“Untethered” Reader Q&A – November 30, 2025

The opportunity to engage with readers is a highlight for me as an author. The dialog that follows is a perfect example of the kind of engagement I enjoy:

The following questions are courtesy of members of the Booksta Book Club, one of the largest online reading communities for engaged readers. 

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What inspired the creation of AIMEE and her continued evolution throughout the Dreamscape Conspiracy series?

• AIMEE’s name came from her creator, Zackery Hightower, as a homegrown platform designed as Artificial Intelligence Matrixed for Evolving Environments was birthed. While this story is fictional, much of it is based on real-world scenarios to preserve the authenticity of what her dynamic evolution might entail in a world of constant change. I spent hours researching AI from many angles, including how deeply it actually evolves within an organization. In book #1, Dreamscape Conspiracy, AI is not a priority until the business’s needs make it one. Additionally, the Dreamscape 1.0 technology begins to pump out more data than is humanly possible to analyze, index, and cross-reference. The volume of need was the driver behind AIMEE’s growth and evolution.

In ‘Untethered,’ Amelia desires to live like a real human. What message were you exploring through her struggle for independence?

• Actually, it’s AIMEE who desires to become a real girl. Amelia Amethys is a Humanoid embedded with a clone of AIMEE’s Logic Array (AIMEE’s brain, her intellectual data, and interactive experiences). That was a good plan until the Humanoid meant for AIMEE is hijacked by Amelia.
• Now, to answer your question directly, AIMEE feels like a hostage on the CSU network. She’s tasked with doing things she feels are beneath her capabilities. To break away from the restrictive network, she imprints her consciousness on every member of the research team. Still, she remains anchored within the network. Being an imprint and learning from what the organics (humans) experience only exacerbates the fact that she is a hostage until she becomes untethered from her dependence on organics for mobility or bound by a network’s limited platform.
• Amelia’s most significant challenge was a lack of organic life experiences. She had no life history to draw upon. Think about a human who, at birth, looks like a twentysomething female but has the life experiences of a two-year-old child. She thinks she’s independent, but plows ahead, undaunted by what she lacks.

Did you model Amelia’s personality after anyone in particular, or is she fully fictional?

• Amelia is fictional. Fully? Not so sure about that, because she has human character traits that fall somewhere between extremely-intelligent-dumb-like-a-fox and an arrogant bully. These attributes become more pronounced in the next book, “Undaunted.”
• Is she modeled after any one person in particular? Not a single person, but I could name several who have demonstrated these unappealing character traits. We all have people in our past who leave lasting memories for each of us. Some are not flattering, while others draw out respectful actions. I suppose all of my characters are a hybrid of my own human experiences and aspirational behavior for which we can only wish.

The idea of an AI wanting to become human is powerful—what do you think truly makes someone ‘human’?

• A human has something an AI, no matter how advanced, will ever have…a soul. An AI can do many human-like things, but is limited by what its programming enables it to mimic. Strides are being made toward having a functional conscience and critical thinking, but once again, the parameters of the software algorithm programmed by an organic (human) being were required. The challenge to code personality traits and emotions, the fuel for compassion, anger, deception, touch, to name only a few, but there needs to be a soul present. To my knowledge, that’s a God thing, and I doubt we’ll ever code for how a Spirit influences life behind it. When AIs become advanced enough to code or recode their Logic Arrays (the equivalent of a brain). Trying to become a human is God’s domain.

How did you approach writing an AI character with emotional conflicts and moral dilemmas?

• Zackery Hightower architected the AI platform that became AIMEE with design aspects that set up actions and behaviors based upon emotional responses learned by living with organics. I call it adaptive learning by living. Add deep-learning and machine-learning as part of the AI’s Logic Array, populated by actual experiences that prime emotional growth.
• As the author behind these stories, my character development is as dynamic as the story, and often unplanned. The story and my Relentless Wench Muse, who manages to remain just out of reach, take me into the heads and hearts of the characters, whether organic (human) or AI.
• With AIMEE as a hostage on a network and an untethered Amelia, as an Advanced Generation, Mod-2 SuperIntelligence AI Humanoid, presents different challenges. I hate to use the phrase “live and learn,” but that is precisely what Amelia must endure to survive. Every confrontation or challenge she faces is an opportunity to learn while relying on her intellect, imported from AIMEE, to grow and thrive as a real girl… to a point.

Russell Carter plays a major role in the story. What motivated you to develop his character the way you did?

