Jean Davis's Blog, page 3
April 2, 2024
Warmer weather brings busy times
April showers bring May flowers and so many projects.
Yes, I normally juggle a few writing projects but it seems like everything is wanting to be written at once. And I'm excited about all of these things so it's hard to focus on just one. For the record, focusing on one project while pondering the others is how I would recommend managing this balancing act. It's just not working right now.
Currently on my virtual desk:Painting interior art for Laya's Vacation (children's picture book)
Writing The Adventures of Nugget the Space Chicken (young reader chapter book)
Writing I9 (stand-alone adult Science Fiction Mystery
Finishing Interface (stand-alone YA sci-fi)
Writing Godmother (stand-alone YA fairytale)
Fleshing out this new idea for a funny post-apocalyptic zombie/ghost story that just manifested.
Among other things that are not-so-patiently waiting their turn. OMG. If someone knows where the dial down on the idea faucet is, could they help a girl out? Please?
On the things I can check off my list from last month:
The refresh for the interiors of The Narvan series are done and uploaded. This was more of a 'for me' thing because I wanted them all spiffy to match the new novella prequel release of One Shot at the Sphinx. Which, if you didn't grab your copy from my last post, it's still free on Smashwords, B&N, and Kobo. In addition to several events, I visited with the members of the book club at Jason's Books and Coffee in Grand Rapids who read Destiny Pills & Space Wizards. (And yes, I look weirdly photoshopped into that photo, but it's legit. Crazy phone camera focus)
T-rex joined me for the West Michigan Women's Expo
Kay-Kay and I visited six classrooms for March Reading Month, talking about books, writing, and chickens. We had a lot of fun and so did the kids.
My new distraction:
My flock grew last month. Meet Lucy. She's a Toulouse goose mix that is settling in nicely with my chicken ladies.
When I'm not busy working out the yard, playing with my flock, or working on that list of projects, I'll be signing books at these fun places:April 6: Cadillac Pop Con, Cadillac, MI
April 12-14: Grand Rapids Spring Fling Comic Con, Kalamazoo, MI
April 26-27: Whitestown Viking Festival, Whitestown, IN
If you're not familiar with the Insecure Writers Support Group, check it out here and find links to all the other participating writers.Speaking of doing lots of things, let's get to this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question:How long have you been blogging? What to you like about it and how has it changed?
It doesn't seem like this long, but apparently, I've been at this since January of 2010! When I first stepped into the blogging pool seemed like so many others were doing it too. These days it feels like our numbers have dwindled. It could be that many, like me, are still at it, but we don't post as often as we used to. Thanks to this group, I can say I at least post once a month. Hooray for that!
I met a lot of fun people through their blogs, had a great time doing various blog hops. The A to Z challenge was a particularly great one that pushed me to think of new ways to work that in each year. Sadly, these days, I don't have as much brain to devote to blogging as I did back when I was first starting out. At that time I was just getting into the publishing world, writing a lot of short stories and polishing my first novels. Now I'm busy going out to promote my bookstack and drowning in the perpetually running faucet of inspiration when I'm home.
There are far worse problems to have. ;)
Keep blogging.
March 14, 2024
New Release: One Shot at the Sphinx
Welcome to release day for my new Narvan novella prequel: One Shot at the Sphinx.
Yes, we got through six books in the series and now we're going back to the beginning. Why? Why not? Ideas don't always come in chronological order.
Having gathered quite the series worth of notes by the time I wrapped up Tears of the Tyrant, I decided there was a story to tell: How Chesser Ta'set convinced Anastassia to come to the Narvan to start the chain of events that becomes the entire series.These events are alluded to in Trust and Minor Years but now you can get a firsthand accounting in the midst of the action in one easy-to-get-into novella that will neatly deliver you right onto the doorstep of Book 1.
If you like action and intrigue with a side of romance and questionable motivations, One Shot at the Sphinx is now available for your eyeball consumption!
There are even multiple pricing options. Including free. Because you'll want to read this one...and I want you to be able to do so.
