The Fourth Law by Clayton Barnett ~ Presented by Rogue's Angels

Please welcome Clayton Barnett author of The Fourth Law.

Clayton Barnett will be awarding a $30 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

The Fourth Law

by Clayton Barnett

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE:  Science Fiction

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

INTERVIEW:

1. What or who inspired you to start writing?

While I’d completed a 80k word visual novel about eighteen months beforehand, on November 3^rd, 2014, a friend sent me an email with a question:  “Are you doing anything for NaNoWroMo this year?”  “What’s that?”  I replied.

Finding out that it was a challenge to write a 50k+ word novel in 30 days – and I LOVE irrational deadlines! – I jumped at the chance.

2. How did you come up with your idea for your novel?

For about six weeks, there had been two only marginally related ideas drifting about my mind:  an image of Hatsune Miku (at 2:34) reaching out of a monitor, and a throw-away line from Professor of Law Glenn Reynolds in a talk about AI’s (at about 10:15).  The moment I took up the NaNoWriMo challenge, I knew what I was going to write about.

3. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

So much!  As part of what I now call my Machine Civilization series, I’ve already released book #2, “Echoes of Family Lost.”  Books #3 and #4 are in process.  Tangentially related, with my colleague from 3-AR Studios, I’m writing a webcomic entitled “Poisoned Hearts,” also about self-aware machines.  I’ve written the script for a 13-chapter graphic novel series about the super spy Sidney Reilly, but in a Steampunk milieu.  And, I’ve two large sequels planned for my flagship visual novel, OTChi Kocchi.

4. If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?

Could be?  I am Clive Barrett.  Glad he’s dead, vicious bastard.
5. Can you give us a sneak peak into this book?

The Amazon Kindle version was kind enough to dump the first two chapters out there.  Grumble, grumble.  However, here’s a little more…

In the pause of the conversation, she heard the crashing and clacking of those enormous cylinder-things behind her.  Ai must know that they make me uncomfortable, and that’s how the seating ended up like it did.  Thaad put down his coffee cup.

    “Come now, Lily Barrett—”

    “Just Lily is fine, thank you.”  He nodded and continued.

    “You’re a clever young woman.  I’m sure you’ve a good idea what’s going on here?”

    “Actually, I’ve a couple... it’s just....”  She trailed off.

    Ai put on one of her rare frowns.  “No, Thaad, this isn’t right:  she’s our guest and my

 friend.  May I?”

    The lad shrugged.

    Ai leaned across the table, then stopped, looking a bit sheepish.  “I... I really wanted to hold your hands, friend Lily.”

    Lily’s heart almost broke at that.  Ah!  She had an idea and moved her empty mug to the center of the table.

    “If we can’t hold one another, let’s hold something in common,” she said as she hooked her index fingers over the mug’s rim.  Her smile faltered, though, when she saw the look of near shock on both their faces.

    “You make us older,” Thaad breathed.  Ai hooked her fingers like Lily’s, as her smile crept back to her face.

    “We are machine civilization,” Ai said simply.

    Lily chewed on that for a moment. 

    “So... like AI?”  She asked.  The crash and rattle behind her increased for a moment.

    Thaad looked as if he swallowed something sour.

    “We...” he paused, getting himself under control.  “We do not like that term.  Is what you feel for my sister real or artificial?”

    “What?  Of course it’s real!  I love Ai!”  Lily exclaimed.  Ai’s smile got bigger, if that was possible.  Sister?

    He nodded, then stood.  “Thank you.  We can make you older, too.  I must leave.”

    And he was gone.

6. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

Two things for best advice…

#1.  “Set irrational deadlines!”  My friend and illustrator colleague for my visual novels taught me this; if you don’t set a dead line, YOU WILL NOT FINISH!  “I’ll write some tomorrow,” “I don’t have time today,” “It’ll be done by Thanksgiving…”  NO IT WON’T!  Set a deadline,preferably one outside of yourself, and stick to it.  For our visual novel, we had to be done as we were presenting it at a local anime-con.  For “The Fourth Law,” it was the NaNoWriMo challenge.  I cannot, cannot stress this point enough!

#2.  “Write drunk; edit sober.” – E. Hemmingway.  While I’ve never much cared for his literary works, he was one hell of a man and I love this saying.

For worst advice…

“Be yourself!”  Any job interview I’ve done that in lasted no more than five minutes.  Awful to write that way, too.  I’m not interesting, so I write about these people that are.

7. Do you outline your books or just start writing?

Heh.  This was a slide in my presentation to my girls’ school when I talked about creative writing and self-publishing.  I just see these scenes in my head, then I write them down.  I’ve no idea where they come from.  Frightening, really.

