Details… details… (and a bit of AI)
The thing I find most interesting about the current debate on artificial intelligence is not how much of a threat it will be to our world but how people react to the potential threat. Most people sit on a spectrum of opinion between those who embrace technology and all its potential (despite misgivings from others) and the naysayers who spout doom and gloom as we all head merrily towards an unknown (but definitely in their minds) dystopian future.
I had cause to try out ChatGPT recently when I was short listing candidates for the day job and I came across one application that read like a perfect imitation of your ideal STAR scenario (situation, task, action, result – ask me later… this is my bread and butter.) So I asked ChatGPT to answer the application question for me and it came up with a nearly identical response. Hmm…
As a careers professional (the day job), I often explain to clients that the factor setting them apart from the crowd in a saturated jobs market lies in the detail. The detail of what you did and how you resolved the issue. Make it count. Make it personal. Suffice it to say that the applications that were successful, were the ones that gave me something no AI would be able to; personal context.
You may have read in recent news, that Clarksworld, one of the leading Sci-fi/Fantasy magazines stopped accepting submissions after receiving over 500 stories from contributors that were AI-generated. It is somewhat of a relief to authors that editors can spot these stories a mile off, albeit a nuisance for editors to contend with until they find an AI that can weed out AI-generated submissions!
Anyway, my point is that AI can replicate human creativity to quite an impressive degree, but perhaps we need to bear in mind that without human input, that intelligence will stall and creativity without input is about as interesting as television in a power cut. It is also worth remembering that the naysayers have popped up with dystopian predictions at every industrial revolution in history (beware Luddites). After all, they said the same about photography and then computer-aided design, but we still need and have the most wonderful artists amongst us.
Artists and fans alike, while I have your attention – if you would like to try some non AI-generated Sci-fi and Fantasy books for FREE, you have one week left to grab a deal on a bunch of fantastic new authors. Find your own dystopian or even utopian future right here.
Fantasy/Sci-Fi giveaway
I have teamed up with an amazing group of Fantasy/Sci-Fi authors to offer you the opportunity to sample our books for FREE.
There is something here for everyone, from spaceships to dragons, magic to androids and everything in between.
Click below to preview all the offers available and let us spirit you away to another realm of existence.
Hurry, though… the offer only lasts until 30th April.
7 day steal deal
Another special deal that lasts for a week only. You can snap up a 70% discount on my e-books from the Carentan Series, directly from my publisher’s website Double Dragon Books.
My books focus on action adventure, battles, political intrigue and magic realism. I like to include a sub-plot with a love interest and I don’t write long paragraphs of description, so my books are light reads with lots of action and short chapters. Each book is a stand-alone story in itself, so you don’t necessarily need to have read the previous books to enjoy them and they can be read in any order.
I have always loved fantasy books and some of my earlier influences include classic epic fantasy, such the Lord of the Rings, The Belgariad and the Wheel of Time. Of course, I’m also a big fan of Game of Thrones. I’m also very much influenced by YA fantasy and love to read books by authors like, Tamora Pierce, Sharon Shinn and Megan Whelan Turner.
So, what are you waiting for? Snap up a fantasy adventure e-book for only £1.30 ($1.80) – hurry, offer ends on March 10th! Available only from Double Dragon Books
Black Friday deal
Okay, so it’s really black Saturday now, but stick with me, as my deal is a special one that lasts for a week. You can snap up a heavily discounted e-book from the Carentan Series, directly from my publisher’s website Double Dragon Books.
My books focus on action adventure, battles, political intrigue and magic realism. I like to include a sub-plot with a love interest and I don’t write long paragraphs of description, so my books are light reads with lots of action and short chapters. Each book is a stand-alone story in itself, so you don’t necessarily need to have read the previous books to enjoy them and they can be read in any order.
I have always loved fantasy books and some of my earlier influences include classic epic fantasy, such the Lord of the Rings, The Belgariad and the Wheel of Time. Of course, I’m also a big fan of Game of Thrones. I’m also very much influenced by YA fantasy and love to read books by authors like, Tamora Pierce, Sharon Shinn and Megan Whelan Turner.
So, what are you waiting for? Snap up a fantasy adventure e-book for only £1.30 ($1.80) – hurry, offer ends in 5 days! Available only from Double Dragon Books
Coming-of-age – Fantasy/SciFi Giveaway
YA Fantasy Fiction and SFF loves a coming-of-age story. The story arc takes our young protagonist on a journey that often starts with loss or alienation; think Harry Potter, or The Hunger Games. A common theme is the discovery of magical or special powers; Name of the Wind, A Wizard of Earthsea, and part of the quest is to discover how to use this special gift for good. This opens up the genre to that age-old battle between good and evil, often introducing a dark antagonist, think; Lord of the Rings, The Belgariad.