The enemy of her enemy might be just the tool AnastassiaKazan needs to remove the Jalvian invaders from the Verian space station shecalls home.
Working out a treaty between the Jalvians and the Verianpeople was the highlight of Anastassia Kazan’s military career. Just whenstation life seems to be settling into a tolerable accord, a spy from theJalvian’s enemy shows up to take advantage of her hard work and threatens theprecarious peace with his very presence. It’s only fair, as a spy for theVerian army, that she uses him in return.
Chesser Ta’set’s mission to intercept the Jalvian’s nextmoves is imperative. Without them his people will soon lose the war with Jaland his entire star system will be in chaos. Meeting a human spy with the telepathicskill necessary to slip into his target’s thoughts presents an avenue that willgreatly multiply the odds of his success.
All he needs to do is convince her to blow her cover andrisk her life for a stranger from a world she doesn’t know.
Print copies are currently only on Amazon for $7.99
Ebook copies are on Amazon for .99
Ebook copies are also on Smashwords for FREE
I will have print copies with me at Alma Con (March 23-24) and thereon after at in person signings. They are currently on the way to me so unless a delivery miracle happens, I will not have any print copies available this weekend.
March 4, 2024
You get a free book for my birthday month!
This has been the best winter ever in terms of weather. We had real winter for a month. That was just long enough to appreciate winter. Anyway, moving on to Spring! Yay! I can deal with occasional days of snow in between the good ones, but being able to work in the yard in FEBRUARY is pretty damn awesome. Especially when the months that I'm usually trying to squeeze in lawn clean up are filled with book events.
Between the stick picking up duties and bonfires, I'm putting the final editing touches on One Shot At The Sphinx. Which led to sitting down to re-read the series to make sure I have all the facts straight. Oh, the perils of writing a prequel after building the world for six books. And while I'm reading, I got the bright idea to reformat the paperback interiors to celebrate the series being tied up. Is it actually done? It might go on (there are notes for another book) but the core series is complete. I'm not changing the content, just doing a facelift. #projects.
Painting on Laya's Vacation is slow going. The cover is done but I haven't found my grove on the rest yet beyond doing a full mock up of the book. My brain needs to wrap up the series first before it has the power to delve into this undertaking.
Writing on I9 is on hold, also until the series is wrapped up, because it turns out that working on two sci-fi projects at once makes story details easy to entangle. Oops. #dontcrossthestreams
March is my birthday month, so this year, I'm offering sales on some of my ebooks.A Broken Race is only .99 Feb 26 - March 4 on Amazon
Not Another Bard's Tale and Dreams Of Stars And Lies are only .99 - March 3-9 on Smashwords
Sahmara is FREE March 20-24
Mid-Michigan Women's ExpoMy one February event was a blast other than a medical emergency with one of the other attending authors the morning of the first day. Nothing like a medical scare to start things off. Thankfully, everyone is ok now and we agree on the need for having an emergency contact list for group events like this in the future.
18 Authors and so many books
Hall of Heroes Comic Con - March 2&3
West Michigan Women's Expo - March 15-17
Alma Con - March 23&24
If you're not familiar with the Insecure Writers Support Group, check it out here and find links to all the other participating writers.This month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question is:Have you "played" with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing?
This month's co-hosts are:
Miffie Seideman https://miffieseideman.com/
Kristina Kelly http://kristinaseyes.com/
Liza http://middlepassages-lcs.blogspot.com/
Jean Davis http://jeanddavis.blogspot.com/
I'm not a fan of AI in writing. I don't use it beyond the common features of Grammarly and Pro Writing Aid. Even then, I don't like the more AI involved features those programs offer. #theresistance
Could AI help me write my synopsis? Sure. Can I write a synopsis? Also sure. Having done it a few times, writing a blurb or a synopsis isn't a terrible chore anymore. I've gotten fairly comfortable with it.
