Sharon L. Clark

Sharon L. Clark, Author

Category: Messages From Sharon Page 1 of 4

As an author of great romance and suspense novels, Messages from Sharon L. Clark offers some of her personal insights for her readers.

New Year, New Adventures

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On January 28, 2025

In Messages From Sharon

Where does the time go? It seems to have been nearly TWO MONTHS since my last blog post. How is that even possible? I have had this on my to-do list for a long time, but somehow I keep misplacing the list and starting new ones and then forgetting to put this on the list and…well, you get the idea.

So, let’s do a little catch-up, shall we?

The end of 2024 was a bit of a wild ride around Chez Clark:

  • We packed up our lives and moved out of the house we’d had for twenty years and settled – are still settling – into a new house in a new city at the end of October. My husband started a new job, and I took on a bigger role in the company he’s been running for the last ten-or-so years.
  • My first novel released in paperback in mid-November, officially released on December 3rd. I got to hold a book signing event, absolutely tickled by all of the new and familiar faces that showed up for me. Also, Book Two in my Enderlin Calling Series was picked up by my publisher, and should be out in the world late spring or early summer of this year. I can’t wait!
  • I drove to and from Arizona after Christmas to visit our daughter and her husband, and that drive is something I hope to never do again. It started out with pea-soup fog for HOURS, and the drive back was longer than anticipated and a bit stressful due to a misbehaving vehicle. The time with our family was fantastic, but I’ll fly from now on, thankyouverymuch.
  • The new year has been busy so far, but not too chaotic. In this, the apparent 15th week of January, I am making plans to get myself and my book out into the world and in front of readers. I have a handful of author events* scheduled in the next few months, and am looking into some others later in the year. It is both exhilarating and terrifying, to be honest. I love the thought of talking to readers about my work, but the idea of sitting at a table all day, alone, people walking by while trying not to make eye contact…well.
*Sign up for my newletter for details about scheduled appearances. 

Moving into 2025, I’m ready to get back into the swing of things, to settle into a new routine. My writing has been a bit sporadic, to put it mildly, for the past year, and I am once again craving that creative outlet. Which is a good thing, since I have two more books in my series to finish and a slew of other ideas begging for a chance to play.

Now if I can just get the monkey that is my brain to sit still for five seconds, this could be my most amazing year yet.

How is your year shaping up so far? What plans are in the works to help make this your year? Drop me a message and let me know what you’re most looking forward to.

Giving Books is a Gift for the Reader AND the Writer

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On December 2, 2024

In Book Reviews, Messages From Sharon

Picking gifts for the people in your life can be stressful and chaotic. Especially when you have a grab-bag or Secret Santa situation. How do you know what to choose?

Books. Gifting a book is almost always a winning choice.

I don’t know about you, but walking into a bookstore is both heaven and hell for me. I love all the possibilities, all the different genres and gorgeous covers promising to whisk me away to a magical land or into a whirlwind (imaginary) romance. But all the possibilities can be a bit overwhelming, too.

So. Many. Choices.

There are a ton of options out there and even looking through various best-seller lists or celebrity recommendations can be overwhelming. How on earth do you find something good by an author you’ve (likely) never heard of before? If you don’t want to freeze like a deer in the headlights – like I do almost every time – let me throw out some titles for you.

Following is a collection of books from different genres, written by people I personally know, who are self-published or published by small or indie presses that don’t have the marketing clout of one of the major publishing houses.

Take a look!

Stephanie R. Caffrey is one of my very favorite people and we have been on this publishing journey together for nigh on SIX YEARS (along with the next author on my list, Jamie Seitz.) Stephanie writes romantic suspense and does such a terrific job with witty banter and high-stakes danger that you’ll be on the edge of your seat, breathless with laughter, love, or fear. Her London Detective Agency duology was published earlier this year with outstanding reviews, and she’s working on an FBI-based series next, so be sure to follow her!

Jamie Seitz is another amazing, favorite human I’ve been writing with for years, and who has been through the writers’ wringer with Stephanie and me. She writes YA and Middle Grade books with so much heart, humor, and insight that you’ll want to devour everything she writes and still beg for more. Weight of Water was sent forth into the world just this fall and people are LOVING it. If you’re looking for Judy Blume-level coming-of-age stories, gardening tips and stories, or a glimpse into the humorous side of marriage, you need look no further than Jamie.

