Marching Into Spring by Helen Henderson

Windmaster Legacy by Helen Henderson
Click the title for purchase information

Topics for the month of March covered over the years have been the switch to daylight savings and the changing of the seasons. It is always fun to look at the holidays for a given month. They can range from food related, National Peanut Butter Day, to days acknowledging spinach, corn dogs, tamales, and my favorite, Orios. Some days are more prone to partying as people celebrate St. Patrick's Day or Mardi Gras. Or you can acknowledge our four-footed reading buddies on National Puppy Day, National Hug Your Dog Day, National Welsh Corgi Day, and Respect Your Cat Day. A day listed in the March calendar that was of a more personal nature is "National Hug a G.I. Day."

National Hug Your Dog Day, 3/10/23

Tighe Cat Demands Respect
Respect Your Cat Day 3/28/23

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year I decided to take another approach and use the month as the topic. Not the month, but the action. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines "march" as to "to move along steadily usually with a rhythmic stride and in step with others." There is the Bridal March to guide a bride down the aisle or Pomp and Circumstance that welcomes students to the next phase of their lives. Then there are the military marches that help keep marches in step. A fond memory is of my two young nieces leading the town's Memorial Day Parade.

My favorite marching tune is usually hard on St. Patrick's Day when the fife and drum corps strike up Garryowen. However, in my mind it is not men stepping in time to the Irish air, but horses. Or more specifically, the magical equines called falaire.

A snippit from Windmaster Legacy of the falaire marching in time to music.

Deeper and deeper the fàlaire walked into the heart of Pilartri. Simple, stone-roofed cottages gave way to larger, more luxurious dwellings. People watched from open windows or stood in doorways as Dal rode Tairneach through the winding streets. He wondered how Taer would get through the press of bodies crowded under the colorful canopies of the marketplace without trampling someone. The fear vanished as a path remained open through the narrow walkway.

Tairneach neighed a command and shifted his gait to a high-stepping prance.

“Showoff,” Dal growled.

The stallion tossed his mane and Dal laughed at Taer’s response. The clop of hooves on cobblestones grew louder. Turning in the saddle, Dal looked back and saw the rest of the fàlaire following, in single file. He smiled at the way they synchronized their steps in precise time with each other.

Clinging to the skirt of a woman with whom she shared a striking resemblance, a child turned and pointed to the fàlaire. “Look, Mommy,” she cried. “The horses are dancing.” The girl loosed her grip on her mother’s skirt and smiling brightly, started clapping in time to Taer’s steps.

When Dal heard the light tone of Ellspeth’s flute, he gave up all hope of making an unobtrusive entrance. Cheers exploded from the onlookers lining the street when first Tairneach, then Zethar and the rest of the fàlaire changed their pace to match the sea tune Ellspeth played.

To purchase the Windmaster Novels: BWL

 ~Until next month, stay safe and read.   Helen

Helen Henderson lives in western Tennessee with her husband. While she doesn’t have any pets in residence at the moment, she often visits a husky who has adopted her as one of the pack. Find out more about her and her novels on her BWL author page.

Happy Anniversary - Murder and Mint Tea by Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #mystery #25 years #Robespierre

 

Though today is Saint Patrick's Day and i'm wishing all those who are Irish and who are Irish today, I have another these for the blog.  Twenty-five years ago Murder and Mint Tea was published. Katherine and Robespierre are still out there for people to read and this is happening.

I remember the day when I first saw the electronic version of Murder and mInt Tea. Wow, I thought. We made it. The search for an editor had taken a few years of sending the mss out and being rejected, mostly kindly but sometimes not. I had discovered electronic publishing and found a publisher. Then came the fun of promoting and also looking for reviews.

The first review was rewarding. I don't know the name of the magazine any longer but I do remember the first few words. Move over  Miss Marple and Jessica Fletcher, Katherin Miller is in town. That really gave me chills since I enjoyed both of the above sleuths.