Could AI help me brainstorm scenes? Yep. I could also just sit here and close my eyes and brainstorm scenes. Again, having written quite a few books, I'm fairly comfortable and confident in my ability to keep the writing momentum going.
Could it help me pick out appropriate keywords for ads? Now this I might delve into a little because I'm not comfortable there yet. But that's not quite as much on the 'creative' end of the AI abilities as much as other aspects. Like all tools, AI has its uses. Just be responsible so we don't end up with #skynet blowing us up over bad grammar.
You get a free book for my birthday!
This has been the best winter ever in terms of weather. We had real winter for a month. That was just long enough to appreciate winter. Anyway, moving on to Spring! Yay! I can deal with occasional days of snow in between the good ones, but being able to work in the yard in FEBRUARY is pretty damn awesome. Especially when the months that I'm usually trying to squeeze in lawn clean up are filled with book events.
Between the stick picking up duties and bonfires, I'm putting the final editing touches on One Shot At The Sphinx. Which led to sitting down to re-read the series to make sure I have all the facts straight. Oh, the perils of writing a prequel after building the world for six books. And while I'm reading, I got the bright idea, to reformat the paperback interiors to celebrate the series being tied up. Is it actually done? It might go on (there are notes for another book) but the core series is complete. I'm not changing the content, just doing a facelift. #projects.
Painting on Laya's Vacation is slow going. The cover is done but I haven't found my grove on the rest yet beyond doing a full mock up of the book. My brain needs to wrap up the series first before it has the power to delve into this undertaking.
Writing on I9 is on hold, also until the series is wrapped up, because it turns out that working on two sci-fi projects at once makes story details easy to entangle. Oops. #dontcrossthestreams
March is my birthday month, so this year, I'm offering sales on some of my ebooks.A Broken Race is only .99 Feb 26 - March 4 on Amazon
Not Another Bard's Tale and Dreams Of Stars And Lies are only .99 - March 4 on Smashwords
Sahmara is FREE March 20-24
Mid-Michigan Women's ExpoMy one February event was a blast other than a medical emergency with one of the other attending authors the morning of the first day. Nothing like a medical scare to start things off. Thankfully, everyone is ok now and we agree on the need for having an emergency contact list for group events like this in the future.
18 Authors and so many books
Hall of Heroes Comic Con - March 2&3
West Michigan Women's Expo - March 15-17
Alma Con - March 23&24
If you're not familiar with the Insecure Writers Support Group, check it out here and find links to all the other participating writers.This months Insecure Writer's Support Group question is:Have you "played" with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing?
This month's co-hosts are:
Miffie Seideman https://miffieseideman.com/
Kristina Kelly http://kristinaseyes.com/
Liza http://middlepassages-lcs.blogspot.com/
Jean Davis http://jeanddavis.blogspot.com/
I'm not a fan of AI in writing. I don't use it beyond the common features of Grammarly and Pro Writing Aid. Even then, I don't like the more AI involved features those programs offer. #theresistance
Could AI help me write my synopsis? Sure. Can I write a synopsis? Also sure. Having done it a few times, writing a blurb or a synopsis isn't a terrible chore anymore. I've gotten fairly comfortable with it.
Could AI help me brainstorm scenes? Yep. I could also just sit here and close my eyes and brainstorm scenes. Again, having written quite a few books, I'm fairly comfortable and confident in my ability to keep the writing momentum going.
Could it help me pick out appropriate keywords for ads? Now this I might delve into a little because I'm not comfortable there yet. But that's not quite as much on the 'creative' end of the AI abilities as much as other aspects. Like all tools, AI has its uses. Just be responsible so we don't end up with #skynet blowing us up over bad grammar.
February 6, 2024
Not Feeling The Love
It's been a rough start to the year. We had to stay goodbye to our 16.5 year old terrier a couple weeks ago due to health reasons. This was in the wake of the unexpected death of our 11 year old terrier in November. I also lost two of my fluffy chicken friends to a nasty illness in January. Crossing my fingers that the rest of the flock is ok. So far, everyone looks good.
