Ask the Author! (Please!)

[Thea Frederick]

Hi Jude!
These questions does not have to do with your book but I thought it would be fun to ask anyway
1. What is your favorite genre to read and who is your favorite author?
2. What do you like doing in your free time (besides writing, if that's something you do in your free time:-)?
3. What kind of movies do you like?
4. What country would you travel to if you could pick any?

[Jude Austin]

Hi Jude!
These questions does not have to do with your book but I thought it would be fun to ask anyway
1. What is your favorite genre to read and who is your favorite author?
2. What do you like doing in your free time (besides writing, if that's something you do in your free time:-)?
3. What kind of movies do you like?
4. What country would you travel to if you could pick any?

Hi Thea Frederick!

Sure, ask me anything!

1. Favorite authors and genres...ooh, too many to count. I like some of Angela Brazil's stories though; I'm a sucker for social history, even school stories Also, Rick Riordan - I grew up on Greek myths as a kid, so reading his series is like coming home for me - and Evadne Price, who wrote the Jane books. Terry Pratchett, Bernard Cornwell, the list goes on and on!

2. Most of my free time is taken up with writing (I love it, so I don't mind ) Beyond that, I'm a gamer - I love my VR headset - and recently began developing my own games. My cunning plan is that, if enough people like the games, they might check out the books they're based on as well I also like hula dancing. I used to do a lot of art, but recently I don't have a great deal of time.

3. I'll basically watch anything, providing it entertains me. This is why my shelf currently has titles like Gladiator and Silence of the Lambs sharing space with Ratatouille I like horror/action if it's well-written (Terminator, Aliens etc) I really don't like romantic movies, although some romantic comedies are fine. I also love historical movies, providing they go back far enough I'll watch just about any genre if you put the word historical in front of it I'm not a fan of zombies though. I don't know why; there's just something about zombies that bores me.

I'll watch sci-fi, but I like it to be relatable, which is part of the reason why references to things like Star Wars make appearances in Project Tau. After all, the movies Kalin references are on the list of Movies to be Preserved by the Library of Congress (well, the first Alien movie is, and in the centuries between now and when the book takes place, I decided someone would add the second) so it's very likely people in the future will keep watching them. They'll see them in amazing HD and possibly VR TV, but they'll see them

I also love silent movies of any genre. My all-time favorite silent movie has to be the comedy, "Safety Last."

4. I'd like to go to China (specifically, Kunming) My former roommate was from there and she showed me some pictures. It looks absolutely gorgeous! Failing that, I'd like to go to Jordan - I love deserts, and I've never been to that part of the world - or Lebanon, both for the country and the food. I'll have to pass on the wines, since I'm a teetotaler, but I really love Lebanese food

[Frannie Annie]

Thanks for all the info! I'd quote you but then there would be a super long wall of text before you get to this. I'll admit, I never really thought about what kindle unlimited does to its authors. As an avid reader, I subscribe mainly to review books but will also pick up "free" ones if they look interesting. Sadly, I am a cheapskate and will probably not break out of that mentality until I finish more schooling and get a job with the thing that I majored in.

I know; I do tend to waffle And go off on not-quite-random tangents. Sorry about that
You can opt-out of Kindle Unlimited as an author, but if you do, you only get 35% royalties instead of the normal 70%, and you can't use any of Amazon's advertising tools, so it's swings and roundabouts really

No worries, they're fun to read. And ew I guess they reeeeally want people to use unlimited. oh well, it's not like most people subscribe. Right? 0_o

[Thea Frederick]

I really like what you said about your writing, Jude. That is:
“I always say that I write 'reality.' My characters are never superheroes or long-lost princes; they're regular people thrust into very irregular situations.”
I think that fairy tales and superhuman strength have their place in certain stories (and some of my favorite books have those things), but it can also be very refreshing to read some that is just so founded on reality. The books that come to mind when I think of realism are “O Pioneers!” “My Antonia” and “Lila.”
I loved all of these books, so I look forward to reading your take on realism in characters!