Murder and Mint Tea is either loved or hated by the readers. Though there are more favorable reviews than unfavorable, I enjoy reading both once. This book has earned me money every year for those twenty-five. I've not kept a running total but I've been pleased.

Katherine and Robespierre ahve gone on to enjoy other visits and there's one more she's toying with. Not sure when she'll give me the murderer so I can write the book. Here's a hint. The victim is the town's mayor. COVID has lessened but he decides the village won't have their Halloween Parade this year as well as the COVID years. Needless to say there are many people who don't like his decision.

So once again, happy anniversary to Murder and Mint Tea. Twenty-five years and still counting. One little bit of information, Katherine retired from the hospital at sixty-two. If she existed in reality, she would now be sixty-seven the age I'll be on my next birthday.

https://bookswelove.net/walters-janet-lane/

Superpowers of the Anishinaabe, by J.C. Kavanagh

 

Book 3 of the award-winning Twisted Climb series

I continue to be pulled into the history of my country, Canada, and in particular, the history of the Anishinaabe tribes: Ojibwe, Algonquin and Cree. Also stemming from these tribes are the Potawatomi, Nipissing, Odawa, Chippewa, and Mississauga First Nations. If you follow my BWL blogs, you've read about the First Nation tribes and you know that their traditions and myths are woven into my latest book, A Bright Darkness. Still, I feel compelled to share the enlightenment and respect for nature that is intrinsic to the culture of the Anishinaabe. Their story is a fascinating tale of reverence and resilience.

Many thousands of years ago, the Anishinaabe lived in a place they called 'Turtle Island,' believed to be one of the Canadian Maritime provinces. The Elders of the tribe told the story of how the world came to be. Their legend, passed down from generation to generation, explained that the earth was made by Gitchi-Manitou (the Creator). Gitchi-Manitou created a family that preceded humans: Nookmis Dibik Giizis (Grandmother Moon), N’mishoomis Giizis (Grandfather Sun), and Shkagamik-Kwe, (Mother Earth). They chronicled the spiritual relationship between the environment and all living things, stressing that a natural balance was vital to all elements. They believed that all things in the universe had a connection, therefore a place of importance. And therefore deserving respect. From these sacred standards, the Anishinaabe developed the Seven Grandfather Teachings - wisdom, respect, love, honesty, humility, bravery and truth. These are what I believe to be the superpowers of the Anishinaabe. Remember - these sacred standards were developed tens of thousands of years ago. They are simple moral guides with an exceptionally high set of principles. The concept of respect/honesty/balance prevails in their traditions to this day. 

Anishinaabe Superpowers:
Wisdom, respect, love, honesty, humility, bravery and truth

While researching the Anishinaabe language, I found a great reference source - a book written by an Ojibwe Elder and teacher in Central Ontario. The Elder, B. Jeff Monague, is a former Chief of the Beausoleil Nation on Christian Island. His book, Ahaw, Anishinaabem (OK, Speak Ojibwe), was a valuable tool in understanding the nuances of the Ojibwe language. When Jeff was born, his parents were told they could not give him an 'Indian' name - only Anglophone names. This was due to the Indian Act restrictions at that time. His parents chose the names Brandon and Jeff which an agent recorded in the Indian Act Registrar. The Anishinaabe did not have surnames - each person had one name which was provided by an Elder after observing the child for a period of time, sometimes over the course of many years. One of Jeff's ancestors had the name Minonaakwhe, meaning 'shoots well.' In order to use that as a surname, the family had to substitute 'Minonaakwhe' with an anglicized version: thus 'Monague.'  (As a side note, Jeff is in the process of legally changing his name to Myiingan Minonaakwhe meaning, Wolf Shoots Well).

Thunderbird - the crest of the Anishinaabe people

A Bright Darkness, the final book in The Twisted Climb series, intertwines the traditions of the Anishinaabe and their mythological creatures. The three main characters, Jayden, Connor and Max, work with an Ojibwe Elder to release the lost souls trapped in the danademo nde' (place where the heart weeps) and seal the entrance to the Un-World. Action and drama abound in this epic conclusion. A Must Read!

