Ask the Author! (Please!)

[Tavaiel26]

It pretty much wrote itself. Part of it was that I wanted to try something new: I wanted to see if I could make the readers sympathize with the scientists at first, and hope they could regain control over Tau and Kata, or that someone would come to their rescue, and then twist things around so that by the end of the book they'd be clamoring for Dennison's blood

This is what originally got me into the book, I read the sample and my mind went "These people have VERY different perspectives of what has been going on in this lab" and I immediately wanted to continue reading and figure out who was right!
A lot of the training about obedience, breaking Kalin, etc. seems to have a solid base in psychological theory (and sadly practice) about the behavior of gangs, cults, etc. was that on purpose or just chance?

[leximutia]

Alright, I'm fairly sure this question must have already been asked, but will there be a sequel to Project Tau? I really enjoyed the book, but there are a lot of loose ends that I want to see tied up, ie:

What will happen to the PA Amy Saunders and her unborn child?
What will Reinfield's old friend, Jimmy Salvatore, do with the information about Kata / Kalin?
Where will Kata and Tau go?

There are so many other things I'm curious about, but if there is a sequel, I will definitely read it. I just wanted to say that I grew to really like Kata and Tau and their friendship. On the other hand, I was pretty upset about Reinfield's death and the way we find out what happened to him.

If there is already a sequel or you do intend on writing it, let me know!

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

Hi Jude, my question is: Who are some of your favorite authors?

[Jude Austin]

I love this because its so true. While I do enjoy those tropes of the genre, I could see how it could not be everyone's cup of tea so to speak. So... let me get this right, you decided to invent your own subgenre?

Pretty much The tropes can be done well, but it's like people think it's not proper sci-fi unless it takes place on a giant ship. Very often I end up writing the kind of books I want to read myself but can't find

It pretty much wrote itself. Part of it was that I wanted to try something new: I wanted to see if I could make the readers sympathize with the scientists at first, and hope they could regain control over Tau and Kata, or that someone would come to their rescue, and then twist things around so that by the end of the book they'd be clamoring for Dennison's blood

This is what originally got me into the book, I read the sample and my mind went "These people have VERY different perspectives of what has been going on in this lab" and I immediately wanted to continue reading and figure out who was right!
A lot of the training about obedience, breaking Kalin, etc. seems to have a solid base in psychological theory (and sadly practice) about the behavior of gangs, cults, etc. was that on purpose or just chance?

Hi Tavaiel!
It was probably a bit of both, to be honest. I never sat down and thought, "Okay, I'm going to research psychology for this book!" and I've never studied psychology by itself either, but ever since I was about fifteen, I've always had a huge fascination with cults and how they can twist people's thinking, so some of that came into play here. Sadly, I also had a lot of personal experience with manipulative people - or rather, one manipulative person - growing up, so I figured the same tactics would work on Kalin (Tau was easy, since he'd never known anything different).
I think the other reason it worked is because at the start of the book Kalin has the same kind of demeanor that a lot of cults look for in new recruits: he's away from home, he has zero self-confidence,
Much like the real thing, it has an overreaching effect; a lot of Book 2 deals with Kata/Kalin's attempts to deal with the aftermath of everything he suffered in Book 1. That one I did do some research for; coping with extreme trauma of that level is a reality for some people, and I wanted to show enough respect to genuine survivors by portraying Kata's experience as realistically as possible

Alright, I'm fairly sure this question must have already been asked, but will there be a sequel to Project Tau?

Hi Leximutia!
First, the most important question.

Yes, there is indeed a sequel to Project Tau. It's called Homecoming and was released at the end of last month (it was also BOTD yesterday ) There are also several more books planned in the series

What will happen to the PA Amy Saunders and her unborn child?

Yeah, a lot of people like Amy. Maybe it's the whole spy thing she's got going on You do get to find out the gender in Book 2, but Amy herself is only mentioned (Sorry Amy-fans; she's a responsible mother and isn't going to put her child in danger by rushing into the kinds of situations Kata keeps finding himself in Remember that Renfield's last words and act to her - via email - were telling her to get out and as far away from Kata as she could )
She will make an appearance in either Book 4 or Book 5, but honestly, I think that to do her and her child's story justice, they need a book to themselves. Renfield's child is likely to want to find out about that side of the family - we know from Project Tau that Renfield has a married sister - so there's always that avenue to explore.

It's also hard to write about her and the child from the point of view of the series, because very little time elapses between each book. Book 2 picks up literally hours after Book 1 finishes, and Book 3 starts a couple of months after Book 2. That means it's going to take a lot of books to age Amy's child to the point of interacting with the world and seeking answers about Renfield.

