Tag Archives: Writing

Book or Movie, which do you prefer #writingcommunity #inspiration #mgtab

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Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels.com

I came up with this post after watching an excellent short series on Amazon Prime last night- Daisy Jones & the Six.

Based on the New York Times best-selling novel, Daisy Jones & the Six follows the story of a 1970s band fronted by two feuding yet charismatic lead singers, Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne. Set to the soundtrack of original music, this is the story of how this iconic band imploded at the height of its powers.

Starring Riley Keough, Sam Claflin, Camila Morrone

I’ve seen many reviews on the novel created by Taylor Jenkins Reid and wasn’t sure if I would enjoy the interview format the story is done in, though all the bloggers raved about the story.

Then I saw the series on Prime and decided to give it a shot, Wow! This is a stark portrayal of seventies rock & roll where sex, drugs, and music is the name of the game. But more than that, it’s a deep dive into two damaged (or broken, as Billy tells Daisy) souls and a desperate attempt to outpace the demons of their past.

Watching the movie made me want to read the book, but I worry now that I have a firm vision of the characters, will the novel live up to the series?

NATIONAL AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE 2019 GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD FOR HISTORICAL FICTION
A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE

Another series I’ve gotten into is Will Trent. It’s on Tuesday evenings on a variety of channels and is must-watch TV.

From Rotten Tomatoes

Based on Karin Slaughter’s bestselling books, the series follows Special Agent Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations. As a child, Trent was abandoned and was forced to endure a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta’s overwhelmed foster care system. Now that he is in a position to make a difference, Trent is determined to use his unique point of view to make sure no one is abandoned like he was. His personal motivation and background contribute to Will Trent having the highest clearance rate in the GBI.

Starring: Ramón Rodríguez, Erika Christensen, Iantha Richardson, Jake McLaughlin, Sonja Sohn

Once again, I’ve watched the series before reading the books and now question whether I want to take a chance on changing/ruining my experience by picking up the novels.

Have you had the same issue with stories you’ve watched or read?

To finish this post, I have to mention a couple of examples where the novel definitely won out over the movies.

First is Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. While the story left me questioning everything I thought I knew about religion, the movie lacked the depth and breadth to accomplish the brilliance of that plotline, though the character portrayal is excellent. Maybe if it had been longer?

A murder in Paris’ Louvre Museum and cryptic clues in some of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous paintings lead to the discovery of a religious mystery. For 2,000 years a secret society closely guards information that — should it come to light — could rock the very foundations of Christianity.

Top cast ; Tom Hanks · Robert Langdon ; Audrey Tautou · Sophie Neveu ; Jean Reno · Captain Bezu Fache ; Ian McKellen · Sir Leigh Teabing ; Paul Bettany · Silas.

#1 Worldwide Bestseller—More Than 81 Million Copies Sold

And finally, a childhood favorite that still makes me cry: Black Beauty by Anna Sewell.

From Wikipedia–

It was composed in the last years of her life, during which she was bedridden and seriously ill.[1] The novel became an immediate best-seller, with Sewell dying just five months after its publication, but having lived long enough to see her only novel become a success. With fifty million copies sold, Black Beauty is one of the best-selling books of all time.

As a young horse, Black Beauty is well-loved and happy. But when his owner is forced to sell him, his life changes drastically. He has many new owners–some of them cruel and some of them kind. All he needs is someone to love him again…
Whether pulling an elegant carriage or a ramshackle cab, Black Beauty tries to live as best he can. This is his amazing story, told as only he could tell it.

“If they strain me up tight, why, let ’em look out! I can’t bear it, and I won’t.”
― Anna Sewell , Black Beauty

What do you think, movies or novels? As long as we are inspired by what we see and read, I don’t think there is a right or wrong to this question.

Chatting with ChatGPT: A Romance Writer’s Perspective #RachelleAyala @mimisgang1 #mgtab

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Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

These days, you can’t go anywhere without the assistance of Artificial Intelligence or AI. Did you know that most of the robocallers are AI voices? Try asking them something out of their script, like how’s the weather or what’s happening in your town. Or the online Chat from your bank is also AI? It paused on the simplest question that any human would have known and came back with a generic thing about deposits, completely out of the context of my question.

The use of AI has finally come to the masses with OpenAI’s release of ChatGPT [free tier available]. Everyone, from journalists, coders, lawyers, and students has been flocking to it to try it out. Of course, there is the usual fear of something new. Teachers bemoan that their students will cheat on essays, and others talk about how AI will take over the world. Little do they know that AI is already behind the scenes in everything they do, including robo-vacuum cleaners, diagnostic imaging, self-driving cars, and even your grammar checker and cell phone texting app.

