Gill Fernandez's Blog, page 3

Random Thoughts on Cover Images

They're a nightmare!

Unless you can afford to hire an artist to create something unique or have the money to fund a photo shoot, then stock images have to meet the need.

Wait a minute! Do I hear you asking about AI? It's a natural question especially since I've posted quite recently and at a reasonable length about the topic of artificial intelligence and creative writing.

AI may fill the need for unique cover art in the future, maybe even the near future—already there are examples of very striking images suitable for fantasy or sci-fi, but for my genres: women's fiction, family saga and romance—contemporary and historical, AI has to improve its quality quite a lot before I would even consider sourcing AI-generated images for my covers. If you don't believe me, go experiment for yourself. Unless you are working on a re-write of Beauty and the Beast or don't mind your characters having a surplus of fingers and thumbs, the results will not work for you.

So back to the stock images:

There are downsides:

1. They are time stealers. In the hours I've spent searching for images that fit the story and my characters, I could have written another novel, even two.

2. They are never quite right and need a talented designer who can edit the image.

3. Someone else might choose the same image.

This last has recently happened to me. Well almost. Not, thankfully, on a book cover and not exactly the same image. I found it in the header of a group promo. If you don't know what a group promo is, it's where several authors in the same genre promote each other's work via their blog, social media and newsletter, all linking to one promo page. It's a good way for readers to find writers new to them.

I haven't taken part in such an event for a while, too busy writing book three in the six degrees of separation series, but I found a promo that was a perfect fit for Love Is ( the second book in the series), and the timing was just right for my monthly newsletter going out in April. Anyway, imagine my surprise when after being accepted, I discovered that the promo page was using in its header, an image of my couple from the cover for Millie & George .

My graphic designer had edited the cover version to make the young couple look more like their descriptions in the book. And their pose is subtly different to the one in the header, so it is another image of the models, but there they were at the top of the promo page, still totally recognisable. Since Millie & George is no longer exclusive to Amazon and therefore not on KU, I couldn't add it to the KU titles promo, which would have been the upside of this coincidence, so there was really nothing I could do, except add the incident to the growing list of reasons for some new covers. If you want to take a look for yourself, here's a link to the promo page. and you can of course check out Millie and George on either Amazon or Kobo, including Kobo Plus. Other platforms coming soon.

In the meantime, I'm now thinking about the new cover images for all three books in the series. Don't get me wrong, I like the Millie & George cover very much, and I'm reasonably fond of the Love Is image, even though it is not the original (Amazon decided the original beach scene for Love Is was too sexy!) I complied with their wishes, changed the cover, and sales dropped off. Thank you, Amazon. Then came the cover for the third and probably last book in the series. It's already up on Amazon on preorder, but if I'm totally honest, I don't like it—my fault. I couldn't find, after hours of searching, an attractive mature couple that really matched my characters. Last Love is a second-chance romance after an extended separation and an extremely delayed HEA, and finding a near-perfect couple for that scenario was impossible. And that's not all...Despite using the same cover designer for all the books in the series, I don't feel that the style is consistent enough to shout out loud, THIS IS A SERIES! I don't even think there is a clear brand image. If you are wondering what I mean by that, take a look at some Colleen Hoover or Amanda Prowse covers. They are probably the most distinct examples ofing clear branding styles in my genre.

So, time to mull over which way I go. Non-generic covers (without loving couples) like CH and AP or stick with my couples but insist on identical fonts for the cover text. Perhaps a single character image, but which one? There is much to consider, and I know from bitter experience after the enforced Amazon change, much to lose. But I do think it's time for a change.

Inspiration & ideas

Writers often get asked: 'where do you get your ideas from?'.

My answer is, 'Everywhere!' And it is perfectly true.

It's like I have a filter in my brain so that whatever my ears, eyes, nose and taste buds are sensing gets filtered through a 'is this an idea for a story?' net and when the net catches something with potential, up it pops into conscious thought.

Interestingly, I've only indicated four senses here. The one missing is touch. I cannot remember ever being inspired by that particular sense... but since I have been writing for a long time, I can't be sure it hasn't happened back in the mists of time. Certainly, I incorporate the sense of touch in my writing--I am a romance writer, and it's all about feelings in every form.

This month I'm covering ideas and inspiration in the Readers' Club newsletter, together with a real example of the result of seeing something that got caught in my ideas & inspiration net.

It's a short romantic story (clean) set in Cornwall - the cover is shown here, but it is only available to Readers' Club members. If you want to read it (it's free), sign up for the monthly newsletter before the 31st of March.Although it is only a short story at the moment (under two thousand words) and a bit raw around the edges, it has loads of potential to be a full-length novel or even the first book in a series.I'm asking for feedback from readers, so if you want to get involved, join the readers club. You'll get another free story on sign-up. All freebie reads are delivered through Bookfunnel.

