My Author's Q & A's

 

(Once every other month I will post Q & A's that readers have asked me)

Q- Will you be posting new short videos or excerpts on Path Less Taken from the Phoenix Files? I’ve seen that you haven’t posted anything about that book, and I thought that maybe you decided to abandon the project. J. Peters

A-I appreciate your interest in my work! Currently, I'm focused on completing "A Time Traveler's Companion," which is nearly 500 pages long. Once I wrap that up, I plan to finish "Path Less Taken" and will share some short videos and excerpts soon after. 

Q- When will you publish the recent version of Chandra’s Quest on AppleBooks? You mentioned that you combined all four books into one. I would love to read it. Mary Fuentes

A-Regarding "Chandra's Quest," I do intend to release the new version on Amazon and Apple Books, but as mentioned in a previous blog post, it won't be available on GooglePlay and AppleBooks until July. An audiobook is currently being made.

Q- Do you use AI generated images for your short videos? Jessica P

A-Some images in my promotional videos, are AI-generated, but I use them primarily to depict the characters visually for the readers’ entertainment.

Q- I really enjoyed Flare and I would like to know if it is available as an audiobook. ldyVamp

A-I'm glad to hear you enjoyed "Flare” there is indeed an audiobook available on GooglePlay, so feel free to check it out!

Q-I enjoyed reading the book about the Backrooms from the Phoenix Files, will you be writing another one related to the Backrooms? Anonymous

A-There will be another installment in the Phoenix Files series that revisits the Backrooms, specifically in volume 4. It will be available in the future.

(I love receiving questions from readers through social media, and I promise to feature them on my blog in the coming months!)

Here We Go, Once Again...

 

To my fellow indie/self-published authors: It doesn't matter if you're utilizing certain features available on WordDocX via WordDoc 365, you’re still considered an author. I'm frustrated with people criticizing authors who employ specific writing tools to enhance the quality of their writing. Remember, you understand your audience; you know your audience, those who purchase, download, or listen to your books, let them judge. You are an author, whether you are self-published or not!

My Experience: Twenty-three years ago, self-published authors faced significant criticism on social media, a landscape I was not part of at the time since I didn’t have a Facebook account, I only had MySpace. I shared a link to my book, Chandra’s Quest, on forums and MySpace. I was unfamiliar with eBooks, my book was only available on eBay as a paperback. Despite my efforts, sales were minimal, and I was met with harsh comments on forums from users who had never even read my book but only despised my presence simply because I chose the self-publishing route and was sharing my book

Chandra’s Quest, my first novel, was originally written in the first person but was later revised to a third-person narrative in the 2010s. My encounters with online trolls, who seem to thrive on targeting Indie/self-published authors, have shown me that their tactics remain unchanged; they now use AI as an excuse to accuse writers of using it because their books may not be as bad as they first assumed. 

I have read numerous indie books, I can confidently say that many are well-written, and I don’t perceive any AI influence in them, as I focus on the content rather than the medium. I typically prefer purchasing paperback editions, I’m not looking for AI, only Karens do. 

Look, regardless of whether a writer is using some form of editing tool for their work, people shouldn’t be quick to judge. Personally, it’s taken me two years to write out my book and I am currently editing it but as I do, I am releasing it in parts on GooglePlay until I can merge all parts together into one full length novel. If you are following me on Facebook and other social media websites, I’m sure you know which one I'm referring to. I PREFER to write out my books before editing them thoroughly. Sorry if you thought otherwise.

Here's a thought: When it comes to AI, it's pretty straightforward- you just need to provide a brief prompt, and the AI takes care of the rest. I've come across one or two AI-generated books, and honestly, they weren't impressive. As I've mentioned before, I'm not interested in AI for storytelling; the two I read felt like they were written by someone who didn't put in much effort into them. That's not my style—I prefer to write my stories and refine them using the editing tools available in Word.

The way I see it is, if you're paying for Office365, you might as well take advantage of those features. In the end, people will always have their opinions, and there will be critics and trolls out there, often just reflecting their own ugliness. Ugly is, as Ugly does.

Below are sceenshots that I took of another user's rant on Wattpad reddit about AI & how it has tainted people's view on indie authors works. Not everything is AI & not all authors, especially indie authors use AI. If you're on a crusade in calling out people who use AI for certain creative endeavors, then you have issues. You're not perfect and before pointing the finger at someone else, look in the mirror.

My Website

Images of The Main Character from A Time Traveler's Companion

 

Updates on images related to character in A Time Traveler's Companion.

This post is related to a book I am currently working on and I have updated the images of the main character, Remi. I don't' always share anything related to this book on this blog, I prefer to share excerpts on my other blog under my pen name CG Heandez.

Remi (18) & Mr. Smith's first incarnation

Remi (20) & Mr. Smith's second incarnation

Remi (28) & Mr. Smith's 3rd incarnation

Remi (45) & Mr. Smith's 4th incarnation

The four incarnations of Mr. Smith

Please do visit my other blog, I share excerpts from this book and others written under CG Heandez. Link below.

