AI Use

Posted on September 11, 2024 by walterh

This is not as much about me or AI but more a comment on current situations. Like everyone, I get a ton of spam. And like most writers out there, I consider AI-generated content to be complete and utter bullshit. What is AI good for? It’s good for doing medical research. It’s great for looking at X-rays and detecting breast cancer. It’s even good for spotting trends and giving people options for moving forward.

But it’s NOT suitable for writing. Not in the sense that 90% of people believe. Why? Because true writing is a work of passion, and computers don’t have passion. If you use AI to write something for you, you’re going to end up with bland, generic, pasty-ass mediocre bullshit.

This morning, I got a spam message that came from my own domain name (walterwrites.com) – except it looked a little off. And that’s when I noticed it wasn’t a .com, but a .ai extension. So I looked it up, and apparently, there’s a new AI writing service that has a domain that is nearly identical to my own, and it’s there to help people use AI for writing so that it’s “undetectable” as AI.

Let me be clear: you can use AI for many things. You can even use it as a sounding board to listen to your ideas and get feedback. But in the end, only an author can actually put pen to paper or fill out a blank page with a soul-filled manuscript. Everyone can see if you use AI to do the actual writing. Maybe not at first, but AI-generated works lack the empathetic, heart-filled words that humans can only create.

I don’t wish that similarly-named AI website harm. But at the same time, I don’t wish them success, either. They’re the problem with what’s happening in today’s writing world.

Audiobooks and Cover Reveals and Pre-Orders – Oh, My!

Posted on May 12, 2021 by walterh

Interested in Audiobooks?

The most fun thing about writing is doing the audiobook version, and Foundations of Love was no different. You get to hear auditions from voice actors, and if you’re lucky, you find one that matches the voices of your characters perfectly.

We were really lucky!

Foundations of Love is now an audiobook that’s live on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes! And we really think you’re going to like the narrator. He really picked up on the subtle cues that we had for each character and ran with them. His name is Ian Lockheart – remember that. He’s agreed to narrate our complete Hart’s Square series!

If you want to pick up the audiobook version of Foundations of Love, you can find it here:

Amazon at this link
Audible at this link
iTunes Bookstore at this link

Cover Reveal & Pre-Order!

The next book in our Hart’s Square series is titled AI Think I Love You – and it’s a unique take on a romance book. We went back and forth on the cover, but I think this one that we decided on came out perfect. What about you?

You can click on the cover and it’ll take you over to Amazon where the book is available for pre-order! The book will go live and be available on May 20th, so just eight short days away. Or if you’re a member of Kindle Unlimited, this book will be part of KU starting on the 20th. Here’s a little blurb from the book (which you can also click):

Joe Markarian was sick of every decision being made for him, so he got out from under his father’s thumb after college by joining the Air Force. He’s just about to re-enlist when he gets word that his estranged father is in the hospital, and needs his help.

Riley McCoy is a genius – just ask him – who’s been looking for love in all the wrong people. He has good friends, a niece he dotes on, and a sister who tolerates him, but he yearns for a love of his own. If only he didn’t keep moving too fast and scaring his partners off.

Joe and Riley are surprised to see each other at Markarian Scientific the morning after their unconventional first meeting. Joe’s taking care of his dad’s business, and Riley is the chief scientist in charge of the project. Will they be able to keep things professional, or will a snarky AI change their lives forever?

That’s it for now, friends!. Remember – keep reading, stay awesome, and be well!

So THAT Happened

Posted on March 19, 2021 by walterh

So much has gone on, and I have been really bad at updating the blog here. But things are still going on – and a lot of them are good! And we need good news these days.

I’m happy to announce that the first book in the Hart’s Square romance series, Foundations of Love, has been published! It’s out there on the interwebs. Even better, it’s FREE! Yes! All it’ll cost you is maybe a couple cups of tea or coffee and maybe a nice scone or cinnamon roll as you pick up your tablet, pull up the book, and then spend a couple hours with Keelan and Peter as they work through their baggage and figure out what they mean to one another.

Want it? You can find it right here at StoryOrigins

If you’re interested, pop over and grab it. And I should say that there will also be an audiobook version, though, sadly, that one won’t be free. But we’ll probably get some promo codes if you want one!

Foundations of Love is a prequel to the Hart’s Square series of books. The first book in the series will be published within just a few weeks, and the second book is being written right now. Matter of fact, I’m actually supposed to be writing it right now, but instead, I’m doing this.

I really hope you like not only this book, but all of the books to come! We’ve got a lot in store.

So Many Updates!

Posted on December 30, 2019 by walterh

Even though I’m working far too much in my non-writing life, and we have a puppy that is taking all of the rest of my time, I’ve still managed to get a few things completed in my writer’s life.