Say hello to my new shadow, 9 year old Skittles. He's currently curled up in my blanket next to me on the chair. He prefers to be attached if I'm stationary anywhere. Good thing he's small because my chair isn't that big.
After three weeks of distribution snags, Frayed is finally available at all your favorite online retailers. It's been a journey, guys, I won't lie. The writing, the finishing, and then the distribution hiccups that were out of my control. But here we finally are. Whew! Signed copies are available from the tab at the top or you can find me at the Mid-Michigan Women's Expo in Lansing (Feb 9-11).
God doesn’t make mistakes. That choice to give man free will,though, that has caused nothing but problems. Problems that need fixing.
When an angel shows up to hand Samuel Mason a task he neverasked for, his first reaction is to refuse. Killing the little boy next door isunthinkable. But there’s a contract with Sam’s name already on it and the angelwon’t take no for an answer.
Fulfilling his task will ruin Sam’s life, his family, anddevastate the boy’s mother. How long can a good kid hold out before he becomesthe very thing society expects him to be?
Frayed Davis, Jean Buy Now
January was a month for getting behind the scenes things gone. I updated awards, back cover blurbs, and 'also by' pages on all of my books, printed new booth banners, updated my book racks, and made new bookmarks and new business cards. All of these things had to be done because... I have several new books since they were last done. #writerproblems
If you're not familiar with the Insecure Writers Support Group, check it out here and find links to all the other participating writers.Which brings us to this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group portion of the post. This month's question is: What turns you off when visiting a writer's website or blog?
My number one turn off is: I can't find what I'm there for.
Have clear tabs for things. Make it easy for your visitors to find what they want. Links to your books, about you, photos, your signing schedule, blurbs, your contact information and your blog or posts. Or any combination thereof. Put all of that in an easy to find spot at the top of the page. Please. Do not make me jump through hoops, because I don't do much jumping anymore. I'm busy. If you make it hard, I will just go away.
January 1, 2024
It's 2024!
As we slip into shiny new year, it's time to look forward to new things. Usually I have a one word resolution but I've yet to come up with one so I'm forgoing that this time around. As always, I'm hoping for a more relaxed year, but that never seems to actually happen. Doesn't hurt to hope though.
How did I do with my 2023 goals?
• Release Everyone Dies: A Collection of Dark Tales DONE!
• Finally finish Frayed, because OMG this has been a tough one to get from brain to page. DONE!
• Illustrate Kay-Kay: The Littlest Chicken (new) DONE!
• Write/finish one of the following projects: Godmother (new), I9 (new), or Interface (2016 WIP).
I did start I9 so I'm calling that somewhat done.
• Release one of those five projects. I released Everyone Dies and Kay-Kay so DONE!
• Don't keel over. I'm still kicking. DONE!
New books I hope you'll see in 2024:
Frayed - out with ARC readers
One Shot At The Sphinx - in the last round of edits
Laya's Vacation - waiting for illustrations
Projects I hope to get to or wrap up in 2024:
Godmother - currently just notes
i9 - first draft in progress
Interface - first draft in progress
Other goals for 2024:
As always, I'm hoping to read more. I have so many books on my TBR stacks and on my kindle.
I'd like to get out in my flower garden more. We'll see if my body cooperates.
Maybe work a little less. Yes, I'm laughing at that one while looking at my 2024 events over there on the right, but we're back to that hope thing.
If you're not familiar with the Insecure Writers Support Group, check it out here and find links to all the other participating writers.Let's get to this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question: Do you follow back readers on Bookbub or only other authors. Well, I don't use Bookbub, so we're going to answer with platforms I do use: Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. I mostly follow back other authors, but if I've met a reader in person at an event, there's a fairly high chance that I'll follow them back too. I tend to only follow people I actually know rather than amassing numbers. That's probably not the most marketing beneficial way to go about it, but that's how I roll.
December 6, 2023
It's hard to believe we're back to December already. Mayb...
It's hard to believe we're back to December already. Maybe if I wasn't always on the go, time wouldn't fly by? Nah, it probably still would.