Janine Amesta and I met through the Writing Community on Twitter several years ago and she is one of my favorites. Not only is she a gifted teller of kissing stories, but she is also a funny and encouraging voice for me and the writing community. Her Love in El Dorado series is a delight – one of them an extremely timely Christmas love story – with great reviews, gorgeous settings, and spicy romance that will get your heart racing! (Seriously, keep a glass of ice water nearby when reading.)

Mary Lee Painter and I are lucky enough to have found the same amazing agent in Katie Salvo and Metamorphosis Literary Agancy, and now get to work with the same fabulous publishing house, Satin Romance. We live almost spitting distance (I know – ew, gross) from each other, but haven’t met – YET. The Other Fork in the Road had me laughing and cringing with the characters from the first page. I love a good “forced proximity/opposites attract” love story, and Mary Lee has written a GREAT one! Her next book is due to release in the spring of 2025, so keep an eye on this one.

I am lucky enough to know many other talented authors with terrific books available, even if I haven’t read them all yet. Inspirational romance, memoir, poetry: If you don’t see something listed here that tickles your fancy, comment below or send me an email with the genre or type of story you’re looking for and I will give you a suggestion* based on my own personal knowledge of the book and/or the author.

*If you’re local, check out Reading In Public in Des Moines, where they are offering to curate a selection of books perfect for that hard-to-buy-for reader on your shopping list! Fill out their online form with your budget, the number of books you’d like to gift, genres to include or topics to exclude, and let the staff do the rest!

Don’t forget that when you buy an indie author’s book, you are showing them love and giving them validation and encouragement. Most of us aren’t in it for the money (it doesn’t hurt, mind you) but because we love to write and want to share that love with all of you!

Support local and Indie authors this holiday season and every day!

Another Year Older, But Wiser Is Debatable

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On October 22, 2024

In Messages From Sharon

It’s my birthday today!

Funny how it always seems to sneak up on me. Used to be that I’d count down the days, simply vibrating with excitement for my day. While I still enjoy my birthday – and the cake that comes with it – I’m always surprised when it actually rolls around. Not like it’s the same day every year, or anything.

As I get older, a year feels shorter and shorter. It’s the same number of months, days, and hours, and yet each successive one seems to go by faster. I swear I was just turning forty last year, and yet here I am, magically (not magically) waking up more than a decade older than I thought.

Timey-wimey nonsense.

It’s been an interesting year, to say the least. Lots of changes, lots of excitement, lots of upheaval. At this time last year, I was making the decision to find a different publisher, as the one I’d signed with was struggling. At this time last year, I was beginning to wonder if my book was ever going to be in the hands of readers. And at this time last year, my little novel was accepted by Melange Books.

And now I’m on the cusp of releasing my first novel into the world.

After four years that did not, in fact, fly by, it’s time for the real work to start. It’s time to market, ask for early reviews, plan events, and sign up for local book festivals. And I need to focus on not only marketing my first little book baby, but I need to market myself and hooo boy. That is some kind of a challenge.

While all of that is going on, I am moving to a new house in a new city, participating in a 30-day writing challenge in November (again), finishing two more novels that are part of my romantic suspense series, Enderlin Calling, and working a day job. I think I’d better buckle up for a wild ride!

I LOVE MY LIFE.

Send me an email or leave me comment on this post with any questions, and be sure to sign up for my newsletter to get all the news and updates first!

 

Nostalgia and New Beginnings at Chez Clark

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On August 21, 2024

In Messages From Sharon

I’ve lived in the same home for the last twenty years. This is the second house I’ve owned, and the one where we raised our kids, held birthday parties and hosted Thanksgivings, decorated a lot of Christmas trees, and navigated a lot of challenges. I know every inch of this house and every sound it makes.

And there has been a lot of love within these walls.