First off, of course, I published the second book in my Migration series, Migration: Knowledge. It’s been for sale only on Amazon, and available on Kindle Unlimited. But with that expiring today, the book has now been submitted to SmashWords! And the nice thing about SmashWords is that it makes your book available at lots of other retailers, so it will be available soon on Apple Books, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble.

Second, because our schedules synced up so well, narrator Gary Noon and I were able to produce an audiobook for Migration: Knowledge as well. You should be able to find it on Amazon, Audible, and Apple Books.

Finally, if you’re interested in listening to either audiobook, Migration: Beginnings or Migration: Knowledge – for free – then let me know! I have promo codes available for each book. All I ask is that if you would like the book, you consider leaving a review. Reviews help authors out!

Time Waits for No Writer

Posted on November 25, 2019 by walterh

So you know the old saying, “Time waits for no man” or whatever it is? Yeah, it applies to writers. Especially writers like me, who are mired in too much real life, and not enough writing.

I published Migration: Knowledge, the second book in my Migration series a few weeks ago, and it’s been mostly quiet. I took advantage of the quiet to grab Gary Noon, who narrated Migration: Beginnings, and asked if he’d be willing to continue with the series. I figured it might take a while, because life gets in the way for all of us. But Gary was able to start sooner than I anticipated, and viola – finished between one blink and the next. It was pretty amazing.

As a result, I was able to finalize the recording for Migration: Knowledge this afternoon, and it’s off to ACX/Audible for them to check. Not only that, but we cleared the Audible deadline for audiobooks to make it in time for Christmas by a few days. That warms the coal that in my writerly heart.

So if you’re like most people and are interested in audiobooks these days, how about the gift of a book for the winter holidays? We’re almost there!

Book Launch Day!

Posted on October 1, 2019 by walterh

Today’s the launch of my new book, Migration: Knowledge! I’m really happy with the book, and am sitting back anxiously, hoping to hear good things from readers. So if you’re interested, head over to Amazon and pick it up!

For the first three months, Migration: Knowledge will be available only on Amazon.com. You can pick it up through Amazon for $1.99, or you can read it for free through Kindle Unlimited. After an initial period, the book will become available worldwide on other platforms.

Here’s the blurb:

Migration Series – Meet the Characters!

Posted on September 28, 2019 by walterh

So I have been learning about this publishing process as I go along. No, it’s not easy, and yes, I’ve gotten quite a bit wrong along the way. A few of my writer friends start with a prequel that lets you whet your whistle and take the characters out for a spin so that, when the first book in a series comes out, you already know the characters a bit. And some will actually go through and create images of their characters for you to see.

Well for me, I’ve gotten most of this wrong. Or rather, done it out of sequence. The first book is out, the second book is due to be published in mere days, and I’m working on the third book. After that, I’ll work on the prequel. Sure, it won’t do you, current reader, any good. But it’ll be easier to bring people into the fold with a prequel.

But the thing that I’ve gotten somewhat right is character images. If you haven’t read either book yet, or even if you have, I invite you to head over to the Migration series character pages to meet the top five characters. Link: https://www.walterwrites.com/migration-series-characters/

Migration: Knowledge – Cover Reveal and Pre-Release Sale!

Posted on September 26, 2019 by walterh

So we are just under a week away from the release of Migration: Knowledge, the sequel to Migration: Beginnings. And since we’re so close, I thought I’d do a cover reveal. Well, I already revealed it on Twitter and Instagram, but forgot to do it here. So here we go!

Click on the cover and it will take you to Amazon. Migration: Knowledge will be on Amazon Kindle Unlimited for the first three months, and then be released to Kobo, Apple, and other bookstores.

Migration: Beginnings – The Audiobook!

Posted on August 21, 2019 by walterh

It took a bit of time to complete the whole process, but Migration: Beginnings is now available as an auidiobook! If you’re interested, head on over to Audible to find it.

And if you’d like, ping me (email or Twitter), because I can give you a promo code to get the book at either a reduced price or for free (Audible just gives you the codes – I can’t tell how it actually works!). They only work in the US or UK, so if you’re outside of one of these two countries, my apologies.

But I’m so glad it’s here!

Beta Read, Anyone?

Posted on July 21, 2019 by walterh

How would you like to be my new best friend? ::grin::

So the sequel to Migration: Beginnings is finally at a stage where I can send it to beta readers. The only thing is, I’m so small time that I don’t have a following like more prolific authors do. It took a couple of years to get the sequel finished, and even before then, the original book was published in 2016, then rewritten from scratch and republished in 2018. Yes, I’m a wee bit slow – but I’m working on it!

The new book, Migration: Knowledge, is ready to go, with the exception of a final edit by a professional editor (which is scheduled for mid next month) and currently there’s no cover art. Hopefully that will be resolved asap as well.

If you’re interested, ping me! Message me online (Twitter, my website, etc) and I can get you a copy!

Walter's Writing Blog

The Blog of author Walter Hopgood