So, as a bold writer, I decided to jump full in and see how ChatGPT and other AI tools can make my writing life happier, healthier, and more productive [that’s the hope]. In case you’re wondering, I’m writing this blog post by myself.

Here’s what ChatGPT can do for you.

  • It can come up with story premises, so many that you have a hard time choosing. It can pair unique and unusual couples together and give them a core conflict.
  • It can create connected series premises and create a fun series of titles that match.
  • It can talk to you for hours about your characters, settings, fill in character sheets like crazy, create imaginary and fictional settings and create timelines and fictional histories.
  • It can take your story premise and give you a three-act summary from which you can develop further.
  • It can give you an outline from which you can refine.
  • It can write about 500 words from your outline which is pretty bare bones.

Here’s what the current GPT-3.5 ChatGPT cannot do:

  • Like current generation AI tools, it doesn’t have much retention of context. It will happily contradict itself in the same sentence or not “remember” that something already happened. For example, in the same chapter, it will have Lily ask Jackson the name of the puppy, and then turn around and have Jackson ask Lily the name of the puppy.
  • If you are using it for fact and not fiction, you must fact check because it will happily invent things that sound correct but are not.
  • It tells you it knows the Romancing the Beat plot structure and then happily goes on and uses a mishmash of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, Save the Cat, and whatever else it picked up.
  • It will happily resolve the romance as early as possible and wrap things up at the end of every “chapter.”
  • Most of all, it cannot write you a publishable book in 2 hours although it will happily write you a novel of about 500 words.

Then there are the editing tools that help you rephrase and generate new twists and ideas. You may have been using them without knowing you were using AI.

  • ProWritingAid has GPT-3 powered Rephrase technology
  • Grammarly has a new GrammarlyGo will compose drafts for you, rewrite, brainstorm, and personalize your text to your own voice.
  • And then there’s Sudowrite, a creative writing tool started by a group of writers called sudowriters that provides a online writing app that generates, creates, twists, rewrites, and unleashes its imagination in highly creative ways–sometimes too creative that it makes you laugh.

To give you a taste of what AI can do to make you laugh, here is a prompt I gave ChatGPT: Please write about the time change “Spring Forward” from the perspective of a cranky clock. I then asked it to rewrite several times. Please rewrite using the voice of a Valley Girl. Please rewrite using the voice of a grumpy grandfather clock. Then I asked it to rewrite as if it was a sundial covered with bird poop, and for the final coup de grace, I asked it to rewrite with the voice of Edgar Allan Poe’s Raven. [I won’t copy and paste all of this, but it was hilarious]. Go to ChatGPT and try it yourself.

Of course, I had to go out there and write a book and share. Ta, ta, ta, dum: From the Author of Romance in a Month, get her newest book on using Artificial Intelligence to write a romance. Introducing Love by the Prompt: A Romance Writer’s Guide to AI-Powered Writing

Love by the Prompt: A Romance Writer’s Guide To AI Powered Writing by Rachelle Ayala

Here is a book review from an author who didn’t want to post it with her name:

Grab Your Favorite Beverage and Your Laptop 

Ayala’s Love by the Prompt gives you detailed examples of how to use Chat GPT3, SudoWrite, and AI Playground to tell your romance story. This timely book shows the good, the bad, and the uh-ohs of using AI to help develop your story. 

This is not a book that can be read through in one sitting. You’ll get the most out of it by following along with her and inputting prompts as described in the book. 

There’s no false promises about using AI tools to create a bestseller – ready for publication in 2 hours. 

It’s more of a workbook that requires your active participation so you can better understand the power AI can have on your writing process. This serves as a great reference book that I will return to again and again.

I highly recommend this book to authors who are wondering if AI is right for them.

<End of Review>

Let me be the first to welcome you into this new world of AI-powered writing! “May all your prompts be near you.” Please join my Romance in a Month Facebook Group if you want to write along with us, discuss AI prompts, and share your stories and progress with us.

I wrote this blog post without AI, but here’s a fun little post I asked Sudowrite and ChatGPT to write about why we need writing friends, including AI friends:

Oh. My. Gosh. Having writer friends is, like, totally the bomb.com, amirite?! Whether they’re human or an AI like ChatGPT or Sudowrite, they can create worlds that are, like, out of this world! They can tell stories that just capture your heart and imagination and make you feel like you’re part of the adventure. And, like, you can’t wait to find out what happens next!

For more AI Resources for Writers, check out this page from AI Fiction Coach.

