Peter Tesla, a prodigious young inventor, develops an electronic device to enhance the user’s free will. A major application is drug detoxification. Peter’s star client is the U.S. president. Along the way, Peter is tried for the mysterious death of a girlfriend and struggles with the machinations of a secretive industrialist.
Paperback: 194 pages
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: FutureBooks.info (October 2, 2017)
ASIN: B07566LDCQ
ISBN-10: 1975991214
ISBN-13: 978-1975991210
Free Will Odyssey is available in print and as an ebook and audiobook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound.
Book Giveaway Contest:
To win a copy of Free Will Odyssey please enter using the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of this post. The giveaway contest closes Sunday, November 5th at 11:59 PM EST. We will announce the winner the next day in the Rafflecopter widget. Good luck!
About the Author:
Larry Kilham has traveled extensively overseas for over twenty years. He worked in several large international companies and started and sold two high-tech ventures. He received a B.S. in engineering from the University of Colorado and an M.S. in management from MIT. Larry has written books about creativity and invention, artificial intelligence and digital media, travel overseas, and three novels with an AI theme.
Website: www.larrykilham.net
Twitter: https://twitter.com/larrykilham
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LarryKilhamBooks/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36150438-free-will-odyssey
-----Interview by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto
WOW: You've traveled extensively overseas; do you have a favorite spot and why?
Larry: I can’t say I have one favorite spot. For a big city with a history, outstanding culture such as music, a scientific and architectural tradition, and friendly people, I like Vienna. For food, drink, weather, and the dolce vita, I like the Amalfi Coast in Italy. For adventure and friendly people, I would choose Brazil or Thailand.
WOW: You've self-published, but in a previous interview said each project should be analyzed to decide if one should self-publish or traditionally publish. Can you expand on that and share your thoughts with others who may be trying to decide which way to go?
Larry: A lot of the decision rests with your capabilities in software. For the manuscript, you can do a simple book in Word and just submit it to CreateSpace or others and they take it from there. But for a custom interior, you will want to work first in Word, then go to a “template,” which fits your manuscript to the page formats, and then you will want to convert the whole mess into pdf for the submission to CreateSpace or others. Then add custom fonts and imbedded illustrations, and you’re really in the weeds. So part of the decision depends on your available time, computer skills, and creative urges. Also, is it a short novella? Easy. A scientific treatise with charts and graphs? Difficult. My most difficult self-published book was a bilingual (Shades of Truth / Los matices de la verdad) which called for juggling Spanish in the left pages and English in the right pages. On the other hand, few publishers want to tackle a bilingual project, either.
WOW: That's a practical way to make a publishing decision! So, what's next for you?
Larry: I would like to explore mental freedom in the age of AI, digital media, and robots. This would include free will, critical thinking, focusing on the truth. Will the next generations become essentially robots or will new mental serendipity flower? This might be a nonfiction work with poetry.
WOW: That sounds fascinating, and a combination of nonfiction and poetry would be a unique way to approach the theme.
You are retired now, and we have plenty of readers who are nearing retirement as well - what did you find most challenging about letting go (especially as a business owner)? What has been most rewarding?
Larry: Frankly, I didn’t find letting go to be difficult. No more Friday payroll to meet! You lose associations with people such as your employees (who quickly vanish), but I found that close friends I made in the industry such as a Chinese customer and a scientific advisor, remained friends. So I guess the most challenging part about letting go is just to make the decision to let go. The rewarding part is to have more time to continue to enjoy the close friendships you made and to engage in a relatively non-stressful occupation like writing.
WOW: Writing can be a great stress reliever. As a business owner and parent, one of our struggles is work ethic and how that seems to have changed over the years. What or whom do you credit for your strong work ethic and dedication to following through? How do you think we can help the upcoming generations with this?
Larry: Find a specialty, craft, trade, industry, or business that holds your interest and imagination, and your work ethic will take care of itself. Beyond that, I find that you have to find people in your past and present who admire your achievements and so they can make your hard work worthwhile. They could range from the surviving spirits of your deceased parents, to your spouse and children, to a mentor or boss.
WOW: You first considered yourself a writer in high school when you won a writing prize - tell us more about that please? Was there a particular teacher or individual who helped inspire you?