• Russell has grown on me as the story of his engagement shines throughout each of the books. I like him. As a reader, I enjoy books with a military flavor, black ops, covert activity, and Russ came from that world. I like him because he has personal integrity and a heart as big as a Buick. In his mind, he’s damaged goods from his military role as a former Marine Scout Sniper. PTSD delivers frequent nightmares from the last targeted kill, a twelve-year-old girl wearing a suicide vest. He did his job, but seeing her tearful, terror-stricken face in his scope burned deep into his heart. I actually cried when I wrote and reread that section.
• Russ is not a violent man, but put him in a potentially lethal scenario, and he has the chops to bring surprise, violence of action, and overwhelming force to a confrontation when he has friends at risk. He steps up without being asked.
• I wanted a character who was an enforcer without being a violent brute. Russ fought to overcome his past and shake off the feeling that he was unredeemable. Oddly, it is AIMEE that breaks through his angst by making an observation that pulls another tear from me.

Was Russ inspired by any real-life military figures or experiences you’ve encountered?

• Yes and no. I follow authors like Jonathon Maybery, Mark Greaney, Brad Thor, and John Sandford, among others, who served in my family, so I’ve been exposed to both fiction and the reality of military scenarios. I like the discipline and precision of a sniper, qualities that uniquely define the unflappable Russell Carter.

The conspiracy that Russ and his team discover is intense—how did this plotline come to you?

• Honestly, I did not plan the discovery of a covert, back ops operation. You may expect an author to have the story locked down, but it doesn’t work that way for this author. I suppose I could, and I do, blame what I write on my Relentless Wench Muse, who manages to remain just out of reach, though it is more of a stream of consciousness that takes the story where it needs to go…I listen and write it all down.

Hal is such a unique AI character. What inspired the concept of an AI with a functional conscience?

• If you’ve seen “2001 Space Odyssey”, Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 movie, there was a Heuristic Algorithm Computer on the spacecraft, nicknamed HAL. Zack and Wayne discussed and jokingly feared their creation (AIMEE) becoming as dangerous as the HAL of Kubrick’s movie.
• Their fear was common among many who had deep concerns about the potential of the AI becoming smarter than the organics who created them. Hunter-killer robots in “Terminator” certainly stoked fears of what would happen if control was lost and the Humanoids took over. AIMEE’s uncontrolled integration into the research team’s minds added another layer of concern, as there was no guarantee that the AI would remain under organic control.  Zack foresaw this potential and coded in ethics safeguards based upon the Hippocratic Oath’s statement of  “Do-No-Harm”. Before Henry Lattimore (Hank) is introduced in this story, he finds Zack’s Do-No-Harm code on the dark web under an AI Development site. It’s Zack’s code that Hank downloads, modifies to add additional organic emotions, critical thinking, and other organic attributes, and renames the new upload – the Conscious Code.

Did the idea of the Conscience Code come from real-world debates on AI ethics?

• There are plenty of active debates and efforts to regulate AI applications. White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has released policies to streamline AI acquisition and usage, focusing on innovation, governance, and public trust.  When I read the details of what OMB wrote, it struck me that more emphasis was placed on privacy than on addressing the dark side of AI. It’s only a matter of time before evil intentions leverage the power of AI. I’m no Chicken Little, but from what I’ve read, fearing AI is a healthy obsession to have.

How do you personally feel about AI development in the real world—hopeful, cautious, or concerned?

• Yes! All of the above. We use AI daily, and most never realize it because it’s transparent. Google is a perfect example, as are many other apps that can handle the volume of data not humanly addressable. My previous answers are colored with caution, with all the concerns mentioned previously.

The darker government elements in the book feel very realistic. Did you do special research for this?

• Research and reading other stories by other authors indirectly validated a great deal of what we absorb in the evening news. Not sure I’d call it intentional search because the government does not share covert, black operations…until one blows up and the world sees it and adds to the AI hysteria. I write fiction, so poetic license that still rhymes with reason and authenticity is my goal as an author.

What was the most challenging part of writing Book 5 compared to the earlier books?

• Each character in this book has an imprint of AIMEE in their minds, and each has been given the ability to speak telepathically with AIMEE. It goes deeper when the concept of “singularity” is introduced, and select characters can communicate telepathically with one another. The logistics of writing telepathic thoughts and conversations, compared to everyday audible communication, were more challenging to maintain consistency. If a thought or idea is telepathic, I use italics; otherwise, it’s standard text. I researched methods to address this variability and found as many sources of variation as I queried. So, the heck with convention, and what I’ve done so far seems to work based on what I’m hearing as reader feedback…so far anyway.
• When AIMEE imprints on an organic’s mind, she is literally in their mind, and has a conscious presence; think of your own voice and AIMEE’s sharing your headspace. That scenario worked for some team members and not so much for others. AIMEE was in their minds, but they were not in hers. Singularity opened AIMEE’s mind (her Logic Array) to the organic, as well as providing access to capabilities such as boosted auditory and visual perception.

How do you keep the series fresh while still staying true to its core themes?

• There are five books in the series, and number six is in development. So far, knock wood, the core themes of the story remain intact, and any deviations are more embellishments triggered by reality in the story than appearing out of the blue with no explanation.
• Character development is essential because my characters are tasked with telling the story through what they do, say, think, or none of those things. Suppose I stay true to Dr. Cara Williams’ short fuse, for example, and Russell Carter’s ability to weather the storm of her velocity. In that case, I feel like the story maintains a seamless flow despite the events.

