The Movement (Time Corrector Series Book 2) was the winner in the SCIENCE FICTION category of the 2024 IndieReader Discovery Awards, where undiscovered talent meets people with the power to make a difference.
Following find an interview with author Avi Datta.
Thank you so much to the IRDA committee for this incredible honor. I’m genuinely speechless. This award isn’t just for me. It’s for the countless cups of coffee that fueled my late nights. It’s for the countless crumpled pages that paved the way to this one. Most importantly, it’s for those who believed in this story when it was just a whisper in my head. Thank you for your unwavering support, even when my character drove you crazy. Your encouragement was my fuel. But most of all, thank you to the readers. This story wouldn’t exist without you. Thank you for picking up my book, getting lost in the world I created, and letting the characters become your companions.
What is the name of the book, and when was it published?
It was always The Movement (Time Corrector Series Book 2) as I wanted the plot to feel like an intricate watch movement, something like A Lange & Shone would make.
What’s the book’s first line?
She doesn’t have a lot of time. I can hear myself gasping—every single whiffling note. I can’t lose her.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
In this mind-bending sequel, The Movement finds absolute genius and the prophesized time corrector living the life of his dream. His AI firm is booming, he’s in better control of his powers, and Akane is with him after all this time. But, there are gaps in his memory, and a new enemy, Vandal, is hell-bent on destroying everyone and everything in Vincent’s life.
Vincent works frantically to stop him, but Vandal is always one step ahead with a sinister smile and blood on his hands. When Vandal comes after Akane, Vincent realizes there is only one way to protect her. Alter her reality so that she never meets Vincent.
To set things right, Vincent finds himself back at the core of time and reality, unveiling secrets from his past that reshaped his reality as he knew it. It only takes a moment to change everything. Alternate realities collide, and unfathomable powers and greeds unwind in this gripping new saga of the Time Corrector Series.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
In 1994, I dreamed of speaking with a girl fluently in Japanese. Trains were flying over buildings, and I was bidding goodbye to her. I ignored it and dived into Calculus, Statistics, and Quantum Mechanics. The dream reappeared again in 2020, and I could see the sunset in her eyes this time. So I named her Akane and started fleshing out the story. I wrote the story so that I wouldn’t forget it.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
As a character, Vincent “Vince” Abajian is a well-rounded and believable protagonist. His interests are unique, contributing positively to the narrative’s point-of-view and tense and to the protagonist’s tone and “voice.” It is not far-fetched to say that most readers have never encountered a character such as Vincent Abajian, making him both memorable and intriguing.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
If someone likes mind-bending and genre-blending stories, that should pick this pine out. Otherwise, this will mess with the readers’ perceptions of reality.
Is this the first you’ve written?
No. It’s the second.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I am a Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at Illinois State University, where I also direct their Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. In addition, I am affiliated with Peter Drucker & Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management, Claremont Graduate University in California, and The Institute of Innovation Research of The Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo, Japan.
What’s the best and the most challenging part of being an indie?
Being in control is the best part. This also means that one must do a lot more than simply write. Which bites into the time it takes to plot and write.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
Yes. Because I know what I am good at –writing and plotting. The opportunity costs of the other things, at least for me, are enormous.