November always flies by. Between Grand Rapids Comic Con and NaNoWriMo, its a flurry of people and words.
Grand Rapids Comic Con went well. It was fun as always and Kay-Kay got to come to her first con. Petting a chicken sure made a lot of people happy. Lots of books found new homes and I had a great time chatting with the other guest authors each day.
NaNoWriMo resulted in 50,000 new words! Of my projects:Laya's Vacation is a complete draftOne Shot At The Sphinx (a Narvan Novella) is a complete draftI9 (a stand-alone scifi novel) is 1/3 finished.Godmother didn't get started yet
Overall, I'm happy with the month of writing and the drafts are all workable. Hooray!
I'm taking December off, not because I want to but because work is crazy thanks to the holiday shoppers, I have a five day trip to North Carolina for work next week, and three small book events on the weekends until Christmas. Somewhere in there, I need to decorate, wrap presents, bake cookies, and host two Christmas family things. A writing break is in order.
Alrighty, let's get onward to this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question: Book reviews
If you're not familiar with the Insecure Writers Support Group, check it out here and find links to all the other participating writers. are for the readers. When you leave a book reviews do you review for the Reader or the Author? Is it about what you liked and enjoyed about your reading experience, or do you critique the author?
The author isn't the book. I'm reading the book. Authors are people and many are like me, we write a lot of different things. We learn, we grow, our writing styles change. You may be reviewing the latest book they've written, but in the world of publishing, things move slow. That book could have been written three years ago and stuck in the publishing machine.
Review the book. That book. Not everything else they've written that you may or may not have read.
In a review, I will comment about what I liked or didn't like and why. I don't assume the author will ever read the review. Many don't. I rarely do. If you have something super nice or constructive criticism to offer, contact the author. The review is to help other readers decide if that book is for them.
If I don't pop on here before January, have a happy holiday season! Enjoy your family, your pet(s), or at least curl up somewhere quiet with a good book.
November 1, 2023
Book Release and NaNoWriMo
It's release day for Tears of the Tyrant! The Narvan continues with book five:
Rumors of Tyrant Ta’set’s killing sprees have spread throughout the known universe. Or are they truths?
Vayen’s hold on his deadly Arpex abilities is slipping. If he loses control, he’ll be executed and his mission of unification and peace will die with him. Desperate to help Vayen maintain his precarious balance, Anastassia is willing to offer him a week with another woman as a diversion from his dark urges. Can she live with her decision if he wants more?
In the public spotlight by association, Daniel unwittingly ignites a political uprising when, in the spirit of love and unity, he adopts the Jalvian practice of taking a second wife. While he works with Neko to guide the debate within the Narvan, he must also work alongside his volatile, tyrannical father as they race the rumors to seek out amiable worlds for their advisory union. Daniel struggles to take on the brunt of his parent’s mission while facing his own darkness.
Spending a guilt-free week with Vayen is a dream come true for Buria. She’s had her eye on him for years. Securing a place within his inner circle could mean a serious job upgrade and notoriety. Managing Vayen’s addictions and temper will require every skill beaten into her as a slave if she is to stand a chance at coming out on top.
Is the Ta’set family, the Narvan, and the newly-formed advisory union prepared for a future where Vayen takes the one life that will send him over the edge?
Would you like to check out the first chapter for free? Download from BookFunnel.
Available in e-book and paperback today! Amazon / B&N / Kobo
If you're not familiar with the Insecure Writers Support Group, check it out here and find links to all the other participating writers.We've reached November, which means we're going to talk about National Novel Writing Month. This month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question asks: Have you ever participated? The short answer: Yes. Want to know all about it? Let's dive in!For year 18 of my NaNoWriMo adventures, I'll be sinking my writerly teeth into four projects as muses and time allow. I've managed to meet or exceed my goal of 50,000 words in 30 days 15 out of the 17 previous years so I'm feeling pretty good about keeping my words hopping.
