Categories
Excerpts Promotion Videos

What If? Anthology Series #shortstories #narration

I’m so excited to share two full-length stories, one from each of these collections, as a sample of all the goodness. I’m so proud to have a story featured in Book 2. I may even have one in Book 3. We’ll see if I make the cut.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.

What If? 1: https://amzn.to/49PiOtH.

What If 2: https://amzn.to/4adyoik.

Did you know you can join my community for FREE over at Patreon to receive a monthly update on the creative projects I’m working on? I tell you the truth, it’s better than a newsletter!

Thank you for making it this far down the virtual page. Kudos to you! I’d love to know what you thought of this post in the comments below. Stay safe and be blessed.

Categories
IWSG

#IWSG Mar. 2024- A.I. is here & #ebookweek24 #Smashwords

Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click here to learn more or sign up.

Optional Monthly Question: Have you “played” with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI’s impact on creative writing?

I’m glad that A.I. is there to help some people achieve their creative goals, but what I’ve mostly seen of it is people using to be lazy writers. I’m all for assisted writing where the A.I. helps you with research and organization, but when it’s drafting paragraphs for you in the style of some other writers, that’s just lazy and wrong. I’ve tested out one creative brainstorming application and it freaked me out. To quote myself from a Patreon post on June 27, 2023 (https://www.patreon.com/posts/06-23-original-85201435), “I tested out an A.I. writing feature just to see what it’s all about. Needless to say, it worked, but it worked too well. It was creepy. I wrote a small poem on a piece of paper to compare the poem A.I. generated in my style. I will not be doing that again. The similarity and closeness still have me twitching. With that said, I combined what I wrote with what the A.I. generated to produce the poem at the start of this piece.” For that poem, I generated a 153-word combo of my words and A.I.-generated words. The rest of the story is 1,232 words of my original content and creativity. I feel no need to revisit this experience.

I’ve also posted an abbreviated response to my social media accounts. I’d love to see you over at Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok.

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I posted a goals update last week to explain my absence from social media, if you’d like to check it out. Instagram | TikTok.



Happy Read an Ebook Week! Don’t miss the massive celebratory sale going on right now at Smashwords! There are deep discounts on thousands of books, but only until March 9. Check it out my Ebook sales here: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/toithomas

I have a novel, short stories, nonfiction, and picture books on sale right now.

I finally worked out the kinks with my digital ARC of Margie “The Scaredy Dog” Finds a Home. Now I just need to finalize the print proof. In the meantime, I think I’m ready to start promoting it. I’ve decided to do a giveaway with Margie merch, dog treats, and more, (I will have an alternative prize for winners outside of the U.S. and Canada) where entry is all about people sharing their pet stories online. They can share on their blogs, vlogs, podcast, or social media. As long as they share the link with me, they will be entered to win. I am going to keep it very simple and use Rafflecopter to track progress. I’m also seeking individuals who’d like to read a digital ARC. I’m hoping the recipients will review the book, but they don’t have to. I hope to launch everything next month.

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No additional updates at this time.

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What are your thoughts on A.I. and creative writing?

My response time has gotten slower but I’m still making my rounds.

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Kristina Kelly,
Miffie Seideman,
Jean Davis, and
Liza @ Middle Passages!

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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #27).

Did you know you can join my community for FREE over at Patreon to receive a monthly update on the creative projects I’m working on? I tell you the truth, it’s better than a newsletter!

Thank you for making it this far down the virtual page. Kudos to you! I’d love to know what you thought of this post in the comments below. Stay safe and be blessed.

Categories
IWSG

#IWSG Feb. 2024- Author Website Turn-offs!

Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click here to learn more or sign up.

Optional Monthly Question: What turns you off when visiting an author’s website/blog? Lack of information? A drone of negativity? Little mention of author’s books? Constant mention of books?

For me, it comes down to a lack of information and little to no interaction. If I have to look too hard to find out anything about an author, I’ve moved on. So many authors I’ve interviewed over the years have had this problem. If I hadn’t been doing my due diligence to learn about them ahead of time, I wouldn’t have bothered. When I go to an author’s website, I want to know who they are, what they write, and how to connect with them if I so choose. I hope I’ve done these things on my own site so, please, if I haven’t, halla back! I need to know so I can rectify it.

I’ve also posted this response to my social media accounts. I’d love to see you over at Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok.

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I was hoping to announce my grand plans for the quiet release I’m planning for the book I did about my dog, but I’ve had some health issues that put everything on the back burner. I’m giving myself grace and acting with compassion to not beat myself up about this. I think I’d like to do a fun giveaway and invite other authors, bloggers, or even just pet fans to participate. I’m hoping to do something fun and pressure-free where people get to share stories about their pet for a chance to win… something that I have in mind but haven’t decided on yet. Also, I’m hoping to send out some ARC copies, print and digital, to help gain some reviews. Like I said, this is going to be a quiet release- no major promo. I’m mainly just doing this to honor my dog before she crosses the rainbow bridge. So, hopefully, next month I’ll be better prepared with real details.

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Now, on to the personal updates.

Health issues- check.
Server and hosting issues- check.
Time limitations and demands of everyday life- check.

I hope to have more and better updates next month. In the meantime, I did manage to post three vlogs in January. I hope to post the last previously planned vlog this month, along with the others planned for this month, but since I’m already behind schedule, I’m not going to stress it.

Click to see my reading vlog- https://youtu.be/N0g3kHcyrsw
Click to see my food vlog- https://youtu.be/EFZpn4Rh814
Click to see my writing vlog- https://youtu.be/41k6reFNO8E or watch below.

I hope to have the missing lifestyle vlog out soon.

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What turns you off or on about an author’s website/blog?
It may take some time, but I promise, I will eventually stop by your blog.
My response time has gotten slower but I’m still making my rounds.

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Janet Alcorn,
SE White,
Victoria Marie Lees, and
Cathrina Constantine!

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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #27).

Did you know you can join my community for FREE over at Patreon to receive a monthly update on the creative projects I’m working on? I tell you the truth, it’s better than a newsletter!

Thank you for making it this far down the virtual page. Kudos to you! I’d love to know what you thought of this post in the comments below. Stay safe and be blessed.