[tanner87cbs]

Hey Jude! I enjoyed this book and am enjoying the equal as well (a bit more actually .) A few questions:

1. How many books do you plan to write in this series?
2. Is there any more character art in the works outside of the book covers?

[Jude Austin]

Hey Jude! I enjoyed this book and am enjoying the equal as well (a bit more actually .) A few questions:

1. How many books do you plan to write in this series?
2. Is there any more character art in the works outside of the book covers?

Hi there! Thank you so much

Is it vain of me to say that I actually prefer the sequel too? In spite of what the publication dates say, there was a gap of about 12-13 years between writing Project Tau and Homecoming. I'd like to think my writing style got a bit better and I learned from the mistakes I made in the first book.

1. I have a total of five planned out so far. Books 1 and 2 have already been published, as you know, so I'm now working on 3. Given my haphazard style of writing, I also have chunks of Books 4 and 5 written as well There are also a lot of spinoffs planned. Generally speaking, the more I write about a setting, the more stories I find myself wanting to tell in that setting.

I have no plans to end the series, so if I think of a solid, unique plot for Book 6, I'll write Book 6 What I don't want to become is an author who rehashes old plots just to put out another book

2. That would be so wonderful! Unfortunately, I'm terrible at drawing my own characters, and it costs a lot to commission artists just for my own vanity So there might be drawings of some of the more common animals along with planetary maps in my newsletter, but that's all I can promise from me. But, you know, if someone else wants to draw the characters or scenes, I promise to send lots of virtual cookies and post the pictures everywhere I can

[Jude Austin]

I really like what you said about your writing, Jude. That is:
“I always say that I write 'reality.' My characters are never superheroes or long-lost princes; they're regular people thrust into very irregular situations.”
I think that fairy tales and superhuman strength have their place in certain stories (and some of my favorite books have those things), but it can also be very refreshing to read some that is just so founded on reality. The books that come to mind when I think of realism are “O Pioneers!” “My Antonia” and “Lila.”
I loved all of these books, so I look forward to reading your take on realism in characters!

They do indeed have their place. Unfortunately, I think they have too many places. I play a lot of computer RPGs, and I've lost count of the number of times where I've thought, "Okay, just once, can I not be the long-lost heir to the throne/humble child whose coming was foretold in a prophecy/a mystical being with powers I've yet to discover/all of the above?" )

[funninessishappiness]

Hello Jude,

The reason I choose to read your book was because it involved genetic science. It is my favorite thing to learn about. I find this subject extremely fascinating. I was wondering if you have ever heard of the nature vs nurture debate, not only psychologically but genetically. How genes work is pretty simple. They can randomly shut off or on depending on the environment around them. One example is lactose intolerance. Let's say you drank milk every day for a year then for three years after you drank no milk. You tried to drink milk after all this time and realized that you are now lactose intolerant. You weren't lactose intolerant before, but now you are. This was due to the environment. Since your body didn't have to process milk anymore it decided the gene was insignificant and turned it off. With Tau, do you think it was nature or nurture that caused him to become who he is now? Throughout the book, they would say things like "The projects weren't made to have _____ trait so its impossible for them to do so." Tau wasn't made with the ability to have malice, yet he had some for Dennison. Was he taught this trait or had it always been there and he just never knew how to express it until Kalin appeared?

[Standor5865]

Hey Jude,
I'd like to get your point of view on - if you think that clones will eventually be given human rights particularly when they get to have their own experiences?

[SGalvarez1995]

Hi Jude first of all let me say that I do not like Sci-Fi, but the description of the book got my attention. And I definitely LOVED it, it was amazing. My questions is, did the character of Kalin got inspired by how much teenagers try to fit in, and how far they will go to get accepted by peers, like doing drugs, stealing, drinking alcohol, etc?