One thing you may not know about me is that I am a hoarder of memories. You know what I mean; refrigerator covered in magnets and photos from every vacation, boxes full of toys and action figures from long-gone childhoods, collections of report cards and drawings filling plastic totes and taking up space in the storage room.

The kids have all moved out, two of them living out of state, and there’s a strong probability that none of them even know that I still have their Power Ranger toys and well-loved VHS tapes – with no VHS player, mind you. I don’t imagine that they remember the dance costumes, prom dresses, graphic t-shirts or art projects that are tucked under the basement stairs.

But I do.

Over the last month, my husband has accepted a new, exciting job. We have made the decision to move to a new city, and have started the process of thinning out twenty years of love and life as we prepare to sell our home. We’re cleaning out closets and emptying shelves, unearthing long-forgotten memories along with the dust.

I’m really not very good at this.

You’re supposed to make three piles: keep, donate, toss. And I start out just fine each day, determined and motivated and with a cutthroat attitude. For about ten minutes. Then I come across something that triggers a memory, that fills my heart or brings tears to my eyes and suddenly the ‘keep’ pile is growing exponentionally.

Honestly, things are going better than anticipated. It seems that I’ve managed to kind of detach myself from the goings-on and have been rather productive. Granted, we are only in the house staging phase of this transition, but everything should be moving forward quickly.

When we make a decision, we do not dilly-dally.

This is all exciting and terrifying, but I’m truly looking forward to a new adventure. I’ve never been a particularly daring person; I’ll leave that to my book characters. At <mumble mumble> years old, there’s a kind of freedom in taking a chance and being a little bold.

And I’m ready to see what’s next.

What new things are on your horizon? Tell me about something you’re excited about or looking forward to. Leave a comment below or send me an email and let’s talk!

Have You Met…Sharon Clark, Author

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On February 7, 2024

In Messages From Sharon

Okay friends, you’ve signed up to follow me and maybe to receive my newsletter, too. The time has come for you to learn just what you’ve gotten yourselves into.

First of all, thank you for being here. It’s always so surprising to me that anyone would want to read what I write, whether it’s a silly blog post, a short story, or one of my novels. People not only liking something I’ve written but coming back for MORE, well…that’s kind of the dream, isn’t it?

Stay with me a little longer and I’ll tell you a bit about myself, about my writing, and about my upcoming novel. Then I want you to ask me the questions you’re burning to know.

So buckle up and let’s dive in.

Me, In a Nutshell

Image courtesy of www.maggiegphoto.com

I grew up smack-dab in the middle of five girls, two older and two younger, and we got along great. For the most part. As I’m sure you can imagine, things got loud, or eerily silent, and there was always some type of psychological warfare under way.

Report cards bore good grades coupled with phrases like, “Talks too much” or “Needs to apply herself” pretty much throughout my school career. I played the flute, was in show choir and in theater, was a cheerleader and a member of the dance team. What? I got bored easily.

College and I didn’t get along as famously as I’d hoped we would. Don’t get me wrong; I had a GREAT time. I just didn’t get a degree and left, chastened, after only four semesters. When I came home, I floundered a bit before meeting the man who has been my husband for the last thirty years and with whom I have raised three amazing humans. I’m just glad I remembered to feed them, and that they all turned out only slightly damaged.

My Writing Journey

Growing up, I always loved to write. I know that’s how most authors start their origin stories, but I was honestly spinning tales for my sisters and kids I babysat before I was in high school. Mine was a life lived vicariously through the characters in my favorite horror, romance, and adventure novels. An overactive imagination inside the mind of a major drama queen inevitably couldn’t just finish a story. What happens next? Do they really live happily ever after? Does the bad guy get punished? How would this end if I was the author?

Of course, the next logical step was to write out what I wanted to see happen. I took creative writing courses in high school and college, and loved every challenge thrown at me. But as so often happens, life takes precedence and writing became something I did only sporadically and just for fun. When my children were older and had their own lives, I joined a local writing group on a whim, and that changed the trajectory of my life.

It sounds dramatic, but I swear it’s the truth.

Every member of that group was welcoming, encouraging, and willing to share their knowledge freely. Through their friendship and generosity, I learned world building and plotting techniques, I read about and practiced writing, joined critique circles and took their comments to heart. I’m still constantly learning and I hope that my skill continues to grow and change with me, but I know for a fact that I wouldn’t be looking toward having my first novel published in the next year without the help I received along the way.