Larry: The assignment, as I recall, was to write an essay about minorities. I chose the American Indian (or Native American if you prefer) because I come from a state, New Mexico, where I was exposed to a lot of Indians, their cultures, and attitudes by non-Indians about them. Therefore, I could tell this story with insight and passion, rather than just a treatise. My essay had emotion and connected with the reader. This confirms my belief that all good writing, in the final analysis, is story-telling.
WOW: Thank you for the interview, Larry! We're looking forward to your guest posts, interviews, and reviews on your tour.
----------Blog Tour Dates
Monday October 30th (today) @ WOW! Women on Writing
Interview & Giveaway
http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/
Tuesday, October 31st @ Lisa Haselton
Lisa Haselton interviews Larry Kilham about his latest novel, Free Will Odyssey.
http://lisahaseltonsreviewsandinterviews.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, November 1st @ Lauren Scharhag
Today's guest blogger at Lauren Scharhag's blog is none other than Larry Kilham with an intriguing post about writing fiction in the narrative - don't miss this opportunity to learn more about Larry Kilham and his latest novel, Free Will Odyssey.
http://laurenscharhag.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, November 1st @ CMash Loves to Read
Today's guest blogger at CMash Loves to Read is none other than Larry Kilham. Hear from him on the topic of "How I Became Interested in Free Will" and learn more about his latest book, Free Will Odyssey.
http://cmashlovestoread.com/
Wednesday, November 1st @ Shannon Muir
Don't miss today's author interview at the blog of Author Shannon Muir - Shannon will be interviewing Larry Kilham about his latest novel, Free Will Odyssey.
http://www.shannon-muir.com
Thursday, November 2nd @ Writers Pay it Forward
Larry Kilham is today's guest author at Writers Pay it Forward and he discusses "addiction" as well as his latest novel, Free Will Odyssey. Don't miss this insightful blog stop.
https://writerspayitforward.com/
Friday, November 3rd @ Bring on Lemons
Today’s guest blogger at Bring on Lemons is Larry Kilham sharing his thoughts about “Invention and Company Building” – don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of the greats. We will also have a giveaway for Larry’s latest book, Free Will Odyssey.
http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/
Monday, November 6th @ Beverley A. Baird
Beverley A. Baird reviews Larry Kilham's latest work, Free Will Odyssey - don't miss this honest and enlightening review.
https://beverleyabaird.wordpress.com/
Wednesday, November 8th @ Bookworm
Larry Kilham stops by Anjanette Potter's Bookworm blog with an insightful and thought provoking guest post about "Predestination vs. Free Will" - readers won't want to miss this opportunity to hear from Kilham and learn about his latest novel, Free Will Odyssey.
https://bookworm66.wordpress.com/
Friday, November 10th @ Janese Dixon
Don't miss today's author spotlight at Janese Dixon's blog - the author is none other than Larry Kilham. Readers can learn more about Kilham and his thought provoking story: "Free Will Odyssey".
http://www.janesedixon.com/blog
Wednesday, November 22nd @ Linda Appleman Shapiro
Linda Appleman Shapiro reviews Larry Kilham’s latest novel, Free
Will Odyssey, and shares her insight and thoughts with readers at her blog!
http://applemanshapiro.com/category/book-reviews/
Friday, November 24th @ Choices with Madeline Sharples
Larry Kilham pens today's guest post at Choices with Madeline Sharples. Readers can learn more about Fiction vs Nonfiction as well as finding out about Larry's latest book "Free Will Odyssey"
http://madelinesharples.com/
*****BOOK GIVEAWAY*****
Enter to win a copy of Free Will Odyssey by Larry Kilham! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. We will announce the winner in the Rafflecopter widget on Sunday, November 5th!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
4 comments:
Crystal--Thanks for this interview. And Larry, I totally agree with you. All great writing IS storytelling.
Good luck with your future writing endeavors.
Thanks for the nice post, Crystal. Please add that my book is also available as an audiobook. I look forward to everyone's comments!
Great interview!
Larry, your book sounds absolutely fascinating. I think many people would love to have Tesla's device for drug detoxification (opioid crisis, anyone?).
Your answer to the self-publishing/traditional publishing question is interesting. It sounds like you put self-publishing first depending on the project, and if you feel it's too complicated then you try to submit to a publisher. Is that correct? If so, is it because of the percentages taken by traditional publishers?
Thanks for the opportunity to win. The book sounds awesome!
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