Book Blast, Giveaway & Interview: Computer Love Inc. II: Gestation by @ComputerLoveInc

 

Computer Love Inc. II: Gestation

Computer Love Inc. Series

Book II

Kurt and Jessica Hansen

Genre: Science Fiction

ISBN: 978-0989068338

ASIN: B00O05VR6C

Number of pages: 215

Word Count: 46,095

Cover Artist: Steven J. Catizone

Book Description:

After the sudden deaths of two previous Computer Love Inc. CEOs, Marius takes control of the company. Embracing the talents of his godson, John, and his best friend, Zak, he hires the boys to oversee the Companion Services Division.

Marius refines his breakthrough technology, the Brain Machine Download, and as a result, creates his double, M2, as the prototype. Together, they ignite the future of

Computer Love Inc. by acquiring an elite team of scientists to expand the company’s technological boundaries. Meanwhile, Marius struggles with the government’s demands for a clandestine initiative - the Secret Service Companion.

Between the looming government presence and the overwhelming force behind his new team of inventors, can Marius survive the outcome of his own creations?

Available at Amazon and BN

“So, Marius, I’m pleased, as I’m sure you must be, that the download between you and I went so well.”

The remark was sudden and bewildering.

“Yes, I am also pleased…” Marius paused. “What brings that up, M2? Is there something you feel we need to improve upon?”

“No, actually, I don’t think that at all. In fact, I think the process and aftermath have proven to be extremely fruitful, don’t you?”

“Well, yes… But then, what is it?”

“I just recalled an idea we had, that’s all,” M2 said.

“’We’ had an idea?”

“Well, as you know, to say that we think alike would be an understatement.” M2 paused and allowed Marius to have a laugh. “So obviously your knowledge of robotics resides not only within you, but within me as well. I know you’ve thought about it, the possibility to help the company pounce into the next generation. What if, say, we were to make a team of Companions, not unlike myself, created from experts in different fields? For example… We could use that famous technology instructor, the woman from Advance Propulsion Labs who’s won awards for all of those groundbreaking projects they’ve done recently, or even that metal-loving genius who combines materials recovered from asteroids with titanium and such. It would be a team of biorobotic and propulsion brilliance with unlimited potential!”

Did you always wanted to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?

Jess says: I always wanted to writer, even since childhood. My co-author and father wrote songs for many years and one song he wrote lead to the creation of the Computer Love Inc. trilogy.

When did you first consider yourself a “writer”?

Jess says: I first considered myself a writer in high school, when I began writing for the school magazine. In college, I continued writing and became a reporter for my university’s newspaper. Then, I began writing the Computer Love Inc. series with my father, at which point we truly both began to consider ourselves actual “writers.” Seeing the finished product in its e-book and paperback formats helped to solidify this notion.

How long did it take to get your first book published?

As we are indie writers and were novices at the time, it took about a year in total, including the time it took research self-publishing a novel. Many sessions reading info from The Creative Penn, Joanna Penn’s website, and digesting The essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published by Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry helped us gain knowledge of the process. We were like sponges, sucking up every bit of info we could to learn about the best way to move forward. All in all, it was just part of the fun.

Do you do another job except for writing and can you tell us more about it?

Kurt has worked in the aerospace industry for over 30 years, and Jessica is a newspaper reporter and freelance writer.

What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say?

Computer Love Inc. II: Gestation

A biorobotics boom, a technologically advanced company; characters that experience turmoil as the repercussions of their creations challenge humanity’s boundaries

Who is your publisher? Or do you self-publish?

We are self-published indie authors. We published the first novel in the series, Computer Love Inc., on Amazon as an eBook, and later, as a paperback through Createspace. We also uploaded it to Barnes and Noble as well as Smashwords. We self-published the second novel on amazon as an eBook and paperback. It is also available as an eBook through Barnes and Noble.

How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?

The first book was long in the making. As a songwriter and musician, Kurt wrote a song many years ago titled Computer Love. It is actually a youtube video that can be viewed by accessing our website at www.computerloveinc.com and clicking on the music tab. The novel started out as a story outline, which was actually intended as a rock opera. As Kurt was writing the book, Jess graduated college with a BA in English, and she took the story and added her magic to it.

The second book took less than a year to complete.

What can we expect from you in the future? ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?

We are currently working on the third installment of the Computer Love Inc. series, and we expect to self-publish it sometime before the summer of 2015.

What genre would you place your books into?

Science Fiction, Action/Adventure, and/or Mystery.

What made you decide to write that genre of book?

The idea comes from a song that Kurt wrote called Computer Love.

Do you have a favorite character from your books? And why are they your favorite?

Zak and Marius are our favorite characters. Zak can be a bit wild and boyish at times, partially due to his youthful mentality and behavior. He is also unexpectedly brilliant.

Marius is among our favorites, as he is the mad scientist type with a quirky personality. We have had so much fun coming up with sayings for Marius along the way!

Living in the heads of these two while writing is something Jess and I have enjoyed together and it is really cool to be that close to a co-author that is just as engrained in the creation of the characters. We have had many conversations and loved every second of it.

How long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write?

Kurt has been writing songs since he was 16. He started writing the first novel back in 2005 with the intent to create an outline for a rock opera. He enjoyed the writing so much that the idea of creating a novel became intriguing to him. Among Kurt’s favorite authors are Hemmingway and Jimmy Buffett.

Jess has been an avid reader since she first learned what a book was. She immediately fell in love with writing and continued studying English right up to the point when she graduated from college with a BA in the subject.

Do you have a certain routine you have for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain chair?

