Ask the Author! (Please!)

[Jude Austin]

haha! Hello Jude. I hope you're good. I often read many scenes and wish to write but can't bring myself thinking how'd I show it to my family. So, how did your family react to the book, and especially all the scenes of torture?

Hi, Dreamer80!

Ooh, great question! My mom was fine with it, even though she doesn't like horror in general. We have the rather unique relationship of being each other's beta readers, since we're both writers - she writes historical sagas, I write sci-fi realism - and, surprisingly enough, can be completely objective about the other's work.

That said, I think she preferred the sequel to Project Tau, "Homecoming." Actually, if I'm being honest, I prefer it myself Right now, we're working on Book 3 of the Projects series and Books 1-2 of her saga together.

As far as I know, my father has never read any of the Projects books, or shown any interest in them.

My aunt wasn't too keen on the beginning of the book (to be fair, she had the very first edition, which was a lot more gruesome than later versions) and I don't know if she ever finished it. I know my uncle bought a copy, but not if he read it, and two of my three cousins loved it. I'm still waiting to hear back from the third

My grandparents...hmm, I don't know. My paternal grandmother might have enjoyed it - she adored fantasy and sci-fi and she was the one who introduced me to Harry Potter - but the language might have turned her off a bit!

[Sumansona1344]

Hey! My question is not related to the book.
I am also planning to try the things on the other side, i.e., becoming an author. I also started reviewing in order to know how the readers review different aspects of the book. Do you have any tips for me?

[Honest-reviewer]

Hey Jude!
I have not read the book yet, but I can definitely say I will like it. The concept and the description of the book is great!
I want to know what inspired you to write this book ?

[Abacus]

I like the idea of any science that projects into the future being made the subject of a mystery thriller. As the fact that you can feel it almost happening is thought-provoking in the extreme. It is very interesting to me that you were once a reviewer for OBC, as I am enjoying reviewing greatly. Thanks for writing so entertainingly. Long may you do so.

[Jackie Holycross]

I loved your book. The character development was superb and the plot intense. I only had one confusion. Dr. Dennison knows Kata is Kalin from the beginning. However, he often speaks as though he truly believes Kara is a clone. Is he deluding himself or just staying in character to avoid letting the truth slip?

[Jude Austin]

Hey! My question is not related to the book.
I am also planning to try the things on the other side, i.e., becoming an author. I also started reviewing in order to know how the readers review different aspects of the book. Do you have any tips for me?

Hi Sumansona1344!

The best tip I can give you, not just for this site, but writing in general, is to accept that you're never going to be able to please everyone. I've had people say that they hate the 3rd-person omniscient POV that I write in, and I've had people say that they love it (most people don't comment at all, which I take to mean they don't really care). I've sent the same chapter to two different beta readers: one came back and said that there was far too much talking and not enough description, while the other said that the huge amount of description bored her and she wanted more talking. So write what you want to write, in the style that you want to write in. It won't be a hit with everybody, but it will be your best work.

That said, you can learn a lot from the reviews. I've lost count of the number of times Project Tau was edited to fix mistakes and expand on other things which people at OBC mentioned. The latest edition (4) is now about 6-7000 words longer than the earlier ones, with an expanded Prologue and more description and world-building throughout the book.

I also strongly recommend that the first thing you do is get an official OBC review. When Homecoming (sequel to Project Tau) was BOTD, several people said that they wouldn't buy it as it didn't have an official OBC review. In my defense, it was newly-released and had been up for review for about a month prior to being BOTD; it was just that no reviewer had picked it up yet!

Hey Jude!
I have not read the book yet, but I can definitely say I will like it. The concept and the description of the book is great!
I want to know what inspired you to write this book ?

Hi Honest-reviewer!