We can all identify with the loss of innocence; right from the moment we discover that it is really our parents who are putting presents under the Christmas tree. As adults, our whole lives are coloured by perspectives that don’t limit the imagination of the young. We long to rid ourselves of the shackles of rational thought and return once again to that age of innocence, when life was so much simpler. So the coming-of-age story allows us to relive a life less complicated and find the answers to our own adult conundrums through youthful eyes. What’s not to love about that?
So what can I bring to bear from personal experience on this well documented genre? Well, I’m still waiting to come of age, so in the meantime I’ll just carry on writing stories.
And talking of stories, I have exciting news to share with you…
I’ve teamed up with 45+ fantastic authors to give away a huge collection of YA Sci-Fi & Fantasy novels to 2 lucky winners!
Oh, and did I mention the Grand Prize winner gets a BRAND NEW eReader? 😁
You can win my novel The Prince of Carentan, plus books from authors like Kat Ross and A.L.Knorr.
Enter the giveaway by clicking here 👉 https://www.booksweeps.com/giveaway/september22-win-a-bundle-of-young-adult-sci-fi-fantasy/
Good luck and enjoy!
Fantasy & Sci-Fi Book Giveaway
Today, I have an exciting surprise to share with you all.
I’ve teamed up with 35+ fantastic authors to give away a huge collection of YA Sci-Fi & Fantasy novels to 2 lucky winners!
Oh, and did I mention the Grand Prize winner gets a BRAND NEW eReader? 😁
You can win my novel The Blue King, plus books from authors like Kat Ross and USA Today best selling author, Morgan Wylie.
Enter the giveaway by clicking here 👉 https://www.booksweeps.com/giveaway/july-2022/win-a-bundle-of-ya-sci-fi-fantasy/
Love, lies and subplots
Relationships are fascinating to explore in stories. Particularly how people repeatedly sabotage their own relationships, and not limited to romantic connections either. This article in Psychology Today is typical of how subconscious behaviour affects how we communicate with each other, and the response we get in return from our partners. Most of the time, we don’t realise we are doing it and this inevitably results in us repeating the same patterns, including the lies we tell ourselves.
Although my books are predominantly fantasy, a key feature is a love story subplot. Gereinte doesn’t reach this point until book two, when he falls hard and fast for the most extraordinary love match. And in book three, Allan and Demaris are faced with hard choices that affect the decisions they make.
Nerys has made all these mistakes in her first encounter with love, when she falls for a lowly lad, who turns out to be part of a plot to discredit and destroy her family in the Prince of Carentan. When she arrives in Tordre, she is raw and emotional, not yet healed and this in part affects how her relationship with the Blue King unfolds.
Observation is the first thing that raises the red flags – what is going on at her wedding? She notices unusual behaviour but dismisses it, despite her discomfort and hopes that things will change; she has a duty to her family and to her country. Shocked by what she has discovered, Nerys is in denial for the first part of the story. When she realises things are not going to change any time soon, she gets angry and starts to bargain with her husband in an attempt to get him to allow her to return home and see her family. A period of depression leads her to a crisis point and a number of unexpected events force her to a point of no return. No spoilers here if you want to read what happens to Nerys, but I will say that she learns from her experience and eventually finds love in the most unexpected way.
Other Worlds Anthology Volume 1
What if… an anthropology graduate finds herself on a work placement in an off-world ‘glom’ trying to save her career? Find out in the short story In Space, No One Can Hear You Sing.
What if… on a distant planet in another solar system, a young girl finds herself the victim of a brutal justice system? The answer may lie in Soulbane.
Two fantastical futuristic stories from the pen of FG Laval and many more authors in one volume. Available now from Fiction4All
Pre-launch discounts!
In advance of the launch of my new novel, The Blue King, I am offering a discount on all 3 of my previous books at $1.80 / £1.33 for ONE WEEK ONLY!
Please use the following links to buy directly from the publisher’s website:
Sign up for a free ebook, updates and future discounts.
New book available for Pre-order NOW
Something is amiss in the Kingdom of Tordre. On her wedding night, Princess Nerys of Carentan discovers a sinister secret hiding in the depths of Castle Ryemont; a king with two faces, who is not the husband she was expecting. One day on a journey back home, Nerys is kidnapped and finds herself in the midst of a revolution to overthrow the monarchy.
Nerys: ‘Gods, did it take an army to capture one stray queen?’
‘An intriguing fantasy where there are more twists than a castle maze. The plight of the teenage queen tugged this way and that by unseen forces within castle walls and a faceless king makes for an exhilarating page-turning read.’ @geoffnelder, author of Sci-Fi novels, The ARIA trilogy, and The Flying Crooked series of novellas.
Grab your pre-order copy today at the launch price of £1.99 / $2.99
FG Laval 