pointing to the success of series like Alex Rider and CHERUB.   

While discussing the competition books face from video games and YouTube, Steve pointed out that the issue isn't that kids hate reading; rather, they have a much wider pool of storytelling mediums to choose from. He believes the key is learning how to transition a child's love for gaming or manga into a love for books. To do this, Steve wrote Zero Override with short, propulsive chapters and tech-heavy language, allowing him to secretly "smuggle in" bigger philosophical questions and literary themes—much like a parent hiding vegetables in mashed potatoes.

From Meticulous Polishing to "Vomit Drafts"

Although Zero Override is Steve's debut, it is actually the fourth novel he has completed. His first two novels were YA, but he ultimately pivoted to middle-grade because he found it allowed for more exploratory writing, catching readers at an age where they are just beginning to develop their moral compasses.   

His writing process has also evolved drastically. Originally, Steve would spend a long time philosophizing about an idea before writing, meticulously polishing each chapter before moving on to the next. However, writing his second book under a strict contract completely changed his approach. He had to write a fast "vomit draft," sending a messy, unpolished manuscript to his editor with the comforting knowledge that they would shape the clay together during the developmental edit.   

Regarding outlining, Steve falls somewhere between a planner and a pantser. He uses the Save the Cat! beats to establish the major waypoints of his plot (his "North Star"), but enjoys the fun and exploration of navigating between those points organically.

A Magical Compendium for the Cabin

When asked what book he would take if snowed in at a cosy woodland cabin, Steve initially considered The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland, praising its brilliant sci-fi premise. However, he ultimately chose a foundational fantasy classic: a bound compendium of the first four Earthsea books by Ursula K. Le Guin. He praised Le Guin as one of the all-time greats, noting that the series originally lit up his mind to the possibilities of character and world-building when he was younger.