CG Heandez blog

 

KDP Select & it's Rules

 

I recently received a notification from KDP indicating that one of my books is being sold on a third-party site, which violates the terms of the KDP Select Program. Since my book is currently enrolled in the 90-day KDP Select period, I am restricted from selling it elsewhere. 

(Blacked out the name of the title and the link for privacy reasons)

This situation was unintentional; I had simply forgotten to uncheck the renewal button for KDP Select program. I was fuming, I took the necessary steps to remove some of my eBooks from Google Play to comply with Kindle's policies. I have audiobooks for those titles on that platform, and according to their guidelines, this shouldn't be a major issue. Once the 90-day enrollment period ends, I intend to re-list the eBooks on Google Play, but I won’t be enrolling any of my titles in the KDP Select Program again. Moving forward, I plan to publish future eBooks on Google Play and Apple Books, and for any paperbacks, I’ll use IngramSpark, except for the Phoenix Files series, which includes the Lost in the Backrooms book, they will still be published on Amazon KDP. Overall, I believe it's crucial to make my titles available on multiple platforms for better exposure.

I’ve decided to remove my website link from my profile on the KDP Community Forum. I've noticed that some indie authors tend to compete and backstab each other, and I’m not interested in getting involved in that kind of drama. The less they know about my business, the better off I’ll be.

 I will add a link to a short video related to this topic. Please visit and comment, ty.

KDP SELECT PROGRAM: Should You or Shouldn't You Join

Writers Who Use AI to Produce Multiple Books in A Month

 

 I’ve seen comments posted by anonymous people about writers using AI to churn out multiple books in a month, suggesting that they rely on AI because they didn’t spend a year crafting their stories. 

Is it a misconception to think that? I can't definitively say yes or no, but I've been working on a Time Traveler's Companion since late 2023, and it’s taken me this long to nearly finish the novel. So, am I using AI? If I were, I would have wrapped it up in no time and moved on to my other writing projects. Just saying.

People have mixed feelings about AI these days, and everyone has their own take on it. Personally, I’m indifferent. Whether to use it or not is a choice for each writer, and honestly, some stories I've come across on Wattpad that might have involved AI are indistinguishable from others to me.

 The ones I’ve read are pretty good, however that’s just my opinion and I’m not looking for AI in other writers’ literary works. I’m not the AI police. A little joke there. Feel free to share your thoughts, but please keep it respectful, as I do review comments before posting.

My Website

My other Pen Name

CG Heandez

Here We Go Again

What Can Be Copyrighted

 

I don’t know how many times I must say this, you can copyright almost anything CREATIVE. But keep in mind that copyright doesn't cover ideas, facts, or methods. It only protects how those ideas or facts are EXPRESSED. For instance, you can't copyright the idea of a 'dinosaur,' but you can copyright a drawing or a story you created about one. If an author uses an AI editor to help polish their writing, their books are still eligible for copyright because it's their original story, even if AI played a small role in editing. For those who know, Word-Doc has Co-Pilot a built in AI editor for writers, which might surprise some, but it's true. It comes with a subscription of 365 Word.

I have my own thoughts on AI and copyright. Honestly, I’m not too concerned about what other writers choose to do. You can absolutely copyright your work, even if AI played a small role in the editing process. Ultimately, the story is still the writer's creation. I'm currently working on a Time Traveler’s Companion, and I use Co-Pilot for some of the editing, but since it’s primarily my own writing, it’s taking me a while to finish the novel. I started the book in 2023. Yes, you can copyright almost anything creative. However, names are not copyrighted, you cannot copyright your own name unless it's a very unique name. Please do comment if you wish but keep it civil, I look over comments before approval.

My Website

Other Pen name

CG Heandez Website

Updates: Chandra's Quest & A Time Traveler's Companion

 

(For those who are new here, this is my Author's blog under the pseudonym Cecile Garcia, where I share excerpts and updates about my writing projects.) 

I am currently focused on completing part 5 of A Time Traveler’s Companion, which I plan to release on Google Play. Ultimately, I intend to compile all parts into a single novel for publication on platforms such as Amazon, Apple Books, and IngramSpark. Won't be doing the Kindle Select Program because of issues with them!

Additionally, the full-length novel eBook of Chandra’s Quest is now available on Amazon, Apple Books, and Google Play, while I continue to work on the paperback version, which I will also re-publish on Amazon. Please do visit the link in my profile to view details on books.  

UPDATE: At the moment Chandra's Quest (eBook) is unavailable on AppleBooks until July, the same  for GooglePlay. I am having issues with the Kindle Select program. Anyways, this book will eventually be available on GooglePlay and AppleBooks in a few months, please visit the link below to one of my other blog entries discussing the reasons.

Below is a link to a short video I recently made related to A Time Traveler's Companion, enjoy. The 4 incarnations of Mr. Smith. Remi at ages: 18, 21, 28, 30.

Subscribe to my channel, thank you.

A Short Video

What Can Be Copyrighted

Writers Who Use AI to Produce Multiple Books in A Month

KDP Select Program: Should You Join it?