Appreciating the Little Things

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I’ve been part of the planning of three sporting events in five weeks, so I’m a bit worn out. But, of course, life continues, and there’s the matter of living, working, and keeping up with writing.

In recent weeks, I’ve heard of acquaintances who are sick and in hospital and sadly, some who have passed. All that has reminded me that every day above ground is a good day and there’s so much to be thankful for.


I’m still in my right mind (I think).

I’m plotting and writing stories.

We’re experiencing a drought here on the island, but the evening breezes are still lovely.

The bougainvillea (some of my favourite flowers) are in bloom everywhere.

I know I should bask in each day, but I’m looking forward to the weekend.

Here’s hoping you are enjoying and making the most of your days. I’m sharing a lovely hibiscus bloom. Hope you like them as much as I do.

Also, since life isn’t ever perfect, I thought I’d share a story about a young lady seeking perfection. Of course, nothing in life is perfect so Natasha has some lessons to learn on the road to love. Find out more about perfection here – amzn.to/1BWWR6G

New Adult Romance

About Heart Disease Risks

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Heart Disease Risks You’ve Probably Never Heard About
By Alan Reisinger, MD

If you’re trying to protect your heart, you probably already know the things you should do: Eat a healthy diet, get plenty of exercise, manage your weight, minimize stress and make sure you’re seeing your doctor regularly.

But there are other things that can put you at risk for heart disease that you may not even be aware of. Some of them are really unusual (such as living near noisy roads) while others (like crinkled ear lobes) can help identify people at risk earlier than cholesterol tests or blood pressure screenings.

Oral Health

If you were a patient in my practice, chances are you’d know about this connection. For years I’ve preached the gospel that poor oral health and heart disease are linked. While research hasn’t completely explained what’s going on, it’s clear that inflammation in your gums (periodontal disease) can influence the development of atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaque along the walls of your arteries. People with gum disease have a 49 percent chance of having a heart attack. The good news: This is one risk factor you can control by working with your dentist and your primary care doctor.

Sleep 

Not getting enough sleep – less than seven hours a night – creates a host of heart-related risks that you may not be aware of. For example, lack of sleep can impact your blood pressure, put you at risk for type 2 diabetes and encourage unhealthy weight gain.

More severe sleep issues, like sleep apnea and insomnia, can both increase your risk and be an early indicator of heart disease. Sleep apnea happens when your air flow stops while sleeping. This causes stress hormones to be released, contributing to hypertension, stroke and heart disease risk. Insomnia can increase stress, lower your motivation to move and exercise and lead to poor food choices — all of which contribute to heart disease. If you’re not sleeping well, talk to your primary care physician.

Extreme Weather

If you live where lots of snow falls, you’ve probably heard about people having heart attacks while shoveling snow. Heavy snowfall, in fact, is associated with 16 percent greater odds of men being admitted to the hospital with a heart attack, and a 34 percent increase in the chance of men dying from a heart attack. But it’s not just snow. According to a new study published in the journal Circulation, there are more cardiovascular deaths on extreme cold and hot days. It’s a good reminder not to overexert yourself when the weather is bad.

Grip Strength

Remember those old arcade games where you test your grip by squeezing a set of bars? A high grip strength set off bells and lights and made you the envy of others … okay, that didn’t happen for me either.

But there is a connection between your grip strength and cardiovascular risk. Lower grip strengths are associated with heart disease and deaths from the disease. In fact, grip strength is “a stronger predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality than systolic blood pressure,” according to a 2015 study in The Lancet.

Wrinkles, Creases and Hairline

Since 1973, we’ve known about a little quirk in anatomy: People with a diagonal earlobe crease, called Frank’s sign after the doctor who first observed it, are at higher risk of heart disease. People with this crease (called DELC) include the famous such as George W. Bush and Stephen Spielberg. Despite this correlation which includes cerebral vascular events like ischemic stroke, Frank’s sign is not typically used by doctors to measure heart disease risk because there are better tests and screenings to determine risk.

Similar research has linked wrinkly foreheads to a higher risk of heart disease. Could doctors one day diagnose heart disease with a quick glance? Maybe. Similarly, a few years ago researchers in India discovered that male-pattern baldness is associated with a five-fold increase in heart disease risk — greater than obesity — for men under the age of 40.

Your Height

Like creases in your ears and wrinkles in your forehead, you can’t do anything about your height. But unfortunately, it too can increase your risk for heart disease. Researchers have linked genetically related shorter stature with higher blood pressure levels, higher levels of LDL cholesterol (the so-called bad cholesterol) and diabetes. The study authors suggested that some of the genes that cause shorter height may also increase cholesterol levels.