So while she's not going to become a recurring character, she and her child will get a spin-off book - or possibly more - at some time in the future. I have no idea when, but it will definitely come

What will Reinfield's old friend, Jimmy Salvatore, do with the information about Kata / Kalin?

For the moment, I imagine very little. His best friend ended up following that trail and died for it; there's no way Jimmy wants to suffer the same fate. Also, he doesn't have a great deal of information as Renfield kept him as much in the dark as he could, for Jimmy's own sake, and he has even less proof. He might come back in future books; I haven't decided yet.

Where will Kata and Tau go?

That's answered in Homecoming You'll have to buy a copy of the book - or read it on KU - to find out.

Hi Jude, my question is: Who are some of your favorite authors?

Hi, Stephanie Elizabeth!
I actually like older authors that not many people are likely to have heard of. Part of that is because I love social history, and reading about characters who lived during those times - and whose authors lived during those times - is the best way to learn about them. I also have a huge fondness for children's books, oddly enough.

Dorothy Dainty series by Amy Brooks. They're a decent length, and something about the charm in them gets me every time
Any of the Jane books by Evadne Price (if you've ever read Richmal Crompton's William Brown stories, Jane Turpin is the female equivalent).
Angela Brazil; mostly school stories, but very meaty, and each one has its own unique story, instead of the same stories retold with different characters. These were written in the early 1900s, so occasionally there are views and words that would never fly in today's society. I just take it as a case of Fair For Its Day
Anthony Armstrong's Apple and Percival series. These are short stories that were collected in book form, and I love the comedy in them.

More contemporary authors are:

Rick Riordan. I grew up on stories of the Greek gods and goddesses, so his demigod series ticked all my boxes.
Stephen King
Terry Pratchett

[leximutia]

Yes, there is indeed a sequel to Project Tau. It's called Homecoming and was released at the end of last month (it was also BOTD yesterday ) There are also several more books planned in the series

Oh my God (Sorry, Chatton), I'm going to search for that sequel right now. I need to find out what happens next! Thanks for letting me know!

[Tavaiel26]

She will make an appearance in either Book 4 or Book 5

Hahahahah, how many books do you have planned already? Are you hoping for the main series to follow Tau and Kata and maybe do some Spin-offs?

[DEEPA PUJARI]

Hi Jude
I am currently reading Project Tau and I am loving it. This is my first Scifi book and I am glad I choose your book as my debut.

[Jude Austin]

Hahahahah, how many books do you have planned already? Are you hoping for the main series to follow Tau and Kata and maybe do some Spin-offs?

There's a total of five books in the main Projects series planned right now, including Project Tau and Homecoming. Beyond that, I'll keep writing as long as I keep coming up with solid plots What I don't want to do is use a weak plot or rework an identical plot just for the sake of churning out another book That's not to say that there won't be a Projects 6, 7, 8 etc, just that I don't have any ideas for them at present.

And yes, the main series will certainly follow Tau and Kata. There's also a new MC who makes his debut about a third of the way into Homecoming who's also going to be getting a fair amount of attention throughout the series I also like to use the same characters sometimes, as it makes sense to me that they'd keep in touch with the MCs, and - as a reader - I like running into familiar faces in new books

I have a spin-off series planned that takes place about 800 years before the events in Project Tau (it makes sense in context!) which is aimed at a more YA audience. Think Lord of the Flies in space, but with a much more optimistic outlook I also have a spin-off telling the backstory of one of the characters we meet in Homecoming, but that one's going to have to wait until after Book 5.

Amy Saunders and her child will definitely be getting their own spin-off book, but not for a long while. This is because I'm never sure exactly how each book is going to pan out until I write it, and sometimes not even then (the ending of Homecoming changed dramatically while I was working on it, right up until the final chapter. Blame the characters ) Anyway, I want to get the main events of the first five books firmly established before I dive into the world of Amy and her child.

That said, based on how many people seem to like her as a character, I'm now seriously considering a spin-off series about some of Amy's spy missions prior to ending up at GenTech She's got quite an adventurous past

Hi Jude
I am currently reading Project Tau and I am loving it. This is my first Scifi book and I am glad I choose your book as my debut.

Hi Deepa!
Thank you so much! I'm honored that you chose my book for your first sci-fi experience Sci-fi covers a much wider range than some people think, so I hope you find some more great reads in the genre

[Frannie Annie]

I read your book a few months back and am glad to see it's book of the month! Mostly because I can jump in and participate on a lot of forums now I like your "hands off" approach when it comes to discussion and might do the same if I ever become an author myself. Personally I hope scientists never actually clone humans, because I find it creepy and ethically complicated. We may as well go the robot route and not program emotions or free will into the androids so they never suffer or try to take over. Clones sure are fun to read about though!