Thank you so much! I hope you do like it (and hopefully the sequel )

There was no one inspiration, to be honest. I wanted to write a sci-fi book that could be easily adapted into a movie (hence the lack of any robots, super-AI and aliens. That, and those things really bug me ) That meant making Tau a clone, and the rest of it went from there. I also wanted to try flipping the readers' perspective on its head, which is why it was told in flashback form; I wanted to see if I could start people out as sympathizing with Dennison before twisting that around

I like the idea of any science that projects into the future being made the subject of a mystery thriller. As the fact that you can feel it almost happening is thought-provoking in the extreme. It is very interesting to me that you were once a reviewer for OBC, as I am enjoying reviewing greatly. Thanks for writing so entertainingly. Long may you do so.

Hi Abacus!

Thank you so much! I loved reviewing for OBC as well; I found some real gems that I would never have discovered otherwise.

I loved your book. The character development was superb and the plot intense. I only had one confusion. Dr. Dennison knows Kata is Kalin from the beginning. However, he often speaks as though he truly believes Kara is a clone. Is he deluding himself or just staying in character to avoid letting the truth slip?

Hi teacherjh!

Thank you so much Yes, Dennison is just staying in character He stands to lose his career and face a lengthy jail term if anyone finds out what he and Mason have done, so his own safety and freedom depend on the people around him believing Kata's really a clone. The same goes for his gaslighting Kalin; it only works if he keeps up the pretense. And we also know that almost every room in GenTech is monitored, so Dennison's going to throw himself into the whole Kata-is-a-clone ruse with everything he's got, as he doesn't know who might be listening.

This is why he reacts in such a way to Kata making the word cards for Tau; he knows full well that Kata is a literate human, but he can't afford to let anyone know he knows, and if he concedes as much to Kata, then he'll undo all the effort he put into gaslighting him.

[aacodreanu]

Hey! My question is not related to the book.
I am also planning to try the things on the other side, i.e., becoming an author. I also started reviewing in order to know how the readers review different aspects of the book. Do you have any tips for me?

Hi Sumansona1344!

The best tip I can give you, not just for this site, but writing in general, is to accept that you're never going to be able to please everyone. I've had people say that they hate the 3rd-person omniscient POV that I write in, and I've had people say that they love it (most people don't comment at all, which I take to mean they don't really care). I've sent the same chapter to two different beta readers: one came back and said that there was far too much talking and not enough description, while the other said that the huge amount of description bored her and she wanted more talking. So write what you want to write, in the style that you want to write in. It won't be a hit with everybody, but it will be your best work.

That said, you can learn a lot from the reviews. I've lost count of the number of times Project Tau was edited to fix mistakes and expand on other things which people at OBC mentioned. The latest edition (4) is now about 6-7000 words longer than the earlier ones, with an expanded Prologue and more description and world-building throughout the book.

I also strongly recommend that the first thing you do is get an official OBC review. When Homecoming (sequel to Project Tau) was BOTD, several people said that they wouldn't buy it as it didn't have an official OBC review. In my defense, it was newly-released and had been up for review for about a month prior to being BOTD; it was just that no reviewer had picked it up yet!

Hey Jude!
I have not read the book yet, but I can definitely say I will like it. The concept and the description of the book is great!
I want to know what inspired you to write this book ?

Hi Honest-reviewer!

Thank you so much! I hope you do like it (and hopefully the sequel )

There was no one inspiration, to be honest. I wanted to write a sci-fi book that could be easily adapted into a movie (hence the lack of any robots, super-AI and aliens. That, and those things really bug me ) That meant making Tau a clone, and the rest of it went from there. I also wanted to try flipping the readers' perspective on its head, which is why it was told in flashback form; I wanted to see if I could start people out as sympathizing with Dennison before twisting that around

I like the idea of any science that projects into the future being made the subject of a mystery thriller. As the fact that you can feel it almost happening is thought-provoking in the extreme. It is very interesting to me that you were once a reviewer for OBC, as I am enjoying reviewing greatly. Thanks for writing so entertainingly. Long may you do so.

Hi Abacus!

Thank you so much! I loved reviewing for OBC as well; I found some real gems that I would never have discovered otherwise.

I loved your book. The character development was superb and the plot intense. I only had one confusion. Dr. Dennison knows Kata is Kalin from the beginning. However, he often speaks as though he truly believes Kara is a clone. Is he deluding himself or just staying in character to avoid letting the truth slip?