[Jude Austin]

Hello Jude,

The reason I choose to read your book was because it involved genetic science. It is my favorite thing to learn about. I find this subject extremely fascinating. I was wondering if you have ever heard of the nature vs nurture debate, not only psychologically but genetically. How genes work is pretty simple. They can randomly shut off or on depending on the environment around them. One example is lactose intolerance. Let's say you drank milk every day for a year then for three years after you drank no milk. You tried to drink milk after all this time and realized that you are now lactose intolerant. You weren't lactose intolerant before, but now you are. This was due to the environment. Since your body didn't have to process milk anymore it decided the gene was insignificant and turned it off. With Tau, do you think it was nature or nurture that caused him to become who he is now? Throughout the book, they would say things like "The projects weren't made to have _____ trait so its impossible for them to do so." Tau wasn't made with the ability to have malice, yet he had some for Dennison. Was he taught this trait or had it always been there and he just never knew how to express it until Kalin appeared?

Hi, funninessishappiness!

You know, even before this discussion forum started, I was hoping someone would bring up the whole nature/nurture debate Yes, I'm very familiar with it; I hadn't heard about the lactose intolerance, but I remember my old biology teacher once telling me that she couldn't afford to eat meat as a student, and so in the end her body couldn't tolerate it.

What you're asking here is essentially two questions:

One: is Tau's personality like it is because he was born that way, or because the scientists made him that way? Since he's a clone, do we consider the nature part to be from the person who he was cloned from, or from that person's parents? In this case, I'd fall into the nurture camp; he believes what he's been told - that he's an animal with no rights - and doesn't even consider another possibility until Kalin shows up. It's like The Truman Show: we accept the reality of the world with which we're presented. 

Two: does the nature/nurture debate also apply to emotions, since they're not genetic? You can learn to control your emotions, you can learn to express them appropriately, but - with the possible exception of an accident at birth (I say possible because I never studied the subject in any depth!) - everybody feels emotions to a greater or lesser degree. Not everyone feels the whole range - a psychopath may feel anger, but not remorse - but they all feel something.

Malice isn't genetic; it's an emotional response; the person wants to cause pain of some kind to another person. Whether it's targeted at a specific individual for a particular reason (such as Kata vs. Dennison - Round 157 ) or just because some people like being jerks, there's always emotion involved. (On a side note, it also doesn't apply to Tau, since malicious is the one thing he isn't He calls for Dennison's death in the prologue, but even when he has Dennison completely at his mercy, he refuses to torture him and chooses instead to give him a quick death, thus showing far more humanity and forgiveness than he's received so far. Even afterwards, he's not interested in gloating to Kata about it and shows no pleasure or even satisfaction in what he's done. From an emotional point of view, if not a legal or biological one, he's effectively committed patricide in killing Dennison.) Which brings up another sub-topic: is Tau acting the way he is because he wants to impress Kata, or because he really does feel this way? 

The ability to feel emotions isn't genetic in the same sense as - to use your example - the ability to drink milk. While your body might conceivably say, "Okay, we haven't had any milk for years, so let's shut that gene down," resulting in lactose intolerance, there's nothing that would make it say, "You know what, we haven't lost our temper for ages. Welp, there's obviously no need for this whole anger emotion, so let's toss it out," resulting in someone who is literally incapable of feeling anger. Tau can feel just fine, even if he needs Kalin to explain to him what each emotion is called

Hey Jude,
I'd like to get your point of view on - if you think that clones will eventually be given human rights particularly when they get to have their own experiences?

Hi Standor!
I think so, but I also think that the key word in your question is eventually. I think it'll come about as a result of extreme pressure from people outside, and I also think that there will be some religious nutjobs (apologies to all the genuine, decent religious people reading this; I'm not talking about you ) who will see their existence as blasphemy and want them destroyed regardless of how intelligent the clones are.

Hi Jude first of all let me say that I do not like Sci-Fi, but the description of the book got my attention. And I definitely LOVED it, it was amazing. My questions is, did the character of Kalin got inspired by how much teenagers try to fit in, and how far they will go to get accepted by peers, like doing drugs, stealing, drinking alcohol, etc?

Hi SGalvarez!

