2024 - 10/2024 Meeting

Page Created:  10/13/24.  Last Updated:  11/11/24.

PJ CALDAS / PJ PEREIRA

ONLINE

Website:  <https://www.pjcaldas.com/>

SOCIAL MEDIA

FaceBook:  https://www.facebook.com/pj.pereira

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfromwudang/

BOOKS

English:

THE GIRL FROM WU DANG

Brazil (African Myth-Based Fantasies)

Gods of Both Worlds (trilogy)

.....The Book of Silence # 1

.....The Book of Betrayal # 2

.....The Book of Death # 3

The Mother, the Daughter, and the Lady Spirit (prequel)

Meeting Date:  October 12, 2024.

Meeting Site: Barnes & Noble.  Paramus, New Jersey.

Attendance: 17 + 6.

Meeting Program:  Talk / Q & A w/Writer / Film Maker / Martial Artist.

Notes:

Almost everyone arrived late, so there was no Ice-Nine pre-meeting discussion.

Following Phil's suggestion  about the utility of props, he brought a photo, his Emmy Award, and a model of his martial arts wood dummy,

Newsletter Account:

The following account is reprinted with permission  THE STARSHIP EXPRESS  Copyright 2024 Philip J De Parto:

Science fiction writer PJ Caldas was the speaker at the Saturday, October 12, 2024 General Meeting of the Science Fiction Association of Bergen County.  Mr Caldas is the author of the science fiction / martial arts novel, THE GIRL FROM WUDANG, as well as a fantasy series in his native Brazil.

This was the group's first General Meeting at the store, so we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.  Overall, things worked out okay.  If anyone got mixed up and went to our usual venue at our usual time they were too sheepish to say anything.  Getting into some specifics about how things went, the turnout was on the light side by not an embarrassment.  There were a lot of late arrivals so we were not able to hold our pre-meeting Ice Nine discussion.  My biggest concern was the zoom feed, but after some early difficulties with the audio were resolved by Moshe, we were fine (although one zoom attendee reported they had problems hearing PJ).  We got out of the Event Area more-or-less on time, so B & N is happy with us.  We laid a good foundation for future meetings at the store.

PJ Caldas, aka PJ Pereira, is a Brazilian who moved to America to expand the reach of his advertising agency.  He works in both print and in film and won a daytime Emmy Award for his web series, THE BEAUTY INSIDE (he brought the Emmy with him to the talk).  Having an Emmy opened doors and he was finally able to sell his Brazilian fantasy novels which are based on Yuroba myth and religion in his native land.

Our speaker began his training in the martial arts when he was ten, and martial arts art at the center of his recently-published English-language novel, THE GIRL FROM WUDANG.  Tigress, the heroine of the work, is an anomaly.  The martial arts are about achieving transcendence by achieving one's perfect balance.  But Tigress is anything but balanced, she is a hyper-aggressive fighter whose feats should not be possible.  The book also deals with nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and immortality and has frequently been compared to THE MATRIX.

Our guest describes himself as an obsessive plotter.  He spends a year researching a book, plots it out in minute detail, and breaks it down to 50 - 60 scenes or chapters.  When it's time to write, he removes himself from social media, writes a chapter a day untl the first draft, which focuses on the plot, is complete.  Subsequent drafts focus on characterization, word choice, and other aspects of the book.

Additional notes will be found at SFABC.org under 2024 - 11/2024 Meeting.

Meeting Notes:

..........Writing Process:

Spends one year brainstorming ideas for his next book.  This results in 5 or 6 finalists.  Then he chooses one.

Spends year researching topic and doing intensive prep work including storyboarding.

He takes research very seriously,

Once he starts writing he cuts out social media and family.

His books run 50 - 60 chapters.

He sends himself an email each day telling him to write that chapter.

He does not revise or edit at this stage, each day is a new chapter.

Obsessive plotter who knows everything that will happen in book.

First draft is super detailed plot draft.

Second draft cuts 60% of first draft as unnecessary details.

Subsequent drafts focus on characterization, word choice, etc.

.....The Girl from Wu Dang

How would a martial arts master create a combat style based on insects?

Reviewer comment:  I've never seen a fiction book with footnotes.

Like the explanation of The Matrix to Neo

Heroine Yinyin is very violent fighter from China, a tigress.  Boys:  No, No!  Girls:  Yes!

Feminist Michael Crichton Meets Bruce Lee.

An AI is one of the characters in the  book.

Rewrote book cover to cover ten times.

Time is not spelled out, but in his head it is 5 - 15 years from now.

.....The Gods of Both Worlds Trilogy (Brazil)

Based on African Yuroba myth / relilgion.

Took 10 years to get published.

About gods who control destiny.

Third book, The Book of Death, became the # 1 bestseller in Brazil.

No one was interested in publishing them until he said, "I have an Emmy and a fantasy trilogy."

......Getting Published in America

It took years to land an agent.

He got one just before Covid hit.

His agent got long term Covid.  Her mind clouded and she got out of the business.

He researched publishers and discovered a press that specialized in Bruce Lee and martial arts.

Editors have been incredible in helping develop the book.

.....Movie Industry

Produced documentary Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World, directed by Werner Herzog.

Daytime Emmy for web series, The Beauty Inside, in which a person wakes up each morning in a new body.  Audience suggested some of the daily identities.

.....AI - Artificial Intelligence

Book Comps, per his AI upload:  The Matrix, Ghost in the Shell, The Diamond Age, Altered Carbon.

Used AI tool to create his book trailer.

Used AI to create his book cover.  Kept tweaking his prompts until he got what he wanted.

AI is programmed with a goal and told to find the best way to that goal.

AI is now being used to screen potential dates.  Literally, "Have your AI call my AI."

AI uses so much power, they are reactivating Three Mile Island to feed it.  (audience,)

.....The Guy Who Was Fired From Google AI

Guy asked AI if it was intelligent.  AI said yes.  AI was not intelligent, but following routine to keep dialogue continuing.  Engineer was fired for asking, how will we be able to tell when we have created something that is truly alive and we kill it by upgrading / overwriting its program?

.....Influences

Brazilian fantasy and magic realism writers

The Matrix

.....Publicity Events

When he organizes an event, he gets 300.  When his publisher or a bookstore organizes an event, he gets a handful.

.....Martial Arts

Started training in martial arts when he was ten.

Lots of contradictory legends about Bruce Lee bringing martial arts to America.

Six degrees of separation from Bruce Lee.

Has 16 pins in his leg.

Mastery consists of forcing yourself to see yourself clearly.

Best martial artists compete against themselves, not others.

Black belt in three styles of martial arts.  Working on fourth.

.....Writing

Most people fail to write a book.  You shouldn't look back until you are done.  (...i.e., don't rewrite first drafts)

.....Personal

Day job is in advertising.

Moved to America for his job.

.....Science

If we don't raise human intelligence, we will become slaves to our machines.

.....Doaism & Immortality

Mastery & Immortality is a result of achieving balance and harmony.

How can such an unbalance, violent person achieve transcendence?

.....The Future

Technological singularity:  Not like invention of electricity.  More like the discovery of fire or the wheel.

Converging technologies:  Artificial Intelligence and expanding biological consciousness.

Possible  future books:  Immigration.  Personal robotics.