This year I'll be working on:
A new chicken picture book - Laya's Vacation
A Narvan novella - Anastassia and Chesser's Story (title TBA)
A YA fairytale along the same vein as Spindelkin - Godmother
A sci-fi standalone - I9
We'll see how much of any or all of these I can accomplish. I know I have 3 days that nearly nothing will get done due to Grand Rapids Comic Con. I also have a 3 day work trip to St. Louis to contend with but I'm hoping to be able to write in the car (not while I'm driving, of course) and at night. Fingers cross that there are no other unexpected major interruptions.
My NaNo secrets for success
1. The point is to write 50,000 new words in 30 days. That can be done a lot of different ways. Do what speaks to you. The pure experience would be to work on a totally new novel. You could also veer into the rebel camp and write a collection of short stories, an epic poem, multiple projects, non fiction articles, etc.
2. Don't sleep. Ok, maybe this one is just me. But I don't sleep well in general so I get up several times a night, and during November, that means I might write a couple hundred or thousand words at 2am before heading back to bed and then doing it again at 7am. Maybe grabbing another writing session after work and again just before bed. Write when you can.
3. This is writing month. That means my brain is in writing mode. I typically don't read books or watch Netflix or play on my phone during November. If I'm not working, eating, or sleeping, I'm writing. And when I'm doing those other three things, I'm thinking about what I will be writing the next time I sit down at the laptop.
4. Have fun with it. Join your local NaNo group. Attend write-ins online or in person for group support and motivation. Find a writing buddy and get competitive. Urge each other on and duel with word counts. Do word wars. You don't have to write alone. Unless you prefer to, then hey, write alone.
5. Get the words on the page and don't be afraid to suck. Rough drafts are not meant to be perfect. That could mean experimenting with a scene or chapter or a bunch of chapters that might not make it into the final novel. Sometimes you need to tinker around to see what POV works best or explore a subplot. Those words all count for NaNo purposes. If you get stuck, skip to the next scene, throw words at the page and see what sticks to get you going again. Get all stream of consciousness if you have to. Just keep moving forward. Or jump around if that's your thing. Keep writing.
My NaNo history
2006 - Sahmara was my first NaNoWriMo novel. It took 10 years between it's word birth and actual publication. Noveling isn't a race. Sometimes books need time to come together.
2007 - A YA Fantasy that has yet to come together though I've toyed around with it a couple of times. I'm not giving up on it yet.
2008 - Not Another Bard's Tale - This was my favorite NaNo book to write as far as it being fun.
2009 - A Broken Race - My first book to be published in 2015
2010 - Destiny Pills & Space Wizards - My first rebel year when I wrote short stories instead of a novel.
2011 - Chain Of Grey - Narvan books are an easy (comparatively) because those characters just flow onto the page.
2012 - A failed attempt at a Broken Race prequel that ended up providing additional content in the second edition of ABR. While I did make it to 50K, the story didn't work.
2013 - A sci-fi novel that I'd like to revisit at some point to see if I can pull it out of it's tailspin because I really like this one.
2014 - 20K of a sci-fi novel that I don't even remember writing because it was while we were building our house. Someday I'll have to read it and see if it's worth pursuing.
2015 - Interface, oh you poor YA sci-fi novel. I've said I would finish you so many times. Yet, you're not finished. One of these days, I'll follow through.
2016 - The Last God - After several years of novels not going anywhere, I got back in the groove. Yay.
2017 - Bound In Blue
2018 - Seeker
2019 - Spindelkin
2020 - The Minor Years
2021 - Frayed - While I didn't get to 50k on this project for NaNo because: life, I did recently finish writing it and it will be released in 2024
2022 - Everyone Dies, part of Tears of the Tyrant and Kay-Kay - a very productive year
For those keeping track, that means all my novels but Trust and Dreams of Stars and Lies started as NaNo novels. NaNo isn't for everyone, but it works for me. If you're participating, feel free to shoot me a buddy request on the NaNo site. Hello, I'm Gypsywitch and I'm a nano addict.