Three Things You’ll Find in My Book, Call You Mine

  1. Charming, small-town vibes
    The story takes place in a fictional city in central Iowa, full of tree-lined streets, a local pub where everyone knows your name, and a helping hand from your neighbors when you need it most.
  2. Steamy, butterflies-in-the-stomach romance
    Katie literally runs into charming Ben her first night back in town, and sparks fly instantly. Sure, it’s partially from the impact of butting heads, but the electrical charge Katie gets being near Ben proves to be hard to ignore.
  3. Terrifying, heart racing danger
    Katie came home for a reason: to escape a mysterious admirer who had evolved from love letters to desperate, delusional ravings. But her stalker won’t be thwarted by mere distance. He’s followed her to her hometown and comes after her harder than ever, putting everyone she cares about in the crosshairs.

Which Author Would I LOVE to Blurb My Book?

There are many options, of course: Jayne Ann Krentz, Sandra Brown, Simone St James, Jeneva Rose, Riley Sager. But for me, the ultimate dream would be the Queen of Romantic Suspense herself, Nora Roberts. I’ve always loved her writing, found it to be so rich and sensual. Having her read my work and like it enough to write a blurb for it would probably go along way toward making me spontaneously combust. No, seriously. Literal flames.

My Favorite Compliment

Hm, that’s kind of a tough one. I gobble up every kind word and adore them all, hoarding them like a dragon with its cache of jewels and gold. But the one review that sticks out in my mind came from an editor we submitted my manuscript to earlier this year. She confessed to her boss that she knew she was only supposed to read a couple of chapters, but couldn’t stop at the designated point because she needed to know what happened hext. I heard that and floated away on a dreamy cloud, feeding off that praise for weeks. Favorite compliment ever.

Still with me?

So there’s a little snapshot of who I am, how I got to this point, and what you can expect from me moving forward. The year ahead holds some exciting things for me and my writing career, and I hope you’ll stick around for the ride.

Now it’s your turn to ask me questions or to tell me what’s on your mind. Leave a comment below, send me an email, or find me on my social media channels.

Let’s chat!

The Year in Review: My Favorite Reads of 2023

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On December 13, 2023

In Book Reviews, Messages From Sharon

Somehow, while I wasn’t looking, 2023 sped past, and here we are in the final weeks of the year. It’s inevitably time for looking back at what we’ve accomplished, what we’ve learned, and what we can improve upon.

Don’t worry, this isn’t that post.

With a full-time job and a renewed focus on finishing stories that have been languishing on my computer for far too long, my reading goal for the year was modest, to say the least. But I have thoroughly enjoyed the journey I’ve been on during this spin around the sun and thought I’d share some of my favorite reads of the year.

The books I read are, largely, for entertainment. I choose to be drawn into other worlds and to fall in love all over again and to cheer for other (fictional) people. So this certainly isn’t a high-brow list of recommendations, and I fully admit I’ve read far more spice this year than I have in the past.

In no particular order, here are my top book reads of 2023:

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

The dialogue is so clever, the love story organic and not forced, the hard stuff handled perfectly, and I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard at a scene in a book that revolved around taking a photo! (iykyk)
There were times I had to walk away and give it a few days because I knew there were difficult things coming, and I had to prepare myself for them. That is how invested I got in these characters.

Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter

I was giggling at the banter as soon as the book started and didn’t stop. This was a spicy read that I’ve recommended to many of my friends, and a few strangers as well. The story was engaging, the dialogue hilarious and smart, the characters well-developed, and the sex HOT. One of my top faves.

One Day in December by Josie Silver

This was so delightful and heartwrenching and romantic, and I swear I nearly passed out at the end. These characters and the choices they had to make felt so real that I agonized right along with them. The fact that the story takes place over a decade only adds to the romance and beauty of it as these people grow and mature, come in and out of each others’ lives, and as their relationships change. The longing and love and heartbreak is so well done. I. Loved. This. My hopeless romantic heart grew three sizes after reading this book.

