I'm finishing up the final edits on Lines Crossed. I have an awful lot of incidents of people sitting on hale bales instead of hay bales! π π€¦ββοΈ #writerslife#editing
πDon't look now... π
Lines Crossed, Shadows of War book 9, just went up for preorder on my store! Early bird price of $4.99 for a LIMITED TIME and ONLY on my store!
(Don't worry Amazonians - preorder is coming soon to the Zon as well!π)
https://t.co/XlYD7vdIbI
This is the LAST WEEKEND to grab the entire Shadows of War ebook collection - to date - before the price goes back up to $43.99! On Sale now for $39.99! With book 9 on it's way in the next month, now's a great time to discover a new series!
https://t.co/cZInOQHVTo
Looking something up for the book and came across this gem for our favorite RAF Squadron. I don't think Miles will be amused when this happens! π
(AA stands for anti-aircraft - so friendly fire!)
I'm sure that many of you have heard of, or become aware of, the continual debate swirling around the ever-increasing use of AI to write books. Amazon is being flooded with books written entirely by AI. A Big 5 publisher just pulled the contract on a book that they claim was written by AI. Several of the top books in the Top 10 of their categories on Amazon are written by AI. Despite all the warnings in the 80s with The Terminator, it's a thing. And people and agencies are rapidly becoming "experts" at spotting whether something is written by a computer. The criteria for determining this, however, is absurd.
I never thought I would have to defend myself and get ahead of the curve to prove that I'm a human and not part of Skynet, but here we are.
Why? Because I've learned that two of the biggest "Red Flags" for AI writing are (drum roll, please) the em-dash and the Oxford comma - both of which I use A LOT. My wonderful editor is particularly fond of the em-dash (the longer dash) and changes most of my ellipses ( . . . for those wondering) to the more obnoxious em-dash. And for my part, I'm married to the Oxford comma, have used it my whole life, and have absolutely ZERO interest in ceasing to abide by proper grammar to appease a @#$#-ing robot. Capisce?
I'm not here to debate the pros and cons, or to hoist a pitchfork and start tossing Molotovs around. That's not what this is about. This is the "I seriously can't believe it's come to this, but here's my statement regarding my own work" post.
I am human (last time I checked), and always have, and always will, write my own books. I write my own characters. I write my own plots. (and let's be real - Skynet would probably do a better job with some of my plots! π) I write my own dialogue. I write my own plot twists. I write my own settings. I DO IT ALL! (and consume an obscene amount of wine while doing so!) As surreal as it feels, I have recently added a disclosure to my copyright page in all my books asserting the same.
So there you have it. No AI here. What you see is what came out of my own head - for better or for worse. I AM ALIVE! (yes, I'm channeling Young Frankenstein - and no, that was not written by AI)
In honor of a legend passing, watching the last movie I watched with him. Expendables 2 - where Booker made a brief appearance to entertain us with a cast full of legends.
RIP Chuck Norris. π
In case anyone ever wonders why my books are the way they are, just know this: I do love the Mission Impossible movies! π Tonight's double feature - MI Fallout + Dead Reckoning Pt 1
I'm an Indie author with 21 published books. I do use a freelance copy editor because I've found that no matter how many times I go through a manuscript, my mild dyslexia just won't catch words that I've inadvertently flipped. And typos are inevitable. However, I agree that as far as developmental editing goes, if a writer needs one, they should focus on learning their craft. I personally love my copy editor. She catches typos and points out things she thinks readers might find confusing - but she doesn't suggest changes to characters or plots. Then again, she also says my books are pretty clean to start with.
Pssst! π Hey! Guess what?
Did you know that I have my own store?
And did you also know that you can purchase ebooks, paperbacks, and audiobooks directly from me?
And did you ALSO know that I sell eBook bundles there that aren't available anywhere else? Like this one? The 1st three books in the Exit Series for only $12.99! Download directly onto your preferred reading device and start reading - no hassle, no fuss. No kidding!
https://t.co/8awAotWwty
Out to dinner with my best friend. Margarita flight for the win! Cheers to the friendships that stand the test of years! Oh, and cheers to book #21 π