Hi teacherjh!

Thank you so much Yes, Dennison is just staying in character He stands to lose his career and face a lengthy jail term if anyone finds out what he and Mason have done, so his own safety and freedom depend on the people around him believing Kata's really a clone. The same goes for his gaslighting Kalin; it only works if he keeps up the pretense. And we also know that almost every room in GenTech is monitored, so Dennison's going to throw himself into the whole Kata-is-a-clone ruse with everything he's got, as he doesn't know who might be listening.

This is why he reacts in such a way to Kata making the word cards for Tau; he knows full well that Kata is a literate human, but he can't afford to let anyone know he knows, and if he concedes as much to Kata, then he'll undo all the effort he put into gaslighting him.

This is very helpful advice. Thank you, Jude. I am contemplating the idea of becoming an author too.
Good luck with the sequel to Tau Project. I cannot wait to read it.

[Jude Austin]

This is very helpful advice. Thank you, Jude. I am contemplating the idea of becoming an author too.
Good luck with the sequel to Tau Project. I cannot wait to read it.

Thank you I'm glad it helped!
The sequel's available on Amazon, so I hope you enjoy it Next up is Book 3 (whatever that's going to be called!)

[ReneeBrown]

Or, you know, say, "Hi!" to the author. Or point and laugh at the author. Or send the author a virtual chocolate chip cookie 'cause they're the only kind she's allowed right now.

Ahem.

Hi! My name's Jude Austin, and I'm the author of Project Tau. I used to be a reviewer and editor for OBC before I decided to try things from the other side of the fence.

First of all, please know that I will definitely read everyone's comments in all the threads, but I think it spoils the nature of a discussion forum for the author to leap in with both feet and say, "Nope, that's not what it was meant to symbolize!" or "Actually, I was trying to say this," so I'll hold back on participating in the discussion as much as possible.

However, I really, really want to interact with my readers, which is why I made this thread. So please do come and talk to me, or ask me anything about Project Tau and the world of the book and its sequels, or my favorite food, or my favorite TV show...yep, basically anything's good

That's so awesome that you're the author and you sued to be a reviewer and editor for OBC! I haven't read the book yet but when I saw this book come up for book of the month I went and downloaded it and I am hoping to have the time to read it soon! The plot and premise are very intriguing and so far I have read super good reviews for it. So, good job!

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

Hi!
First of all, congratulations!!!
My question is what do you think the future of AI is? With so fast advancements in this field, what do you think this will mean for our day to day lives?

[book_fanatic_]

Hi Jude, I read your book and I've to say it was a wonderful read. Kalin is almost everyone's favorite character but I want to ask you who's your favorite character from this book (except from Kalin)?

[ciecheesemeister]

Honestly, I think you're very brave. I write as well as review books too, and I wouldn't have the courage to do something like this. I have ridiculous amounts of social anxiety and tremendously low self-esteem. From our previous interactions (there was a minor issue with formatting and it was probably an issue between Kindle and my computer) you are one of the nicest authors I've encountered. There was one who kept debating whether I read his book even though I wrote a chapter by chapter synopsis after his first dispute, and his reasoning, I think, was that I didn't agree with his premise. He was very arrogant. You're a real breath of fresh air. So, I guess this isn't so much a question as praise. Keep doing what you do!

[Kanda_theGreat]

Hey Jude, I have this question that I always want to seek responses from authors, maybe in a bid to understand them better: What is your philosophy of life?

[ErikaP13]

You're really inspiring! I think it's safe to say that most of us here are here for our love of stories and reading. A lot of us hope to take that love further and would like to one day publish a book. So thank you for reaching out like this and just showing us it really is possible.

[Jackie Holycross]

I had some confusion about the supposed memory implants that Kata had. Everyone at the lab seemed to accept that explanation, but then the scientist Renfield went to see said it is not possible to do that to a project. If this was not something normally done, why did no one at Project Tau question it? That whole conversation was a bit confusing for me, so maybe I misinterpreted it. Please clarify.