AI and Creative Writing II

Following my last post on this subject, I challenged ChatGPT to write a short fiction entitled 'I should be writing.' This was because I was suffering from a weird form of writer's block. I had reached slightly under thirty thousand words into the last book in the Six Degrees of Separation series and should have been steaming ahead, but every time I tried to settle down in front of my laptop, I had to contend with the distraction of my much loved elderly and arthritic cocker spaniel who seemed to know exactly when I was trying to get into a creative mood and would immediately set about crying pitifully.

Was it food she wanted, a slow short walk, maybe just a trip into the garden or some grooming? Or was she simply in pain? With her crying as a background soundtrack, I found concentrating impossible.

It wasn't a lack of ideas - only that morning, I'd thought through a love scene between Alex and Sally while I was in the bath, and became so engrossed in their dialogue that the bath water went cold!

So come the afternoon, I'd finished reading SEX/Life 44 chapters about 4 men. (My reading is VERY diverse). There was nothing on TV, streamed or otherwise, that inspired me and Poppy the spaniel was snoring in her bed. I can work through snoring, so it was time to write. But guess what? No motivation! So I decided if I couldn't write any fresh prose, I'd get my newfound friend ChatGPT to do some. And here it is (unedited) - a short fiction entitled 'I Should be Writing'

'Samantha sat at her desk, staring blankly at the computer screen. She had been there for hours, yet not a single word had been written. She couldn't help but feel frustrated at herself. "I should be writing," she thought, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't seem to find the words.

She had always wanted to be a writer, ever since she was a little girl. She would spend hours lost in her own world, scribbling away in notebooks, creating fantastical tales of adventure and intrigue. But now, as an adult, she found herself struggling to even write a single sentence.

She looked at the clock and sighed. It was getting late, and she still had nothing to show for all her efforts. She was about to shut down her computer and give up for the night when she heard a knock at the door.

"Who could that be?" she thought as she made her way to the door.

As she opened it, she was surprised to see an old man standing there. He had a kind smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye.

"Hello, Samantha," he said.

"How do you know my name?" she asked, feeling a bit uneasy.

"I know a lot of things," he replied with a chuckle. "I also know that you should be writing."

Samantha was taken aback. How did he know that she was struggling with her writing?

"I can help you," he said, as if reading her thoughts.

"Help me?" she repeated, still in disbelief.

"Yes, I can give you the inspiration you need to write the story that's been inside you all along," he said.

Samantha didn't know what to make of this strange encounter, but something about the old man's words felt true. She invited him in, and they sat down at her desk.

"Close your eyes," he said, and she did as he asked.

In the darkness behind her eyelids, Samantha saw a world come to life. It was as if the old man had unlocked a door inside her mind, and all the stories she had ever wanted to tell were waiting for her there. She saw characters and places, conflicts and resolutions, all swirling around in her head.

"Open your eyes," the old man said, and Samantha did as he asked.

As she looked at her computer screen, she felt a new sense of purpose. The words were flowing from her fingers like a river, and she knew that she was finally writing the story she had always wanted to tell.

She looked up to thank the old man, but he was gone. She was alone in her apartment, but she knew that she was never truly alone as long as she had her writing.

"I should be writing," she said to herself, but this time, it was with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

And she kept writing, long into the night, until every word she had ever wanted to write was on the page.

Although didn't edit the AI output, I dearly wanted to. Instead, I left it untouched as proof that my friend ChatGPT has a long way to go before she/he/it can produce inspirational fiction. Fun though. And in case you are wondering how my dog is - I took her to the vet yesterday, and with some new meds, she seems to be much happier and I have no reason not to storm on to forty thousand words in 'Last Love'.

AI and Creative Writing

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a hot topic in the media recently, and one of the most prominent examples of AI is the language model known as GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer). GPT has been making waves in the field of natural language processing and can be used for a wide range of applications, from generating text to answering questions and even translating languages. However, GPT is not the only language model out there.

An alternative to ChatGPT is Google's BARD. I had to smile when I read the name. Of course, Google is not making a connection or comparison with the great William Shakespeare. Heavens! Or are they?

No wonder some creative writers are quaking in their boots, thinking that big tech will put them out of work.

So, what does all of this really mean for writers? Well, the impact of AI on creative writing is still relatively unknown, but there are some potential benefits and drawbacks to consider. On the one hand, AI could be a powerful tool, allowing writers to generate ideas, characters, and even entire plots with ease. AI could also help writers identify common themes and tropes in their writing, allowing them to refine their craft and produce higher-quality work.

