I and AI and the Next New Novel

Since my third novel, Saving Julian, was published in early 2024, AI has learned a lot. For example, on Aug 8, 2024 Curtis Sittenfeld wrote an article in the NY Times.entitled, An Experiment in Lust, Regret, and Kissing (favorite subjects of hers as well as her readers) https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/20/opinion/beach-read-ai.html   She wrote a 1000 word short story based on the prompts her readers had supplied while her editor told ChatGPT to use the same prompts to write a 1000 word beach-read story in the style of Curtis Sittenfeld. Both stories are published within the NYT's article. Though Sittenfeld took a couple of weeks to write her story and got feedback from family and friends on early drafts, ChatGPT wrote its story in 17 seconds. Of course her story is better, but the real news is that ChatGPT's story isn't bad and Curtis acknowledges that Chat GPT's story had some praiseworthy touches.

Did I use AI to help write Saving Julian? I couldn't remember so I asked my favorite AI source, Perplexity, which prides itself as being a kind of personal assistant, if I (he) did. It said that there was no evidence that I did. Does my spell checker and auto correct technically qualify?

Since those early days of AI, the answer to that question for me now would be decidedly, yes! I have used AI for Sula's Sacrifice in two ways. First, this soon to be published next novel takes place mostly in Ethiopia, a place I've never been to. Perplexity is useful for finding locations for a mosque and a burial ground in Addis Ababa. Also in explaining some of the country's fascinating history, for example how the emperor, Haile Selassie, became a god-like figure to the Rastafarians in Jamaica and elsewhere.

The second way knocked my socks off. We needed an image for the cover that reflected aspects of the novel. Sadly Perplexity (so far) is not good at making pictures, so I played with another AI program--forget which one--describing Sula's Sacrifice, Sula, Eli, the three-year-old Julian, Makeda, and a scarf all have roles in the novel.

Here's what AI came up with after seeing a short synopsis. It's not perfect. It's too pulp fictiony for my use and the child is too young but the three other characters are somewhat as I imagine them--Eli even looks like (a better) me. But instead we're using the wonderful cover designed by Wheatmark's expert. Lori Conser.

 With Sula's Sacrifice almost published I'm 40% of the way into writing the 5th book in the NICU series entitled, Blood Loss. It takes place with Eli Kurz MD now in Los Angeles as a professor of International health. No need of AI yet, but Grammerly may be useful as my fellow novelist, Mark, has suggested. Or should I ask AI to write in the style of Sittenfeld? Meanwhile I wait for what my human proof reader has to say about Sula's Sacrifice.