Till next time, stay safe and happy reading!

J.C. Kavanagh, author of

The Twisted Climb - A Bright Darkness (Book 3)
and
The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends (Book 2) voted BEST Young Adult Book 2018, Critters Readers Poll and Best YA Book FINALIST at The Word Guild, Canada
AND
The Twisted Climb,
voted BEST Young Adult Book 2016, P&E Readers Poll
Voted Best Local Author, Simcoe County, Ontario, 2021
Novels for teens, young adults and adults young at heart
Email: author.j.c.kavanagh@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/J.C.Kavanagh
www.amazon.com/author/jckavanagh
Twitter @JCKavanagh1 (Author J.C. Kavanagh)
Instagram @authorjckavanagh

Creating Characters by Paul Doucette

Check out all Paul's books on his BWL Author Page

Creating Characters 

     What makes a good, believable character? Is it someone created as an idealized persona or someone flawed with many of the everyday manifestations of being alive as a human? 

     In my story telling, I opt for the later, mainly because I want my readers to see in them characteristics they can easily identify in people they see or know. This allows them to form a ‘connection’ with them, one where they can care about what happens to them, one where they can cheer their successes or their failures, depending on their role in the story. 

     When I create a personality in my stories I attribute to them characteristics drawn from people I know or have seen in a myriad of situations both personal and general (social). In choosing the genre of detective fiction I found that my main problem in developing a cast of characters was to avoid the trap of making them more than they would be in reality. 

     My stories are populated with people you would see everyday; people you may recognize among people you know. Remember that the cast you create in a story are another component of the environment they live in and therefore have to be recognizable, believable. I, for one, do not know many forty plus year old policemen who go to the gym everyday for two or more hours and beat on heavy bags or press two hundred and fifty pound weights, at least who families. This does not make that man any less a hero or good at his job. I have been fortunate in my writing career thus far to have received several reviews of my stories that put the emphasis on my locations, characters and language. 

     So, I will end by recommending that when you think about your cast of players consider them as people not stereotypes. Think of them as people who would like to have a beer with you at your favorite watering hole. Paul

Artificial Intelligence – Can You Program Creativity? By BC Deeks, Paranormal Mystery Fiction Author

Visit B.C. Deeks' BWL Author Page for Book and Purchase Information

http://bookswelove.net/deeks-bc/

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is a trending topic these days, with applications like ChatGPT and Jasper being touted as replacements for human writers. These applications are models trained on a large codex of text data that can generate responses to questions, summarize long texts, write stories and much more. It is often used in conversational AI applications to simulate a human-like conversation with users—You’ve probably already been chatting with AI if you’ve contacted online Customer Service.

The jury is still out on whether the latest AI language model, ChatGPT, is actually intelligent, as defined by a machine's ability to behave like a human. They are still basically just a computer program designed to respond to text inputs and generate outputs based on patterns in the data they’ve been trained on.

So far, many uses for AI are controversial if not outright negative, including creating malware, Phishing and scamming, and cheating in school by letting students submit papers written by their computers.  A consultancy firm reportedly found that applications written by ChatGPT beat out 80 percent of humans.

In theory, AI can even be used to write a book. But would that book be a good story or just be a distillation of characters and plot from previously published works? If AI does not have intelligence, could it take the data and CREATE a unique and imaginative piece of work the way a human author does.

From my research, I gather AI software can generate a list of book plot ideas, suggest opening paragraphs, and output a batch of character sketches. If an author provided the program with a detailed outline of a story, it might produce a workable first draft of a novel. AI language models seem best suited to generating non-fiction web content or product copy and even then should be proofed and fact checked by the writer. I read an article generated by the Jasper AI application and it contained 7 typos and grammatical errors. The author had clearly not bothered to check the work before publishing.