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

In case you were thinking I read nothing but romance this year, I submit to you The Hacienda. This was so very beautifully written. I read it quickly and didn’t want to put it down, veritably snarling at my coworkers when they interrupted my reading during lunch. The themes in this book are big, regarding racism, misogyny, the casta system, and religion, to name a few. Beatriz was strong, smart, and brave and I loved the way Padre Andrés was able to reconcile and meld together the two parts of himself. This was a wonderful read and I thought the ending was glorious.

The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Okay, not going to lie, this was easily my favorite read of the year. I have been pushing this book onto my friends and family like a drug, and they have all fallen in love with it, just as I did. This was an audiobook version and an outstanding listen. The narrator, Rebecca Soler, was very good, and I cried when she cried, my heart raced with her, my anger flared with hers. I can’t think of the last book I was as emotionally invested in! This story was crafted incredibly well with so many compelling storylines, and I bow to Rebecca Yarros and her ability to weave so many threads with such grace. I loved the romantic elements, fully fell in love with the love interest, and the heat between the characters is something that I think about almost daily. Enjoyed this immensely.

What are your favorite reads of the last year? Do you have a particular genre you gravitate toward?

Drop a comment below or send me an email, and let’s talk about BOOKS!

Support Indie Authors This Holiday Season!

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On November 22, 2023

In Book Reviews, Messages From Sharon

Black Friday is only a couple of days away and the holiday season is officially upon us! Are you struggling to find a gift for your coworker, neighbor, sister, nephew, random gift grab bag? Don’t panic!!

Give the gift of BOOKS and support your local and indie authors!

There are a ton of options out there and even looking through various best-seller lists or celebrity recommendations can be overwhelming. How on earth do you find something good by an author you’ve (likely) never heard of before?

You let me make some suggestions.

Following is a collection of books from different genres written by people I personally know who are self-published or independently published and don’t have the marketing clout of one of the major publishing houses. I have read almost all of the books listed – I haven’t finished all the series, unfortunately. Take a look!

Laura A. Barnes is a Des Moines area author I met by doing NaNoWriMo in 2017. (Turns out we were on the same United Nations trip when we were in high school but never met – small world, right?) Laura writes steamy period romances and currently has three series available for purchase. Whether you’re looking for pirates and spies, noble scoundrels, or matchmaking madness, Laura has got the goods to get your pulse racing.

Sarah Latchaw lives near me and is one of the most delightful people I know. Her Hydraulic Series is full of relatable characters, swoon-worthy romantic moments, humor, and a view of mental illness from a place of true love. Her writing style pulls you in and her characters are so real that you can’t help but laugh and cry right along with them. This trilogy isn’t the spicy type, but will get your heart racing.

I met Jethro Weyman through the writing platform Channillo and we became friends via the Twitter #WritingCommunity. I was struck by the amazing prose of his writing and the unique and wickedly clever ways he explores some dark and existential themes. Bang to Begin is a gorgeously written collection of stories that seem unconnected on the surface. Kind of mind-bendy deep stuff.

Taylor Hohulin is a local radio celebrity and all-around terrific human. the first time I read his writing, I was pulled in and have devoured pretty much everything of his since. I met him through NaNoWriMo, as well, and was lucky enough to get encouragement from him through a small critique group and I learned a lot from him.

  • The Marian Series follows a young man who gets unexpectedly transported to a pirate ship in another world where water is the ultimate prize. This trilogy is kind-of steampunk and has both human and supernatural dangers and lots of terrific science fiction gadgets.
  • TAR is probably my favorite, though. If you like cybernetic body modifications and a dangerous, living infection that ravages anyone it comes in contact with in horrific ways, set in a post-apocalyptic alternate future, you’ll dig this. It’s a tale of a traveling wizard with a shotgun but told through the exploits of a sometimes-likable survivor.
  • Your Best Apocalypse Now will have you chuckling almost immediately. In this humorous light fantasy novel, a struggling author jumps on the bandwagon of best-selling doomsday books, making it up as he goes along. Or so he thinks. When he correctly predicts the end of the world, a group of other-worldly beings take him on a journey that he could never have predicted.

