Trivia

In Artificial Absolutes, the chapters told primarily from Devin's point of view have their titles taken from the text of the chapter (a short excerpt). In Synthetic Illusions, the chapters told primarily from Jane's point of use have this title convention.

The chapter featuring Sarah was the first one written, and was originally intended as a prologue.

Jane's brief reference to "blue magic" refers to the Blue Fairy of Pinocchio.

Ines Valentin made her first, brief appearance in the nightclub scene in Artificial Absolutes.

Agent Elon Adesina of the Intelligence and Security Agency of the Republic of Kydera (ISARK), a figure from Devin's past, was originally created for Artificial Absolutes, but her role was reduced during rewrites and eventually cut altogether.

The author, publisher, and cover artist spent weeks looking for an appropriate cover model for Adam. Ten iterations of the cover were needed before the right Adam was found.

Sarah's producer, Alexi, is named after European pop singer Alexi Armandsen, also known as Project A-Star, who recorded the theme song for Artificial Absolutes.

Joanna Schnurman, the author's roommate during the writing of this book and a professional opera singer/voice teacher, has a cameo as the singer in Mek's bar.

1. Adam's full name is Adam David Palmer.
2. Though Adam is an eloquent essayist, he doesn't consider himself a writer. He's completely hopeless when it comes to writing fiction or poetry.
3. Adam's only hobbies are volunteering (usually at the shelter for homeless children in the unfortunate Outer Ring) and reading (mostly non-fiction). He intended to learn how to pilot a starship after the events of Artificial Absolutes, but never got the chance. Between his schoolwork and the many charitable activities his fellow seminary students asked him to help out with (to which he could never say no) -- not to mention accompanying Jane on various excursions -- he never found the time.
4. Contrary to popular belief, Adam is not a teetotaler -- though he was before he met Jane. Not out of moral objection, but because he rarely found himself in social situations where drinking was a factor and so never developed a taste for alcohol. Until Jane introduced him to some of the finer beverages Kydera had to offer.
5. Prior to the end of Artificial Absolutes, Adam had never been kissed. Some of his female schoolmates had expressed interest in dating him, but he'd been too oblivious to notice.
   
6. Although Adam claims to not have a creative bone in his body, he is fairly adept at drawing and often illustrates the essays he submits to the seminary's Netsite.
7. Between the events of Artificial Absolutes and Synthetic Illusions, Adam was briefly suspended from school for protesting the demolition of one of the seminary's oldest buildings, which had been deemed a hazard. He and several other young people (including Jane) staged a sit-in, refusing to leave until the school's president agreed to delay the demolition pending further review.
8. Adam is fluent in three languages, although two of them are dead ones known only to scholars.
9. Adam is fond of sea creatures and refuses to eat seafood. When Jane worked for Quasar Bank Corporation, he often found himself waiting in her office for her to wrap up her work. But he never minded, as he was content to stare serenely at the office's large fish tank.
10. Upon his arrival at the seminary, about a month before classes began, Adam was guilt-tripped into joining one of the temple choirs for the school's welcome event, as he was one of the few students on campus who could read music and sing in tenor range. After more students arrived for the start of the semester, he was allowed to leave (he enjoyed singing but preferred to spend his spare time at the children's shelter).

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