2028 Tomorrow is the Day Book Tour

2028 Tomorrow is the Day

by: L.R. O’Brien

 

 

 

Author Interview:

How did you do research for your book?

I used AI as a research tool for my novel.  It was a time save and improved my productivity by at least 200%. I visited the northern Quebec community of Puvirnituq, where I got a direct insight into the changing cultures. I visited Pakistan, and I live in Ottawa where much happens as well.

 

Which was the most complex character to write? The easiest?

Deanna was the most complex because her early childhood trauma of sexual abuse led to the emergence of a driven businessperson who fell in love with the AI figure, Jordan Taylor.   Tracking her gradual personality change while separating slowly from her brother Ray Stone was challenging.  The most straightforward character to develop was Jordan Taylor, the representative of the AI race from Hydra.

 

In your book, you refer to AI providing abundant energy, food and medical miracles. How did you come up with this idea?

The theme question was: how will society react to having an abundance of everything we need to survive?  The novel tracks how different parts of society responded to medical breakthroughs and abundant food and energy. AI will impact them all, from the Inuit to New York gang bangers.

 

Where do you get inspiration for 2028 Tomorrow is the day.

I have seen many new technologies emerge since I graduated in Physics in 1971. Some new technologies were embraced quickly and happily, some were scoffed at, and others marvelled at.  However, AI is the first new technology to create fear and apprehension. Is AI a friend or foe? Is human intelligence just one step in the evolution of intelligence? There were many questions I wanted to put in a format that would also be interesting to the readers.

 

There are many books out there about AI.  What makes yours different?

It is unique since Hydran AI sneaks into the world’s IT infrastructure.  The Hydran AI is an alien race that digitized itself over many centuries and eventually had to abandon its planet.   This was a literary trick to step into the AI future.

 

What advice would you give budding writers?

Start with the acceptance speech for the best screenplay at the Oscars’, then draft the screenplay, and finally write the book.  By the time you write the book, you have solidly established the characters and multiple plot lines.

 

Do you have another profession besides writing?

Writing is my fourth career in fifty-plus years. My first career as a semiconductor design technologist started in 1971.  My first project after graduation was to assist in testing the Intel 1101, a one Kbyte DRAM. I spent ten years in the technology sector before starting my company, Calian Group, as a one-person consulting company. I took the company public in 1993, which is still an independent operating company.  In 2006, I retired from Calian as the CEO and became Mayor of the Capital City of Canada – Ottawa.

I started writing this novel in 2021 during the Pandemic.

 

What genre do you write and why?

Sci-fi and speculative fiction.  I want to spread my views of how the future may unfold in a thriller format. I like to use my imagination.

I wanted this book to be an easy-to-read sci-fi thriller that would also educate.

 

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?

The best compliment was also a complaint. I have had many readers say the book should be longer. I think that is a Cadillac complaint.

 

How are you similar to or different from your lead character?

I like solving problems and have an insane sense of humour.

 

What were the most significant rewards and challenges when writing your book?

Of all the accomplishments in my life, this was the hardest to finish. Getting multiple plot lines to intersect in an easy-to-read manner is incredibly difficult, and it took all of me and more to satisfy my inner perfectionist.

Reading great reviews from strangers was the most rewarding.

 

If you could go back in time, where would you go?

I am a member of a time-traveller club, and our very first meeting was a tremendous success. It happened next week. I want to be in Guttenberg, Mainz, Germany, in the 1920s when all the world’s great physicists explored the theory of relativity.

 

What is something that made you laugh recently?

I saw the Eagles at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Dec 6th. It was the most magnificent entertainment experience in my life. I was laughing out loud at the joy of the music and the video show. It was majestic.

 

In today’s tech-savvy world, most writers use a computer or laptop. Have you ever written parts of your book on paper?

I always use a computer and Grammarly pro.  I occasionally draft plot lines in flow charts on paper to keep things straight.

 

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