Welcome to the middle of July (almost). I live smack dab in the middle of the US and it’s been overly hot. The last few days, there’s been a reprieve, so I find myself in my favorite place as I write this—my deck. I haven’t written by the pool—my other favorite spot—this season. The remodel changed the dynamic and my table is now on the opposite side. It feels “off” so I’ll have to ease into it. Plus, I’m also trying to spend less time on my computer and more time relaxing to give my body time to heal from my autoimmune disease.

Recently, news of AI-generated “books” on Amazon hit the news. You may see them in the best-seller charts on Amazon, or they may pop up on your Kindle as suggestions for your reading. The problem? These aren’t books written by human authors like me. These books are “written”—and I use the term books and written loosely—by AI bots who developed their writing chops by absorbing the content in real authors’ books—without their permission and without compensation—and then regurgitating the mish-mashed results and selling them to people expecting original stories. Some may have been generated by real people hoping to game the system and get a jump on the market by creating “books” fast. A quality read may not be their end-game, so reader beware.

I don’t know about you, but I enjoy reading books written by human authors and have developed a long list of authors I absolutely love. I strive to support them by buying their books, reading them, and then reviewing them. I also love finding new authors and supporting them. Why? One, because I know I will enjoy reading them. Two, writing a book is hard work, requiring hundreds of hours of creative thinking, writing, editing, etc., and authors deserve to be paid for their time. Readers can purchase an ebook for less than a cup of coffee, and few authors actually make a living wage writing them. Yes, it’s true. Supporting authors allows them to continue to create books you love, books they write themselves.

Everything you read from me, I wrote. Myself. No AI involved. Why? Because I’m a writer and writer’s write. That’s my rant today as I struggle (and love) creating stories for humans by a human.

Last month’s drawing was for Bridge to Us—congratulations to Sandra W.

This month’s drawing is for an ebook copy of On a City Street by Pat Wahler. It’s a sweet romance story with hints of humor and mystery.

To earn your chance to read the first book in the Becker Family series, click any link in the newsletter (each click earns one entry), and for two additional entries, share this email on any social media and email me a link or screenshot. Each share also earns an entry to win a signed copy of one of my paperbacks (sorry, US only for this one).

Act Fast!

It’s been ages since Elemental Tales went on sale. You’ve got FIVE days to grab it for free (July 11-15). This book of longer short stories contains something for almost every reading taste.

And in celebration of summer—one of Mom’s favorite seasons—her memoir, I Want to Live! is free for the next THREE days (July 11-13).

Take advantage of the following book promotions to fill up your Kindle and get the full use of your reading summer (click the pictures)

With each mailing, I try to share other books you might be interested in. Some I’ve read, others I haven’t, but they all show potential to be good fits for my subscribers. Click the pictures to check them out.

Thank you for your continued support.

With Light, Love, and Appreciation,

Author of Bridge to Us