Thank you so much I always say that there are different types of sci-fi, and I try to write books that everyone can relate to. I'm so happy you enjoyed it
I think the answer to your question is 'partly.' It's a huge issue, and Kalin's never fitted in or been accepted, mostly due to being a) non-athletic in an extremely athletic-centered school and b) far more intelligent than his classmates and one or two of the teachers as well.

I think that Kalin himself isn't the kind of person who'd fake an interest in something or give in to peer pressure just to be one of the 'cool kids.' If any of them tried to get him to steal something, his reaction would be along the lines of, "I barely know you. You never bothered talking to me or including me, but now you're pressuring me to commit a crime. Why would I do something that stupid for the likes of you?" While this is probably the best response, it really doesn't help on the friend side The reason he'll do it for Philip is because he knows he'll be in if he pulls it off, whereas he has no guarantee that the kids at school who tried to pressure him into doing something stupid would agree to be his friends afterwards.

However, when he arrives at college, he sees it as a completely new start on a new planet, a place where nobody knows he was the outcast and so there are no preconceived notions about him. And yes, he desperately wants to be popular, which - to him - means the fraternity. I think somewhere along the line he gets confused between being popular and just having friends, and he can't seem to understand that the two aren't mutually inclusive. If he'd managed to get in, I think he'd have hated it; he's really not a party/huge gathering type of person. I also think Philip Lawson realized that, which was why he did his best to turn Kalin off the idea. He was just a huge jerk about it and it backfired on them both very badly

Um. Does that answer your question?

[KingK123]

Hi Jude, I was wondering when you stopped viewing Kalin as human and started seeing him as a Project yourself.

[Jude Austin]

Hi Jude, I was wondering when you stopped viewing Kalin as human and started seeing him as a Project yourself.

Hi KingK123

Ooh, great question!

The answer is never To me, Kalin's always been a human who's trapped in a hideous situation, but still retains his humanity right up to the end. He panics when he thinks his best friend's about to die and risks everything to save him and later check on him; he comforts Tau when the latter breaks down crying; and he retains enough mercy and humanity to make sure Chatton is spared. Of course, Tau displays similar emotions (distracting Dennison from dealing out a particularly savage beating to Kata; deliberately requesting an extra pain acclimation session and using that to trick the scientists into giving him some water for Kata). So to me - and later, to Kalin - there's no difference between a human and a Project.

However, that doesn't mean Kalin always considers himself as human. Dennison's gaslighting of him and the first time he agrees that his name is Project Kata marks the first seeds of doubt in his own mind, which is why his name changes from Kalin to Kata in the narrative. After Renfield's death, Kalin gives up completely and figures that he might as well resign himself to his new life as a Project. He becomes more animalistic in his thinking, reacting to outside events rather than attempting to take the initiative. It takes Amy's note to remind him of who he really is and put it into his head that he owes it to Renfield's memory to keep fighting.

A large part of the sequel deals with Kalin's attempts to try and reconcile the two parts of himself and cope with the guilt of everything he did, and the psychological trauma of everything he's been through.

[Caffrey_19]

Hi Jude. I love your book and its concept. Do you have plans for developing the narrative on Project Tau, like a mini-serial development?

[Jude Austin]

Hi Jude. I love your book and its concept. Do you have plans for developing the narrative on Project Tau, like a mini-serial development?

Hi Caffrey_19!

Thank you so much!

I'm not sure what you mean by developing the narrative. Do you mean writing more books in the series, or expanding out into different media (TV, game, etc?)

If it's the first one, then yes! The sequel to Project Tau, "Homecoming" is available now on Amazon So far, I have two books written (Project Tau and Homecoming) and three more planned, with the possibility of even more. Book 3 is underway (I estimate about 5% done)

If it's the second one, then also yes There are adaptation contests, so I'm reworking Project Tau and sending it in (this forum has been super-helpful for me to learn which aspects need a bit more work ) If I win, there's a very good chance it'll be made into a serial (think Netflix or Hulu etc). I'm pitching the entire 5-book story arc to them, so fingers crossed

I also have some experience in programming and game development, so I'm working on a video game to incorporate characters from both Project Tau and Homecoming, and some new characters as well. It'll be a completely separate story, though