Kelly Fumiko Weiss is another tremendous talent that I discovered through Channillo. I have read two of her books, from vastly different genres.

  • Her science-fiction-esque novel, The Cube, is set in an alternate near future where a mysterious cube has changed the way the world works. The main character and his best friend, Molly, start out on a fun treasure hunt for a series of mysterious symbols, but the fun turns to unexpected romance and danger for them and their friends.
  • Her other novel, The Stories We Choose Not to Tell, is a story of familial relationships and racial identity for a Japanese-American woman who learns about herself and the roots of her strained relationship with her mother by exploring the life story of her late Obachan (grandmother) who lived in a World War II Japanese internment camp on American soil. Well-written characters that had me crying along with them at the end of the book.

I am lucky enough to know many other talented authors with terrific books available, even if I haven’t read them all yet. Inspirational romance, memoir, poetry: If you don’t see something listed here that tickles your fancy, comment below or send me an email with the genre or type of story you’re looking for and I will give you a suggestion based on my own personal knowledge of the book and/or the author.

Do YOU have any recommendations of books written by indie-published or self-published authors? Share them below

Happy Holidays from my family to yours!

Laptop, coffee and diary on autumn landscape as background

October Means Prep Time

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On October 10, 2023

In Messages From Sharon

It’s fall y’all!

This is my favorite time of year for a slew of different reasons. I love the change in weather, the cool nights and comfortable days, the end of sweltering heat and oppressive humidity, and ‘sweatah weathah’. September also celebrates several of my favorite people: my oldest sister, my daughter-in-law, one of my best friends, my daughter, and my husband.

Now it’s October, and I love it even more.

October is my (and my younger sister’s) birthday month, the leaves are changing color, I can put up my silly Halloween decorations, it’s chilly enough to pull out soup and stew recipes, and it’s time for Preptober.

Never heard of it? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Next month is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and October is the time to start getting ready, to start plotting, and to reconnect with all the friends I’ve made through writing. I get to help organize events for November and to draw more authors into the fold of our local writing group.

The other day I held my first Preptober event of the season and even though I was awkward and weird, I think it went well. The goal of Preptober is to help authors gather the tools, community, and confidence for a successful and fun November. Don’t get me wrong, it is fully self-serving. I need the encouragement and the kick in the pants to get ready to write next month.

And cheering on other writers is the best way I know to cheerlead for myself.

This will be my seventh year participating in NaNoWriMo and I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that it changed my life. Not only did I meet my best friends through the group, but I can now see a future in which I can have a career as an author, doing something I love for the rest of my life. Every year in the fall I get to meet new people, develop new skills, and draw ever closer to reaching my dreams.

What’s not to love?

Will you be participating in National Novel Writing Month? Do you use October to prepare? Leave a comment, ask me questions about NaNoWriMo, or send me an email and let me know!

How to Build a Whole (Fictional) Human

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On September 8, 2023

In Messages From Sharon

Think about your favorite books, the stories you’ve read over and over again, that have stayed with you long after you’ve finished them. What is it about them that pulls you in? Why do you keep turning the pages?

Sure, sometimes it’s nothing more than morbid curiosity, a need to just get to the end at all costs. Maybe it’s the setting, somewhere exotic or fantastical that takes you to a different world. Any of those may play a part, but for me, it’s all about one thing:

The characters.

Creating imaginary people that the reader truly cares about is a challenge and a whole lot of fun. The reader has to want the good guys to win, to be happy, to get the thing they want most. The villain also has to have you rooting for them: either to get their comeuppance, or to defeat the protagonist. Building a villain is almost as much fun for me as writing the cinnamon-roll men and strong women in my stories. Plus, it’s a great way to exorcise any personal demons by living vicariously through the bad guy on the page.

Not that I do that.

Every author has their own system that works for them, and there is no right or wrong way to go about it. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. My personal process is honestly far less organized and rational than it should be (think Jeremy Bearimy). It probably doesn’t even qualify as a ‘process’, but it works for me.