Kurt always sits at his computer downstairs in our music room. The walls are littered with guitars hanging as if it were a music shop. A set of drums takes up too much room, when combined with amplifiers, recording equipment, and a small upright piano.

Jess usually is at her desk in her room but as she prefers the laptop, she can be mobile as well. Her room is full of books which rotate out when new ones are added. A coffee mug full of hazelnut coffee, or sometimes a tall glass of iced coffee, usually accompanies her setting.

Neither of really listen to music when we write - we usually find it too distracting. We are definitely music lovers, but we prefer quietness while we write.

Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?

Yes, we adore reviews! They have been very positive, and some have been constructive, which we also appreciate. We love to hear what our readers think and are very grateful all of the reviews we have received!

Do you choose a title first, or write the book then choose the title?

The title was in place before the book was conceived. However, for a while we really struggled with changing it. Finally we decided to add Inc. to the title to reflect the biorobotics company the books are named after, Computer Love Inc.

How do you come up with characters names and place names in your books?

We used California as our setting because we are familiar with the shore scene, and two of the main characters, Zak and John, are both surfers. Also, as Computer Love Inc. is a bio robotics company, California was a perfect setting for a futuristic, hi-tech company.

The characters were fun to create. In the second book we needed to add more characters to fit the storyline and creating Shonda and Anna was a great way to inject a female perspective to the characters. We always have a list of a bazillion names that we like, so we just wind up picking whichever names suit our characters best. The process can take a while. Here’s a fun fact: Marius was originally named, Jake but that’s our rescue dog’s name and we didn’t feel like it was a great fit with the other monosyllabic names in the story. Kurt got the idea for the name Marius, from the god of Mars, so we replaced “Jake” after the first story was already complete.

Are character names and place names decided after their creation? Or do you pick a character/place name and then invent them?

We like to have the place and characters’ names finalized before we get started writing. In the first installment of the series, Computer Love Inc., Marius was originally called Jake. We changed it while proofing the copy before sending it out for edits. From then on it was so difficult to remember that during rewrites, and even into the second book, we caught ourselves typing “Jake” rather than Marius. It was great to catch each other in conversation when discussing our next thought, we’d say, “Hey, you just said Jake - his name is Marius!”

Do you decide on character traits (ie shy, quiet, tomboy girl) before writing the whole book or as you go along?

We like to have the basis of the personality in place before writing, but one of the great things about writing fiction is that characters can develop in any direction you want them to as you go. As we added many more characters in the second book, we wanted to have the personalities understood so we could interact knowing their idiosyncrasies. Sometimes, we do find that the characters’ personalities tend to reveal themselves all on their own as the narrative progresses.

Are there any hidden messages or morals contained in your books? (Morals as in like Aesops Fables type of "The moral of this story is..")

We love this question!

We open the book with a quote from Albert Einstein. “Concern for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations.”

The entire series examines the moral dilemma of exceeding our technology and the underlying effect it will have on humanity. The characters are faced with many situations in which morals become nebulous.

Which format of book do you prefer, eBook, hardback, or paperback?

For both of us…paperback. Jess loves the aroma of a book store as much as fresh brewed coffee!

What is your favorite book and Why? Have you read it more than once?

Kurt’s favorite is The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. He loves the fact that it tells the story of a fisherman, because he, too, has loved to fish for all of his life.

Jess cannot choose one favorite book - it’s an almost impossible question for a book lover to answer. Among her favorites are A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers, Night Film by Marisha Pessl, and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favorite/worst book to movie transfer?

Absolutely. So many readers have told us that they would love to see this as a movie. Our favorite book to movie transfers are The Harry Potter series.

Your favorite food is?

Kurt likes grilled chicken sandwiches.

Jess likes anything in the vegetarian family, but is especially fond of the veggie burritos from one of her favorite restaurants, Taco Hombre.

Your favorite singer/group is?

Kurt says that’s a particularly tough question, because as a musician he has so many favorites and influences. In particular, he likes Gavin Rossdale, Neil Young, and Green Day.

Jess likes Zac Brown Band, Miranda Lambert, and Mumford & Sons.

Your favorite color is?

Kurt: blue

Jess: purple

Your favorite Author is?

We have both been influenced by the works of Ray Bradbury, Aldous Huxley, and George Orwell, all of whom have tackled the genre of science fiction in groundbreaking ways. While we both cite these authors for inspiring us to take on sci-fi, here are a few of our individual favorites:

Kurt - Arthur C. Clarke, for his imaginative science fiction work, Jimmy Buffett, for his brilliant storytelling abilities, and Ernest Hemingway, for his direct style and ability to masterfully capture the life of a fisherman.

Jess - There are far too many to list, but here are a few: Gillian Flynn and Tana French, for crafting complex psychological tales, Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Virginia Woolf for their ability to examine gender issues through writing, Dave Eggers, for his unique stream-of-consciousness style, and David Sedaris, whose satire never disappoints.

 

 

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Kurt and Jessica Hansen reside in northern New Jersey . Kurt has worked in the aerospace electronics industry for over three decades and enjoys the outdoors, writing, and composing music. Kurt is easily recognized with a guitar in his lap, a pencil in his mouth, and a piece of paper in front of him.

Jessica graduated from Montclair State University, summa cum laude, with a B.A. in English. Her favorite pastimes include reading, running and spending time with her family. She can usually be found with a book in one hand and a hazelnut coffee in the other.

www.ComputerLoveInc.com

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twitter: @ComputerLoveInc

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7134845.Kurt_Jessica_Hansen