I was checking on my Goodreads groups yesterday, and I noticed that I have a lot of messages that I just haven't been able to get to. It's not that I don't want to participate in the groups, but I just don't have the time. Anyway, I am going to try to do the October Read: The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe and Every Last Year by Alex Finlay.  There's also a multiyear challenge that looks interesting...it's called read the alphabet. You start with A and read a book that begins with that letter of the alphabet. It'll probably take me more than a year, but I would like to see if I could do it.  I started it once before, but I stopped at G or H. My only bright spot on Goodreads is that I'm almost done with my Reading Challenge for the year. I'm at 11 of 12 books, so at least I've got that going for me.  I've only had to books that were a bit disappointing - Paris and The Irish Castle. I was hoping that they would be good, but they just let me down. It was a struggle to finish them, and I don't like that at all. The two best ones were Deja Dead and the Complete Noves of Sherlock Holmes.  Anyway, I'm making a new effort to participate more in my Goodreads Groups, maybe I'll do better this time. 
​Until next time...

I'm not sure what my post should be about today. I try to have a subject picked out, but today, my thoughts are all over the place. I have had to make some changes to my author expenses...as I'm sure everyone knows; everything keeps going up. It makes it harder, for an indie author, to keep everything moving. Somedays I feel like I'm not making any progress at all, and others it's more like one baby step at a time. I've been receiving a lot of good comments about my latest mystery, The Fatal Truth, which is always a boost. I don't think readers really understand how much your positive comments really help. It really gives that extra push when things aren't going well, and you need that little something to get you across the finish line. I'm getting close to publishing my next Bible study, which is exciting...a lot of work, but exciting. I'm also trying to write my first single novel, but lately my 9-6 job, house chores, and errands keep getting in the way. If I could get this first draft done, then at least the story would be out of my head and on paper. I've also been getting a lot of "spam" promotional calls, which do nothing but fill up my voicemail with promises that are too expensive for me to even explore.  Why does promotional activity costs so much? Anyway, I guess that's enough for now. 
​Until next time...

I've seen and read a lot about the new AI apps and ChatGPT programs, and my curiosity was peaked. I downloaded an art AI app on my tablet and decided to do some sketches for my characters in my Kathy Hamilton series. I have to say that it really made me think about what those characters really look like and trying to put in the right description to get the same result in my head was a little challenging. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the results that I got. I did a couple of variations for three of my characters (Kathy, Stacey, and Michael) and I also did an AI rendering of what the town of Rosemont might look like. Having those AI renderings in front of me really gave my characters a more 'life-like' feel and I can't wait to share them in my newsletter bonus material. I'm not sold on the idea of creating stories with ChatGPT or somehow 'filling in gaps' either because I believe there are some things or aspects of writing that only an author/writer can create. The creative and original element can only come from an author or writer because of our ability to imagine and dream something, I don't believe, a computer can duplicate. And so,
while AI may have some uses, I think the creatin of stories should be left in the hands of writers and authors where it can grow and become something magical. 
Until next time...

My post for today is about newsletter extras. This week I've watched a few videos about how to improve my mailing list. They talked about the right way to send emails, how often you should send them, etc. However, the one thing that stuck out to me was the section on newsletter bonus material. It's something that I've given a great deal of thought because what might seem like a bonus to one person may not be to another. So, I've considered including extra material related to my books, phone wallpapers, bookmarks, and puzzle sheets. I really want to include good 'bonuses' because I do appreciate my subscribers. They have given me some of their valuable time and I would like to give them something just a valuable. I've been working on some mystery phone wallpapers that I think turned out well.  There's two more that I'm working on for my bible study books...that way I cover all of my books. Anyway, it seems like everyone has an opinion about this newsletter thing and how it should be done. I think the only way to really know what works is trial and error.  That's not my favorite way to do things, but in this case, I think it's the way I have to go.  If you would like to sign up for my On-the-Scene newsletter, just click this link On-the-Scene Link.  You'll get my FREE prequel story to my Kathy Hamilton mystery series, and I also include other "extras" along the way in the anniversary sign-up emails I send out.  Every year on the month you sign-up I like to celebrate with a little extra something as a thank you to you for coming onboard. So, click the link and start your new mystery journey.
​Until next time...