Getting back to fiction, I don’t think authors will be out of work any time soon. If an AI language model was asked to generate a bestselling novel with a dragon and a wizard in a magical dimension, I believe the key components of a saleable novel would be missing — imagination and creativity. AI models can only pull from what has already been done; not imagine the things that are new and exciting. AI language models are, IMHO, another tool in a writers’ toolbox that might speed up the process of generating the words on the page. I'll admit to using a copy editing software program to help with my revision process for practical reasons. It helps me spot awkward sentence structures, grammatical errors and typos in my manuscript. But at the end of the day, human intervention is required to bring the magic to the story.

For the time being, I’ll be writing REBEL SPELL, book 3 in my Beyond the Magic trilogy, with minimal aid from artificial intelligence. Besides I love writing, so why would I want to give it up?

Maple Sugar Moon

                                                                   My BWL page

Here in Vermont, we are into Sogalikas, the Sugar Maker Moon, fourth in the lunar year. The Abenaki people say that they learned of a delicious treat from the red squirrel nation. Squirrels nip off the end bud of a maple twig and drink the sap flow from the tip at this time of year. The Abenaki were quick to imitate Brother Squirrel!

Now we boil down the sap in sugar houses all over Vermont. It’s a festive time of visiting and telling stories around the fires.

March is also the month to celebrate all things Irish— literature, song, dance and history, myth and legend. What rich heritage we can draw on from both the first peoples and the many immigrants, rich with their own stories, who came to our shores!

A Bit of Blarney for St. Patrick's Day

                                         Please click this link for book and author information

I kissed the Blarney Stone! Well, almost. 

Last June my travel companions and I arrived at Ireland's Blarney Castle in a downpour. Since rain isn't unusual for the Emerald Isle, we were prepared and dressed in our full rain gear.  

 

The weather prompted us to duck into the castle, rather than stroll through the extensive gardens. We joined the line for the climb up a narrow, winding staircase to the top of the tower. Along the way, we enjoyed occasional views of the grounds and noticed the rain was letting up.   

Our goal was the legendary blarney stone, which was built into the castle battlements. Kissing the stone is said to grant someone the gift of the gab. Eloquent Irish politician John O'Connor Power defined gab as "flattery sweetened by humour and flavoured by wit." Myths abound about the blarney stone's origins. Some say that Irish chieftain Cormac MacCarthy asked a goddess for help with a lawsuit when he was on his way to court. She told him to kiss the next stone he saw. He followed her advice, won his case, and incorporated the lucky stone into his castle. A variation of this myth is that MacCarthy was en route to plead his right to keep his lands and title to Queen Elizabeth I. He met an elderly woman advisor, kissed the stone, and, thanks to his brilliant 'gab' convinced the queen to grant his wish. Other stories claim the blarney stone is a magical rock brought to Ireland from Stonehenge, Scotland, or the Holy Land during the Crusades. Scientific studies have determined the stone is local Ireland rock, but who can argue with legend?

Judging from the crowds on that rainy day, the stone's blarney works for drawing tourists. The long lineup snaked slowly towards the top of the castle. We paused at this warning. 

As we drew closer, we wondered if we'd have the nerve to lie down in front of all the tourists and kiss the stone. We saw an attendant give the stone a quick wipe between people, but was kissing it sanitary in this day of COVID-19?  

I decided I couldn't come this far without trying. Here I go - awkwardly. In addition to virus concerns, in order to touch the stone with your lips you have to lean your head way back through the gap along the castle edge. A man holds your body and bars prevent falls to the ground. At worst, you'd bang your head. But arching backward over a high drop-off is a creepy feeling of letting go. Did I really need any more gab to write my novels? Hundreds of lips had touched the stone already that day. I blew the blarney stone a kiss and was content with getting close. 

The view from the top was worth it. In the past, Blarney stone kissers didn't have bars for a safety net. Here's how far they could fall. 

By the time we returned to the ground, the rain had stopped and the sun came out. A fellow tourist snapped a picture of our group, with the castle in the background. It's the only picture of all five of us we have from our two-week tour of Ireland. 

The Irish are known for their sayings, blessings, and proverbs. I'll leave you with a few.  

May your home always be too small to hold all your friends. 