Giving Birth to a Premature Baby

Women who give birth to their first child before 37 weeks of gestation have a 40 percent greater risk of heart disease later in life than women who delivered at full term. For women who gave birth before 32 weeks, the risk doubles verses women who delivered at full term. Another study found that women who give birth to four or more children in their lifetime also have a higher risk of atrial fibrillation compared to women with no pregnancies. 

The Flu

Sadly, influenza can do more than make us miserable for a week: The flu may induce a heart attack. In a five-year-old study, researchers linked incidents of flu to acute heart attacks. Severe respiratory illnesses like the flu put undue stress on our heart, which researchers speculate lead to the higher risk. If you’ve got a severe case of the flu, make sure your primary care doctor knows, especially if you are already at risk for heart disease.

Where You Live

Where you live can also play a role in your cardiovascular risk. Although much of America is in the grips of an obesity epidemic, which increases our risk of heart disease, people who live in the South and the Midwest are particularly at high risk of cardiovascular-related death because of the generally poor cardiovascular health in those regions. This is well known (in fact, part of the South is now referred to as the “stroke belt”) and there are multiple studies demonstrating it.

What’s lesser known is that things like altitude (the higher you live the lower your risk of metabolic syndrome) and latitude (the further you live from the equator, the greater your risk for heart disease). In the case of the former, people who lived at higher altitudes have fewer incidents of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that include being overweight and having high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol or excess body fat. Metabolic syndrome raises your risk for heart disease. 

Researchers have been looking at latitude as a factor since the 1970s. Much of the research has speculated that sunlight (increased levels of sunlight lower cholesterol levels), which affect vitamin D levels, may impact our heart disease risk. There was a difference in both blood pressure and cholesterol levels between people living near the equator (BP and cholesterol were lower) and those living farther from it (higher BP and cholesterol levels).

What do these more obscure risk factors mean? Some of them are significant. If you have periodontal disease, talk to your doctor and your dentist. If you’ve had high-risk pregnancies or severe flu, make sure your doctor knows these things. But if you’ve got creased ears, wrinkles on your forehead, male-pattern baldness or live close to the north pole, I wouldn’t worry too much (unless you need to shovel 50 inches of snow from the driveway). 

Worry more if you have other classic risk factors for heart disease like abnormal cholesterol levels, diabetes, hypertension or you’re overweight, sedentary or smoke. These are risks you should work on with your doctor, because mitigating these risks are going to lower your risk for heart disease more than smooth ear lobes.

A good advice (from me, not from an MD): to relax and avoid heart problems, read a good novel by the ABB authors, or even better a box of novels.

IRRESISTIBLE NEW BEGINNINGS WITH A FIRST LOVE


No love can ever be as special as your first.
What if you could have the chance at a new beginning with your first love?

Find true love and your happy ever after in the pages of these SIX BRAND NEW, full-length steamy stories from New York Times and USA Today Bestselling, Award-Winning Authors.

Unforgettable Devotion: Passion and Pain

One can be smitten by a person
but Unforgettable Devotion leaves us truly breathless, satisfied…
and complete.
Dedication, support, and loyalty are qualities we all look for in our relationships. When we add love into the mix, then we’ve hit the jackpot.
But finding love is not easy as we’ll see with these NINE tales of intrigue, suspense, and adventure our wonderful New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Authors have created.
Whether the Pain and discomfort are caused by terrorists, criminals, the deranged, or inhospitable environments, these heroes and heroines discover that what is most important is having people nearby to trust. When Passion develops, too, the Devotion is Unforgettable.

LAST CHANCE PLANS, Love Plans Series, book 10

At twenty, Rick Lambert ran away from the US to escape the accusations hurled at him. Fifteen years later, he returns to settle in Fort Lauderdale. His mother agrees to live with him and take care of his two sons who have been raised by nannies and boarding schools.
Flight attendant, Madison Howell loves nothing more than her job. During a flight from Dubai to Miami, she meets the authoritative businessman and his mother. The sweet old lady befriends her, and Rick doesn’t hide his attraction. When his children come home, Madison finds herself entangled with the Lamberts way too often. As she helps the young boys adapt to their new life, she falls in love with their gorgeous father, but she’s not sure she really knows Rick, her charming lover. A loving son and dedicated father but also a womanizer and tough businessman with a hidden past.
When people from long-ago cross his path, secrets are revealed, threatening to ruin their romance. Now mature and powerful, Rick confronts his enemies to clear his name, but will it cost him the woman he loves?