KC May, SFF author

Neural Override

"Bad men don't change."

Vic Hastings was a master manipulator until technology rewired his conscience.

For years, he perfected the art of deception—lying, stealing, destroying lives without a flicker of remorse. Then an experimental brain implant called the NeuroMesh forced him to feel every ounce of pain he'd ever caused. Now the emotions he'd buried for decades are tearing him apart, and for the first time in his life, he desperately wants to be a good man.

Grant Lockridge built his prison empire on one unshakeable truth: predators don't change, they just get better at hiding. As the NeuroMesh program threatens to revolutionize the justice system, Grant will stop at nothing to destroy it.

But when his sister falls for the one man he considers beyond salvation, suddenly this isn't just about competing philosophies. It's personal.

Racing against time as Grant mobilizes his vast resources to shut down the program, Vic must orchestrate the most dangerous con of his career, not to escape justice but to deliver it. The stakes couldn't be higher: if he fails, everyone who believed in his transformation will pay the ultimate price.

As Vic's old instincts resurface under pressure, one terrifying question remains: Was his redemption real? Or is being good just another lie he's learned to tell?

In a world where technology can rewrite the human soul, who decides what makes a man worth saving?

Michael Crichton's Prey meets Blake Crouch's Dark Matter—a blend of high-stakes technological suspense and deep psychological transformation, where cutting-edge science collides with identity and morality.

Only 99¢ if you buy before 22 July! ($4.99 on 22 July)

About Neural Override

I started working on this book around 2012—the science of it, the scientists who invented it, and the main storyline.

Then I got stuck. I really didn't know where to take it or how to get it there. I went off on a tangent and wrote a short story about the NeuroMesh that was then published in the Endless Worlds 1 anthology in 2015. After that, I started and stopped the novel a gazillion times, wandering aimlessly, creating and ditching characters. I was lost. It wasn't "writer's block." It was much worse. It was like being lost in a creative desert. But then something happened in my life. I got laid off from my dream job—a job I loved, where I was happy and thriving. For the first two months, I did little beyond send out my resume and play video games. But then, this story started knocking on the inside of my skull.

Hello? K.C.? Are you there?

I'll admit, I still didn't know where to go with the story, but I was starting to think about it again. And I asked Microsoft Copilot a simple question: What's the opposite of neurodivergent. Why, it's neurotypical, it replied. Why do you ask? Do you want more information about neurodiversity?

No, I wrote back. I'm working on a science fiction novel, but I'm stuck. Here's the plot so far...[blah blah blah]

And the AI suggested a half-dozen directions I could take the story. Wow! Yes! That was just what I needed. And my creativity was no longer in neutral. It was in first gear and I was climbing a steep incline, but I was moving forward! And when I got to the top of that peak... WEEEEEEE! I rediscovered the joy of writing.

So here it is. My first book in about six years, with the next one on the way!

Where to Buy

Neural Override is available for pre-order in ebook formats.