[Jude Austin]

I read your book a few months back and am glad to see it's book of the month! Mostly because I can jump in and participate on a lot of forums now I like your "hands off" approach when it comes to discussion and might do the same if I ever become an author myself. Personally I hope scientists never actually clone humans, because I find it creepy and ethically complicated. We may as well go the robot route and not program emotions or free will into the androids so they never suffer or try to take over. Clones sure are fun to read about though!

Hi Frances!
Thank you so much Yes, I'll join in the discussions if directly asked or if there's something that isn't quite clear, but for the most part, I'm enjoying seeing what people are saying As an author, it's already proved amazingly helpful

[Mariojunior]

Hey what other books do you make

[Jude Austin]

Hey what other books do you make

Hi
At the moment, there are only two up for sale: Project Tau and Homecoming, both available on Amazon. The sequel to Homecoming is being worked on, and I also have a few more ideas in the pipeline!
If you want to be kept up-to-date, my official Facebook, Twitter and/or website is the best way to do that

[DEEPA PUJARI]

Hi Jude
I love Project Tau. Is thee going to be a sequel?

[NatRose]

Hello! I'm in the process of reading Project Tau and very much enjoying it so far. I was wondering how you came up with the covers for your books? Unlike many other book series, I don't think I could tell that both Project Tau and Homecoming were part of the same series just by looking at the cover. Was this a conscious decision? Also, did you put much consideration into the choice of color for the covers (since one is primarily green and the other blue/purple)?

Thanks for being so friendly and answering all of our questions!

[Jude Austin]

Hi Jude
I love Project Tau. Is thee going to be a sequel?

Hi Deepa!
There is indeed a sequel! It's called Homecoming and it's available on Amazon. It was BOTD a few days back as well, so you should be able to find it Hopefully, there will also be some Volunteer Reviews at some point, which means I'm currently in a state of low-grade terror waiting for the verdicts

ffd

Hello! I'm in the process of reading Project Tau and very much enjoying it so far. I was wondering how you came up with the covers for your books? Unlike many other book series, I don't think I could tell that both Project Tau and Homecoming were part of the same series just by looking at the cover. Was this a conscious decision? Also, did you put much consideration into the choice of color for the covers (since one is primarily green and the other blue/purple)?

Thanks for being so friendly and answering all of our questions!

Hi NatRose!

You're very welcome! Thank you for asking them Feel free to ask as many questions about the books, characters, sequels...anything you like

I get my covers from 99designs. Basically, this means that instead of commissioning one artist, I set up and run a cover design contest with a certain amount of prize money. I also have to create a brief for designers about the kind of cover I'm looking for, which tells them the style (via sliders), describe what I want, and what I don't want. And yes, one of the questions I have to answer is that of the main color; Project Tau was green, black and white, and Homecoming was yellow, black and designer's choice

I always wanted Project Tau to be green and black; green seems to be the color always associated with vats and science, at least in my mind, and the original cover (less said, the better!) was also green, and I wanted to keep that. For Homecoming, I wanted something that was a different color, as it's a completely different story, the writing style is a little different (despite the publication dates, there were actually 12-13 years between writing Project Tau and Homecoming) and I wanted to be able to easily differentiate Books 1 and 2.

While there are no paperback versions (actually, there are, but they're not available through normal channels ) I admit I was also thinking of how they might look on a shelf

I also have to provide descriptions of what I want and I give designers at least 2-3 options. These usually end up a little way off the final designs (for example, the cover for Project Tau originally called for scientists to be present around the cloning vat, or a design with Tau and Kata in their room, or a training scene. Every single designer went for the vat option )

For Homecoming, the designers were given the choice of either the opening scenes from Sedna with Tau and Kata battered, alone and desperate just after escaping GenTech, or a scene featuring the two of them on the planet Atthiras, where a large chunk of the book takes place. This time, I got a wide variety of designs for both themes.

That said, in the end there were two finalists. One did an amazing, hi-tech cover that didn't really match either brief, but which was awesome enough to win through to the finals. If I could have chosen them both, I definitely would have; I had to throw it open to a vote in the end . In the end, I went for the blue cover because I felt the design was more helpful to the reader (you might not know it's the sequel to Project Tau, but you know it's two people on an alien world and the setting is sci-fi), and also because the actor on that one looked far more like Kata Tau, I'm not so sure about...