There are also concerns that AI could lead to a homogenisation of creative content, as writers may rely too heavily on AI-generated ideas or plots. There is also the concern that AI-generated content could lack the emotional depth and nuance that comes from a human writer's experiences and perspectives. Additionally, there is the fear that AI-generated content could be used to create propaganda or spread disinformation, as we have already seen with the use of deep fakes and other AI-generated content.

In conclusion, AI and its various language models have the potential to revolutionise the field of creative writing, but there are justifiable concerns about the impact on creative content. As with any new technology, it is important to approach AI with caution and to consider both its benefits and drawbacks. Ultimately, the impact of AI on creative writing will depend on how it is used, and the decisions writers and publishers make about incorporating AI-generated content into their work.

I have a confession to make.

The above blog post, excluding the small section in italics, was AI-generated, using ChatGPT.

Not bad eh? If a bit stodgy in style and there is a strange sense of it teetering between high-impact promotion and rational argument, as if uncertain of its own POV. I also had to do some heavy editing for content, grammar and punctuation. So, if I were the AI's teacher, I'd have marked their work at a generous 6 out of 10.

But what if I'd asked it to write something from a family saga? Say a death bed, birth or love scene. Would the AI have got a 6 out of 10 after editing? Somehow I doubt it. For one thing, I think it would struggle with the POV. In an emotional scene, the writer has to take the reader right inside the POV character's head, so they can share the pain and (hopefully) triumph, and I don't think AI is fully capable of that ... yet.

But what do you think?

Working Through a Writing Problem

The fog has lifted.

A few days ago, I posted on Facebook about struggling to write anything worthwhile in the latest WIP (Last Love - Book 3 in the series Six Degrees of Separation). Describing it as being like someone fumbling forward, lost in the fog. I promised an update when I'd worked through the situation. And ...

The good news is I'm on the way again with Last Love.

You may be wondering how I achieved this breakthrough. It was, in the end, surprisingly easy and produced lots of new content.

At this point, it's time to confess I am a pantser. I prefer not to do detailed plot plans. It's much more exciting to see where, given freedom, the characters will go on their own, and I know now the fog problem was because my characters were stuck. They needed the impetus of change, but I'd left them treading water, while I tinkered with the words and how I was telling their story.

Here's what happened - the process/method/ and some of the results.

Day of the fog - I wasted too much time fretting over detail, changing word order, moving paragraphs, and drilling further into the nitty gritty without improving anything. I also Indulged in some displacement activity by posting about the difficulties before I returned to the work and spent another couple of hours of fruitless head-banging - all the time my characters were patiently waiting for me to get my act together and move them on.

On day two (weary and uncertain about the book), I returned to my laptop and ignored the chapter causing the trouble. Remember, this is the first draft so the foggy chapter may get cut entirely in a future edit. I inserted a page break (I work in Word) and set a new chapter heading. Then I moved my characters up to Edinburgh for a funeral. This allowed me to put flesh, bone and action into a character (Archie McKinnon - the deceased's father) only previously referred to and not fully formed in my head. Amazingly, he walked out of my brain fog with a complete and not-very-pleasant personality, providing potential answers to past events not yet resolved. At the same time, his too-young wife, Fiona (Fi for short), appeared. Suddenly I had a much older man married to a pretty young thing. She was sweet and anxious to please, and he was grumpy and unwelcoming. Why would she be married to him? The potential for conflict in abundance and possibly some intrigue gave me a warm glowing feeling. My hope that the characters were about to take over and make their own stories was not misplaced. The following day (within the story) Alastair (Archie's grandson) was seen sitting a little too close to Fi in the church.

My light bulb went on and not any ordinary bulb - an eye-scorching spotlight. Here was the grit and conflict required to make this story dramatic. A secondary but dramatic love story as a background to the main character's second chance romance. BINGO!

It was time to insert a new chapter before the Edinburgh funeral and possibly in place of the troublesome foggy chapter. This would be the moment the readers, alone, would see the connection between Archie's wife and his grandson and be left wondering how and when Archie would discover the truth. While they are waiting for that bomb to explode, little do they know there is another bomb waiting. But I'm not going to tell you about that one - too much of a plot spoiler.

For the moment, my problem is solved, my characters have taken over their story, and in the words of the song - I can see clearly now.

Review my latest romance

https://booksprout.co/reviewer/review-copy/view/102837/love-me-just-a-summer-affair Get your copy of Love Me from Booksprout.

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