AL's Musings- Things the Muse likes

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  Inverview with Jim Kochanoff

After a long absence from illness I am back! Whooohooo! And I have a new ‘About the Book’ Interview with SciFi Author Jim Kooo ….. I am not going to try pronouncing that.

Jim has written a YA SciFi about a city that benefits from the use of drones….or does it?

First off tell us a little something about your main character.

She is a teenager who wants to explore and leave home but society makes it difficult to travel. She has a strong bond with her father while having an endless supply of questions about the mother she barely knew. Unlike most people, she distrusts the use of drones which most people feel have made their lives safer. She questions everything which tends to make her unpopular with school and friends.

 

Interesting concept, please share a few favorite lines or one paragraph.

Big mistake. Its circuits fired and it spiraled limply to the ground. Its legs kicked a few times and then its eye went dark. Two enemies down in as many seconds. There was hope for me yet. I looked over at the limp form of the officer.

“Why doesn’t your drone,” I pointed to the half man/machine floating silently, “pick up your partner? He could be dead if he doesn’t get any medical attention,” I said. The smaller officer glared at me but it took his attention away from the useless radio.

“Drones have to be given direction. They can’t think on their own,” he answered defensively.

“Well, your hawk just thought on its own.” I indicated the smoking circuits on the ground. One of its feet stirred slightly.

“They have some artificial intelligence, with an innate response to investigate questionable activities.”

“Curiosity got it killed,” I replied sarcastically.

 

How long did it take you to write this book?

A couple of years and another year to find a publisher. It’s hard to stay motivated to keep writing when you are not sure if the finished product is going to get published. I envy well established authors who know they have a market and readers waiting for their next book.

 

Yes, I think we writers all envy that. Tell us, how did you come up with the title for this book?

I had many titles – Eyes from Within, Obverser (watching those that watch us), Empire of Dirt – I was trying to convey a sense of menace with a place that was isolated. Nothing seem to resonate with friends until I realized that unless I named the main enemy in the title, I wasn’t capturing the essence of the story. It also allowed me to use a title that I could reuse in a series.

 

Ah, yes I think we all struggle with picking the prefect title. And this is the start of a series? Cool! It is always fun to learn about the creative processes that go into a work, tell us about your cover art and how it pertains to your story.

I wanted an image showing the threat of drone technology. The city could be anywhere but the number of drones should illustrate their menace. The main character has her back to us to represent that it could be anyone facing the drones.

It is easy to put yourself in the character’s shoes in that cover. Now the tricky question: Of all the books out there, why should readers choose this one?

Drones are very topical and many of us are both excited and scared about their use. The book explores a world where they are common place and provides a mystery of who controls them. It’s about showing a what if scenario that sci-fi readers will enjoy.

 

That is true, drones are a very controversial topic, and so very ‘SciFi’ too! Would you say then that there an underlying theme in your book?

Are Drones ultimately good or evil for society?

Drones represent the most transformative military innovation since the atomic bomb. Today drones are part of our lives from the military to enforcement to entertainment. Their use has permeated our society; you can buy them at a toy store or companies talk about using them as couriers. You can see they everywhere and not just spying into your window, but everywhere we live, eat, shop, and they exist in many different forms.

In my novel, Drone World, it looks at a city where drone technology is common place. Today drones are part of our lives from the military to enforcement to entertainment. Not just outside our windows – they are everywhere we live, eat, shop and the many forms they take.

But are we going too far with their use? The novel “1984” explored a world where Big Brother watched our every move. Isn’t drone technology taking us in the same direction? Or besides government watching our every move, will the drones allow any of your neighbours to spy on us? With cell phone and drone camera technology, is there any corner of our world where the events of our world are not recorded? Has that made our home safer or are we more fearful because no secrets are safe?

On the other hand, isn’t the world a safer place with their use? Drone have made it easier to attack terrorists without the loss of life of our soldiers. They can fly places that no human could go. They can record activities that we would never knew about in the past. Only guilty parties should fear the recording of their crimes. Isn’t losing some of our privacy worth the price of a safer world?

 

And there lies the dilemma, right? This book will definitely touch on some hot topics and ongoing controversy regarding drone usage. Thank you very much for joining us today and telling us a bit about your book. And how cool that one of your other books will be made into an animated Tv show!! WOW!! I wish I could do that with my Space Trippers series, how awesome would that be?

For those that had their curiosity piqued here are the links and Author Bio for today’s guest Author!

Now, go out and buy his book! And we will know if you did ….. we are always watching…..

Link(s): https://www.amazon.com/Drone-World-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01JDYUSQY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483838069&sr=8-1&keywords=drone+world+Jim+Kochanoff
Author Links –

Website | http://www.adventurebooks.ca/
Goodreads | https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2935903.Jim_Kochanoff
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Jim-Kochanoff/e/B01N31002K?ref_=pe_1724030_132998060

http://thechronicleherald.ca/thenovascotian/1390513-the-safest-city-in-the-world-hammonds-plains-author-explores-drones-in-dystop

Author Bio:
Jim Kochanoff’s specialty is action/adventure, putting the reader into adrenaline driven stories. His first novel “Men of Extreme Action” is based on the action movie industry and is signed with Toonz Animation of India to be produced as an animated television pilot.

He is the former production manager of the animated children series, “The Hippo Tub Co.” airing on the CBC and created by Canadian musician Anne Murray

He is the Chairman of the Nova Scotia SPCA and uses the proceeds from his children’s book towards this worthy charity. He is Chartered Professional Accountant (CMA) and works for the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness. He has a beautiful wife, Avai, an entertaining daughter named Jaya, and an extremely fast doberman named Lola

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