8. How do you maintain your creativity?

Music and changes of scenery.  The only times I ever sit down in from of a keyboard and screen is write down what I’ve already seen.  I cannot imagine trying to “sit and write” a story.

9. Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?

I freely admit to having worried this particular question for about twenty-four hours.  I desire to answer it, but the more I think about it, the more it changes.  For example:  when I first saw Fausta, and how she became the springboard to introduce Lily to the Four Laws, I did not like her much at all:  young, brash, rude.  However, about 110 pages later, I was so comfortable with her that she stands next to Lily as the second protagonist in my second book, “Echoes of Family Lost.” 

So, I was about to type, ‘Fausta, I suppose.’  But that got me thinking about everyone else.  I quite literally have no idea how smart Dorina is; it may in fact be that she has no limit.  She’s the one that came up with the whole ‘move their minds’ thing.  She puzzles her way through how to manifest their images into our world… and I already know she’s working on odder things than that!

But, the question is about this book, “The Fourth Law.”  So, I’m back to Lily.  She’s haunted by her past, uncertain about her present, and quite lost as Ai – and all of Ai’s family – show her a world she’s never imagined.  It was tremendous fun to go on discovery with her, so she’s my favorite for “T4L.”

10. Are your plotting bunnies angels or demons?

Yes. 

On the angel front, Book #3 of Machine Civilization will be an illustrated, 20-page children’s book about when a certain young character decides she wants to be baptized. 

Demon-wise, Book #4 – only in notes right now – is a five year flashback to the Formation War as seen through the eyes of Sylvia Fernandez, a lawyer working for Clive Barrett and his Extraordinary Commission.  That’s a bleak, awful, espionage story.

Thanks the Angels

BLURB:

In 2026, 23 year-old apprentice nurse Lily Barrett lives in a shattered time. Following its economic collapse, the US has devolved into a group of a few barely-functional smaller states, and vast swathes of barbarian badlands. Her sister has been missing for years, and her father, after earning the opprobrium of most of the world for running a state terror organization, presumed dead.

Two things keep her going: her live-in job at a small, Catholic orphanage in the city of Waxahachie, Republic of Texas, and Ai, her odd, but dear friend, whom she met online: a young woman who only shows herself to Lily as a rendered CG image.

Troubled by her past, haunted by her name, and facing an uncertain future, Lily seeks only a quiet, normal life. But, that past and her present conspire against her. A new Morning has come, and with it, delights and terrors, happiness and adversity.

Where do we come from?
What are we?
Where are we going?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

A young woman, or older girl. Call her twenty, Lily thought.  A burnt-orange, silk, Chinese-style dress. Her face that indeterminate Eurasian that could have her from Hungary to western China. Her hair, though. Long, and artificially dyed; in this awful light it was hard to tell exactly, but somewhere between a blue and a green... aquamarine?

Aquamarine?!

Lily very slowly put her left hand out, stopping just shy of the girl’s face.

“Is...is it...you, Ai?” The girl smiled and nodded.

“Welcome to my home, friend Lily!”

Huh?

Happy that she finally saw Ai in person, Lily was completely perplexed.

“Your... home?”

With a look of surprise and her hands to her cheeks, Ai exclaimed, “Oh! But where are my manners? I’ve never had a guest before! Let’s sit over here!” She stepped past Lily’s left. Turning, Lily saw a small wrought-iron table with two chairs of similar make.  Those were not there a second ago. Ai sat primly and waved at the other chair for Lily. After a moment’s hesitation, she joined her.

Ai continued to beam at her. “This is so nice! That’s right, you’re a coffee drinker, here! I’m going to try some tea, though.” Ai raised a delicate china cup to her lips, then paused.

Lily looked down to find a stout white mug in front of her. Her nose told her that the liquid inside was coffee, but why was the coffee as clear as water?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

One time engineer, some time pharmacy technician, full time husband and father, Clayton Barnett stumbled into writing a traditional novel last November during National Novel Writing Month.  Liking the results, he edited what would become “The Fourth Law” and set about teaching himself self-publishing.  In July of 2015, he released a sequel entitled “Echoes of Family Lost,” in what is now called his Machine Civilization series.  He is working on a third book – for children – and is making notes for a fourth.  Clayton Barnett lives in central Ohio with his wife, two daughter, and two dogs.

Website

www.machciv.com

$0.99 Book Purchase Link

http://www.amazon.com/Fourth-Law-Clayton-Barnett-ebook/dp/B00RF4A7R0/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Clayton Barnett will be awarding a $30 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f1259