  • Not gonna lie – I usually start with an imaginary conversation I’ve had inside my head. Whether it’s from a real-life encounter or a ‘what-if’ scenario, what the people say to each other is my first step in building the lives I want to be part of. (And then ultimately destroy, before giving them a happily-ever-after.)
  • Once I have the basic, superficial idea, I dive deeper. Why do they do what they do, want what they want? What do they believe in? There are some fantastic templates out there that help build the backstory. I have the best of intentions when I start one of these character sheets, but I never finish them. Partially because I don’t know the characters very well before the story is written. But mostly because I’m just far too impatient.
  • Creating a villain is one of my favorite things and I frequently cackle maniacally while I breathe life into him or her. This is where my True Crime obsession finally pays off; I start with what the villain does and then work backwards, like a BAU team does. Are they villains because they use unreasonable tactics to do what they think is ‘the right thing’? Is it because they want revenge, love, money? Or are they just sociopaths?

    There are so many delicious possibilities.

Some authors will keep a diary from a character’s point of view, create a vision board, build a playlist, or design a wardrobe. I will search for the picture of an actor, musician, or model who most resembles how I see the character in my mind. ALL of these ways are valid, and brilliant, and useful, and will contribute to the creation of an entire sort-of person.

Don’t let anyone tell you that your process is wrong. Who decides that, anyway? I can pretty much guarantee that no two authors create their characters using the same tools. Find what works for you and stick with it!

What is your process? Do you know everything about your characters before you start or, like me, do you let them tell you about themselves along the way?

Comment below or send me an email and lets talk about it!

 

A humanoid robot artist paints a picture in an art workshop.

Artificial Intelligence in Creativity: Blessing or Curse?

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On August 9, 2023

In Messages From Sharon

Does anyone else miss the days when artificial intelligence was used strictly for goofing around? Those ridiculous scripts created by feeding 100 hours of romcoms into a system definitely cracked me up, and my son generated some serious fever-dream images by inputting weird phrases into a different program. It was all fun and games, right?

Then the programs started ‘learning’.

I do not claim to know much of anything about AI other than it’s an atomic topic. From my understanding, programs pull bits and pieces of existing works of art or literature or academia to create something ‘new’ and shiny. Do I use it? No. Do I think it can be helpful? Sure.

Do I think it’s a dangerous, slippery slope? One hundred percent yes.

On one hand, work created by other people is being copied and used without permission or acknowledgement in something cobbled together by another person who then takes credit and possibly gets paid for the result. Maybe the people using it don’t realize that’s what’s happening, or they have no idea how to find the author/artist to give credit. No matter what, it’s already a difficult world for artists of any kind, where talent isn’t appreciated or rewarded.

‘Starving artist’ is a well-known phrase for a reason.

On another hand, artificial intelligence can be a useful tool for lightning-fast research and putting a concept into visual form. Programs like ChatGPT will find the information you ask for quickly, and will even build something with the word count and topic emphasis you want. Or if you have a rough idea of the image you want for a book cover but can’t draw to save your life or feel like the artist may not understand what you want, an AI image generator can build your idea visually. People who need to output a lot of content would find this gadget to be a lifesaver.

With a few caveats, of course.

There are limits to what a computer can do, even when using the most advanced AI. Using ChatGPT as an example again, it is limited to only what is available through the internet and will never know everything that humans know. Because it has access to only what has been digitally catalogued, the information generated may be outdated and incorrect. AI doesn’t have common sense or emotional intelligence, and can’t decipher sarcasm or humor. It will draw in ‘facts’ from anything and everything available on the internet – and I mean EVERYTHING. We know how reliable that can be. It doesn’t have the capability to differentiate between an article from The Onion or NPR or some delusional manifesto-writing lunatic.

Is it that helpful if you still have to vet every source? You may as well do your own research from the start.

There are a lot of opinions about using AI, and this is only one, only mine, and only that: an opinion. I can’t say whether we are heading toward humanity’s future as depicted in Disney’s Wall-E or in the Terminator franchise; that remains to be seen. What I can say is that I am going to continue creating the best way I know how and hope that it continues to make me happy.

What do you think about Artificial Intelligence? Is it a god-send or a device from hell? Will it make creating easier or render humans obsolete? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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