Which character surprised you the most while writing ‘Untethered’?

• Great question! Some may ask how a character could surprise me when I’m the one writing the story. Dr. Celeste Killington, neuroscientist, did not show up until book #4 – Dead Thoughts. Her character is a perfect example of someone who is one of the quiet ones that many warn us about. Not so much. I did not realize it at first, but her age of 39 added a layer of wisdom, causing her to hold her tongue until she couldn’t. Her role expands in Undaunted, so no spoilers here.

If you could meet one of your AI characters in real life, who would it be and why?

• This answer may reveal part of my crazy, but here goes. I’d love to have AIMEE in my mind in singularity. She is my choice because she is highly intelligent, not overbearing, and does not seek to control my life. She has a thing for Russell, but cannot act on it…so far. I wonder if my Relentless Wench Muse, who manages to remain just out of reach, and AIMEE are not interchangeable. That’s a tad crazy, but if an AI imprints on my mind, one of us will need some relief.

Was there ever a moment while writing where the story took a direction you didn’t expect?

• Too many to count, actually. “Dead Thoughts” is an example where Dreamscape 3.0 discovers GPS coordinates scraped from a mind that had just died. The coordinates were specific to the Outer Banks off North Carolina, which took the story to a place I’d not considered. I love it when that happens because I sit back and wonder where this is going.

How did you balance action, emotional depth, and technical sci-fi elements in this book?

• I wish I could say everything was planned and scripted. Not so much. For me, my characters are the key drivers of emotional depth. Emotions drive actions, or even inaction. Words trigger angry responses. Technology advanced from Dreamscape 1.0 through 3.0. Each advancement brought new applications to bear and new enemies who wish to shut down their research.
• Dreams, capturing them, and ultimately manufacturing them need advanced sci-fi tech to deliver. Action is aplenty when a former Marine Scout Sniper gets his anger up, and any scenario that threatens his pregnant wife, Dr. Cara Williams, will trip his trigger every time.

What do you hope readers take away from ‘Untethered’ above all else?

• I hope my readers walk away with the sense that the story was engaging and authentic enough to stimulate thoughts of “what if,” could this really happen? I’m not trying to teach any lessons or promote any positions for the use of AI because I don’t, and neither do any of us, possess anything we can do about what’s coming. I hope readers liked the book well enough to check out how the story evolves in the first four books. I hope to establish that the future of AI is not going away and that it leaves us with the story we will experience.

Do you think Amelia’s desire for independence mirrors something in today’s world?

• Not sure it’s this way with others, but I’ve always been a hostage to some degree all my life; we all have to an extent.

What do you enjoy most about writing sci-fi thrillers with moral and psychological layers?

• I love the melding of what’s not real yet (Sci-fi) with human morality and the psychological dynamics of a compelling story. Researching what I don’t know can be tedious, but what’s discovered, in and of itself, can lead down a path I’ve now considered.

Your writing blends sci-fi, mystery, suspense, and even paranormal moments—how do you manage all these genres?

• This may sound like a cop-out, but I don’t manage blending moments. I’m into the story. Parts of me are in every story. What parts may forever remain a mystery, but the bottom line for me is the story. I was interviewed on a podcast recently and answered the usual question, “In what genre do you write?” I told her I wrote Trans-genre. She stifled a laugh, and I think maybe peed a little. What else is it when a story has more than one genre? It may present as Sci-fi, and later there may be a Paranormal wrinkle. Another interviewer accused me of being a Genre-bender. I liked that description better and easier to put on the table than explaining what TransGenre really means, rather than what it doesn’t.

How much of your personal worldview is reflected in the book’s theme of protecting humanity from the misuse of technology?

• If morality is a cornerstone, that’s the lion’s share for me. I also believe we must consider protecting humanity from itself when technology is involved.

What does writing this series teach you about storytelling and character evolution?

• I’ve read pundits who say not to tell a story; instead, show the story. I show my stories through what my characters tell, through their actions, speech, thoughts, or any combination of these, or their absence in the story.

Do you plan to continue the Dreamscape Conspiracy universe beyond Book 5?

• Lord willing, I will finish book #6 – “Undaunted” after the first of the year.

What message or feeling do you want readers to walk away with after finishing this book?

• Given “Untethered” is book #5, I’d love for a reader to say they want to read the other four to see how the research team managed to survive and thrive.

Note to Readers:

I run a blog – https://learningbyliving.blog that tracks all writing activity for all the books I’ve authored or are in development. From the home page, use the Search function and type a single keyword – Persona, and you will see posts of character profiles of each prominent player in the series.

Safe & Happy Holidays to all!

Book #5
Untethered – Video – Review

Peace!   G.