A brilliant return to this tale, Alexander. I read back on the previous chapter just to remind myself where we were and had forgotten how much I really enjoyed these characters and this story. Looking forward to the next chapter. I’ve never been up to Orkney but like Shetland it’s a place I really want to go. Only an hour’s flight so no excuse really.
Both covers look great. Looking forward to getting my hands on the Carter book 👍🏼
Regarding AI generated images, I do still use them now and then but I have seen the backlash on here towards them so I try to use photographs where I can. Saying that, it’s easier, particularly for the fantasy tales, to use AI but as I haven’t written one of them for a while it’s not a big deal just now 😁
Thanks, Dan! Yes, it's been a minute since we last heard of Bee. She's still eager to get to Brae. Definately need to visit Orkney! Scapa distillery, too. Pity they only send to UK addresses.
Carter cover will need a little more tweaking but it will be ready before Christmas. Soon!
And yes, there is a some anti-AI sentiment going on. Although, when you browse the (Fiction) leaderboards, do you think there are newsletters on Substack with AI generated content (not only images) that have hundreds of paid susbcribers? Would be interesting to see stats on that: # AI generated newsletters vs human generated newsletters, and # of subscribers free & paid, growth rate, etc. someone probably did an excel sheet on that already. :)
I really love the descriptive prose here at the start, setting the scene and landscape. It's very vivid, and the words flow, especially this: "The sun rose in a steel-blue sky, the air was crisp, and the plains were covered with a sparkling blanket of snow, making what was supposed to be a short two-mile hike long and tedious."
And you leave us with a cliffhanger!
RE: art. I've started using more real photos from the Stock Images button where I can (I wish I were as good a photographer as you, so I could include my own!) but I still like what AI art is capable of in this medium, with the caveat that if I were to ever publish then I'd want to be paying someone if possible. I think it's a great tool for inspiration and ideas, as Nadia notes. The covers you've made look excellent.
Thanks, Nathan! Glad you liked it. I thought I end with the entrance of the bad guys, primed for some action. Maybe, not saying anything.
RE: AI, yes I feel it has become a bit lacklustre, the novelty has worn off. When I did the character sheets for Carter, I wanted to test the tech, see how good it had become within a year. No doubt, if I redid that same exercise now, the portraits would be even better. I still prefer to shoot photos instead of AI, but in practicality and given the budget needed, I can see where this is going, esp. for the creative industry. 3D body scans, actors signing away their likeness for perpetuity, voice cloning even. Yes, AI is great for ideation, and it's not going to go away, better make the best of it. After all, it's not the tool you need to worry about, it's the one who uses it.
Spine-chilling continuation and suspenseful end! I can't get enough layers on me now. I like both covers. I think it's okay to use AI as a tool to inspire you or improve your craft. It's just that, a tool.
Thanks, Nadia! RE: AI as a tool, yes, that's how I see it mostly. I have seen strong sentiment against AI images in fiction here on Substack and elsewhere, though.
A brilliant return to this tale, Alexander. I read back on the previous chapter just to remind myself where we were and had forgotten how much I really enjoyed these characters and this story. Looking forward to the next chapter. I’ve never been up to Orkney but like Shetland it’s a place I really want to go. Only an hour’s flight so no excuse really.
Both covers look great. Looking forward to getting my hands on the Carter book 👍🏼
Regarding AI generated images, I do still use them now and then but I have seen the backlash on here towards them so I try to use photographs where I can. Saying that, it’s easier, particularly for the fantasy tales, to use AI but as I haven’t written one of them for a while it’s not a big deal just now 😁
Thanks, Dan! Yes, it's been a minute since we last heard of Bee. She's still eager to get to Brae. Definately need to visit Orkney! Scapa distillery, too. Pity they only send to UK addresses.
Carter cover will need a little more tweaking but it will be ready before Christmas. Soon!
And yes, there is a some anti-AI sentiment going on. Although, when you browse the (Fiction) leaderboards, do you think there are newsletters on Substack with AI generated content (not only images) that have hundreds of paid susbcribers? Would be interesting to see stats on that: # AI generated newsletters vs human generated newsletters, and # of subscribers free & paid, growth rate, etc. someone probably did an excel sheet on that already. :)
All this atmosphere from the start! So tense and dramatic! Love it.
Thanks, Kate. Much appreciated!
A nice surprise to see a return to this story!
I really love the descriptive prose here at the start, setting the scene and landscape. It's very vivid, and the words flow, especially this: "The sun rose in a steel-blue sky, the air was crisp, and the plains were covered with a sparkling blanket of snow, making what was supposed to be a short two-mile hike long and tedious."
And you leave us with a cliffhanger!
RE: art. I've started using more real photos from the Stock Images button where I can (I wish I were as good a photographer as you, so I could include my own!) but I still like what AI art is capable of in this medium, with the caveat that if I were to ever publish then I'd want to be paying someone if possible. I think it's a great tool for inspiration and ideas, as Nadia notes. The covers you've made look excellent.
Thanks, Nathan! Glad you liked it. I thought I end with the entrance of the bad guys, primed for some action. Maybe, not saying anything.
RE: AI, yes I feel it has become a bit lacklustre, the novelty has worn off. When I did the character sheets for Carter, I wanted to test the tech, see how good it had become within a year. No doubt, if I redid that same exercise now, the portraits would be even better. I still prefer to shoot photos instead of AI, but in practicality and given the budget needed, I can see where this is going, esp. for the creative industry. 3D body scans, actors signing away their likeness for perpetuity, voice cloning even. Yes, AI is great for ideation, and it's not going to go away, better make the best of it. After all, it's not the tool you need to worry about, it's the one who uses it.
Spine-chilling continuation and suspenseful end! I can't get enough layers on me now. I like both covers. I think it's okay to use AI as a tool to inspire you or improve your craft. It's just that, a tool.
Thanks, Nadia! RE: AI as a tool, yes, that's how I see it mostly. I have seen strong sentiment against AI images in fiction here on Substack and elsewhere, though.
They can have their sentiment and you can have yours lol
What a pleasant surprise opening this newsletter and finding a new episode of TMWWD! 👏
I like your book covers! They are well done and look professional.
Thanks, Claudia! Took some time, but Bee is back. Glad you like the covers!
You‘re a star with the covers!