Ask the Author! (Please!)
- Thea Frederick
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Re: Ask the Author! (Please!)
These questions does not have to do with your book but I thought it would be fun to ask anyway
![Very Happy :-D](./images/smilies/icon/biggrin.gif)
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
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Hi Thea Frederick!Thea Frederick wrote: ↑10 Apr 2020, 10:22 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?
![Tipping Hat :tiphat:](./images/smilies/tiphat.gif)
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
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![Studying Gray Book :techie-studyinggray:](./images/smilies/techie/studyinggray.gif)
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2. Most of my free time is taken up with writing (I love it, so I don't mind
![Razz :P](./images/smilies/icon/razz.gif)
![Razz :P](./images/smilies/icon/razz.gif)
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
![Razz :P](./images/smilies/icon/razz.gif)
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon/wink.gif)
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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
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon/wink.gif)
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
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon/wink.gif)
- Frannie Annie
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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_oJudasFm wrote: ↑09 Apr 2020, 06:25I know; I do tend to waffleFrances019 wrote: ↑08 Apr 2020, 16:14 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.And go off on not-quite-random tangents. Sorry about that
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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![]()
- Thea Frederick
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“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
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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
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Hi there!tanner87cbs wrote: ↑11 Apr 2020, 17:59 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?
![Tipping Hat :tiphat:](./images/smilies/tiphat.gif)
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon/biggrin.gif)
Is it vain of me to say that I actually prefer the sequel too?
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![reading-6 :reading-6:](./images/smilies/reading-6.gif)
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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
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon/wink.gif)
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
![Razz :P](./images/smilies/icon/razz.gif)
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon/wink.gif)
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
![Razz :P](./images/smilies/icon/razz.gif)
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon/wink.gif)
- Jude Austin
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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?"Thea Frederick wrote: ↑11 Apr 2020, 17:55 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!
![Laughing :lol2:](./images/smilies/icon/lol.gif)
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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?
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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
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Hi, funninessishappiness!funninessishappiness wrote: ↑11 Apr 2020, 23:07 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?
![Tipping Hat :tiphat:](./images/smilies/tiphat.gif)
You know, even before this discussion forum started, I was hoping someone would bring up the whole nature/nurture debate
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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
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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
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon/wink.gif)
Hi Standor!Standor5865 wrote: ↑12 Apr 2020, 06:15 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?
![Tipping Hat :tiphat:](./images/smilies/tiphat.gif)
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
![Razz :P](./images/smilies/icon/razz.gif)
Hi SGalvarez!SGalvarez1995 wrote: ↑12 Apr 2020, 15:51 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?
![Tipping Hat :tiphat:](./images/smilies/tiphat.gif)
Thank you so much
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon/biggrin.gif)
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon/biggrin.gif)
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
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon/wink.gif)
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
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon/wink.gif)
Um. Does that answer your question?
![Think :eusa-think:](./images/smilies/eusa/think.gif)
- KingK123
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Hi KingK123
![Tipping Hat :tiphat:](./images/smilies/tiphat.gif)
Ooh, great question!
The answer is never
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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.
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- Jude Austin
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Hi Caffrey_19!Caffrey_19 wrote: ↑14 Apr 2020, 06:55 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?
![Tipping Hat :tiphat:](./images/smilies/tiphat.gif)
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
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If it's the second one, then also yes
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![Fingers Crossed :handgestures-fingerscrossed:](./images/smilies/handgestures/fingerscrossed.gif)
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
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