October 3, 2023
October is for Getting Book Stuff Done!
September was a relaxing month as far as previous months go. I found time to sleep, edit, and format Tears of the Tyrant. I finished Frayed. Yes, really. Finally. And also started edits on Frayed. Woohoo!
I did a craft show with an author friend last weekend. It didn't go near as well as it did the year before for us. The organizer is doing too many similar shows at the same venue, which appears to tapping out the buying audience. That one is crossed off my list for next year, but we had a good time and met readers.
October is for cramming in as much as possible before writing month takes over. I have one event this weekend, a new to me outdoor Halloween show. We'll see how it goes. Crossing my fingers for nice weather.
What's on the to-do list for October?
• Getting Tears of the Tyrant ready for release on Nov. 1
• Getting as much wrapped up on edits of Frayed as possible
• Finalizing my plan of attack for NaNoWriMo year 17
• Applying for events for 2024 as applications go live
• Seeing if I can sneak in time to work on Interface (YA sci-fi)
• Getting panels written/finalized for Grand Rapids Comic Con
If you're not familiar with the Insecure Writers Support Group, check it out here and find links to all the other participating writers.This month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question is about generative AI uses in writing. Will it assist or replace writers?
I'm not a fan of AI for writing or artwork. Is it useful? I'm sure it is. Will I be jumping onboard at this time? No. Paranoid me has seen this movie. I've read variations of this book. I will not be assisting in training our AI overlords. No thank you. #TeamHuman.
Seriously though, yes, it's a tool. I'm sure it has it's uses. At the moment, my muses are chatting it up so I don't feel the need to ask AI for ideas or sketch out scenes or plots. I've got this.
Have I toyed with AI for cover concepts, sure. But in the end, I went an entirely different direction. I've avoided purchasing AI generated art elements for my covers from my stock art source.
Will I change my mind later? Possibly. But today is not that day. Oh, and in case they're watching, all hail our supreme and benevolent overlords.
September 5, 2023
August IWSG and A Narvan Cover Reveal
Then Kay-Kay and I traveled back and forth to South Haven for a weekend for another art fair where we met lots more readers.
Then things got crazy. Laya and I traveled to Michigan's Upper Peninsula for yet another art fair. We camped and did some exploring and in the process, ended up in a lot of people's vacation photos. As it turns out you apparently don't see a lot of people taking their chickens on touristy walks. I may have also composed another children's chicken book while I was there. The words are not yet on paper but reference photos were taken.
After a long weekend up in the UP, Laya and I headed down to Indiana for our last renaissance faire of the year where we had a great time and met lots of new and returning readers.
Then, finally, Kay-Kay and I traveled to Newaygo for the annual logging festival. You can't beat chainsaws and chickens. But not close together. That would be bad.
Now that insane August has passed, we move into a more sedate pace for the rest of the year. This is very good as I need to wrap up the blurb, proofing, and formatting on Tears of the Tyrant, a Narvan companion novel (book 4.5 for those keeping track).
Did I mention a cover reveal? Oh, I did. Bloggers get the first look at the newest Narvan novel cover right now!
Where will I be in September? You can find me and Author Vera West in at the Kalamazoo Expo Center Craft Show on Sept 30.
If you're not familiar with the Insecure Writers Support Group, check it out here and find links to all the other participating writers.That brings us to this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group portion of the post! Happy 12th birthday to IWSG! I discovered IWSG from my local author pal, Diane Burton. She even gifted me with a IWSG mug. Woohoo! From the looks of it, I first joined in the monthly posts early in 2016. Holy cow, has it really been that long?
Thank you IWSG for the kick in the butt to at least post monthly on my blog. Since starting this blog in January of 2010 and being fairly active for years after that, I'd been struggling with the motivation and inspiration to keep up with posting with everything else I always have going on. No seriously, it's always insanely busy here. I know no other way.
I've meet some new blog friends, learned things from members' blog posts and have enjoyed being part of the author community. Thank you all for for being you!
