I thought it was high time for a catch-up on what’s happening in the Jackson Marsh world.

I have to admit to being quiet these past few weeks, although that’s only here on the blog. I’ve been rather busy working on ‘the Delamere Dilemma’ and suffering some sort of post-series confusion. If this is to be the last of the series, then what comes next?

I have all kinds of ideas, but that is becoming a problem; too many possibilities. So what do I settle on? Right now, I am completing my final read of the MS before sending it to be proofread, and then I will be in touch with Andjela about a cover. Again, there’s the issue of what to put on the cover. I’d like all nine characters from Delamere House, but that’s not possible. It would also make for a cluttered image. Part of my problem is not being able to discuss the story with you, because if I did that, I would have to give away the plot, and I don’t want that. Similarly, if I start discussing the research that has gone into this one. That’s another reason for keeping quiet about its progress, but suffice to say, it is nearly there and should be with you in July.

AI is making the world a dumber place

Meanwhile, thanks to a couple of things over which I have no control, my sales are in something of a slump. One reason for this must be to do with Amazon and their Kindle revamp, or whatever you call it. Page reads under Kindle Unlimited are now half what they were, and book sales are also about 50% down on this time last year, despite me now having more books in the catalogue.

Another reason, I reckon, is all these AI-written pieces of trash that those with no artistic bent have started ‘creating’ and putting out there. These days, you see adverts on social media along the lines of, ‘Use our AI programme and become a published author in minutes.’ I commented on one the other day, and among all the AI-generated comments (Wonderful! Changed my life! The best way of making easy money ever), I posted something like: This is disgusting. Creating a story is not about making as much money from as little work as possible and putting out a derivative piece of crap generated by a computer, plus a similar plastic cover, and then saying you are a published author. AI is purely about making money, but while that’s happening, the work of genuine writers is becoming swamped by AI-generated fakes. Worse, people are buying this shit and thinking this is what novel writing is!

I stay well clear of anything that has a cartoon cover (whether AI-generated or not), and I stay well away from anything that smacks of AI style in the blurb, let alone the text.

AI-generated ‘novels’ are as bad and tacky as these AI-generated/worded messages I get every day from people allegedly wanting to help me sell my books. We’ve spoken about this before; how there are now millions of new reading groups and book clubs, radio stations and organisations with mailing lists of impossible numbers dedicated solely to books like mine, and would I like to send my MS to [name of famous publisher] for consideration? It will only cost me £750.00 but I’ll get feedback – AI-generated feedback from put into an email by a no-hoper hoping to make easy money out of gullible writers.

As my dad would have said, they can Foxtrot Oscar.

So, yes, I am not only angry at the number of stupid people who are using writers’ creativity as a way of scamming for money, but I am also mightily fed up with these revolting advertisements suggesting anyone can make a fortune overnight by becoming an ‘author’ if you let a computer write your book for you. Ultimately, this is heading towards the end of any kind of living for the genuine indie artist and a massive dumbing down of the general population, thanks to the use of artificial means. Tell me how a computer can inject human emotion, writing quirks, individual style and humour into a delicate story, or even a full-blown action mystery, and make that novel novel. Anyone?

Anyway… I shall press on, earning less each month while physically writing more, because that is what I do, and that is all I can do.

After that little rant (and it was only a little one) I shall return to trawling my MS for the last time, and let you know more about it next week.