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.

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