May you get all your wishes but one so that you will always have something to strive for. 

Every man is sociable until a cow invades his garden. 

May you have the hindsight to know where you've been, the foresight to know where you are going, and the insight to know when you have gone too far.

A kind word never broke anyone's mouth. 

May your thoughts be as glad as shamrocks

May your heart be as light as a song. 

May each day bring you bright, happy hours that stay with you all year long.    

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

 

The Emerald Isle 

 

Fact or Fiction? by Karla Stover

 

Visit Karla Stover's Author Page for Details 

Fact or Fiction by Karla Stover

By the same author. Available through BWL Publishing Inc.

Murder on the Line

Murder" When One Isn't Enough

Wynter's Way

Parlor Girls

On July 30, 1908, The Caucasian, a North Carolina newspaper, had an article about Anne Hill Carter Lee, mother of southern general Robert E Lee. And 115 years later the truth of the story is still being debated.

Anne Lee, born on March 26, 1773 in Charles City County, Virginia was always unhealthy. For one thing she had lost the vision in one eye, the result of an accident with a pair of scissors. In 1857, while away at school, she became so sick with an intestinal problem she was sent home to recover. Anne and her mother often traveled to springs around the state for the curing benefits. She lived a life constant pain. Her headaches, dizziness, and intestinal troubles never went away and as an adult she required constant medical attention. However, it was catalepsy that almost cost Anne her life.

Catalepsy is a condition similar to narcolepsy: during an attack the body becomes rigid and completely inactive; it ignores all out side stimuli and the patient is mute. According to the newspaper article, in 1804, Annie Lee had a fever that would not subside. Then she fell into a trance and appeared to stop breathing, the attending physician declared her dead. Her body was prepared for burial and three days later Annie Lee was  laid to rest in the family vault. 

According to one web article, while standing alone at the grave site, her husband, Henry, heard her calling for help. He opened the casket and found her still alive. However, the newspaper article says that while the sexton was cleaning the site and readying flowers to place on Annie's casket he heard a voice calling for assistance. Though frightened, he stood quietly and listened until the voice became louder and he was able to determine that it was coming from Annie Hill's casket. Opening the casket, he found Mrs. Hill very much still alive. Henry took her home and put her to bed. Recovery was slow but steady and "15 months later she gave birth to the 5th of their 6 children. She had a son who became General Robert Edward Lee."

In the 19th century, patents for safety coffins to prevent this atrocity abound. Frans Vester's included an air filter and a bell; John Krichbaum's had a fresh air inlet and a pipe for the entombed to rotate; Fredredrerick Borntrager's coffin had a clock-work fan to force in fresh air and an alarm system, and to my mind at least very interesting, was the patent issued on December 29, 2015 to John Knight for what he called a "Your Music for Eternity" system. It has a solar powered digital music player with a speaker in the casket and a headset jack on the headstone so living can leave recorded messages and / or the deceased's playlist. 

Fact 1: in 2001, 2014 and 2020 people were erroneously declared dead

Fact 2: Silas Marner, Romeo and Juliet, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Fall of the House of Usher and many other pieces of literature included catalepsy. It was a much-loved plot device.

Hockey Night in Canada Somewhere – by Barbara Baker

 

My seven-year-old grandson, Wyatt, loves to play hockey. As a gramma, who played on the Banff girl’s team fifty years ago, I got up the courage to play shinny with him and his dad. I felt naked without the hockey padding but tightened my helmet and stepped onto the ice.

The puck ricocheted off the boards and the slap of the sticks echoed off the mountains.

“Gramma scored,” my son-in-law shouted.

“Off course she did.” Wyatt tapped his stick on the ice. “She was on a hockey team a long time ago.”

Out of the mouths of babes. My heart melted.

Memories of playing hockey as a teenager flooded back. In the mid 70s two of my high school teachers started a girl’s team and enrolled us in the Minor Hockey League.

We had many obstacles to overcome before our first game:

-    learning the rules (important)

-    learning to skate on hockey skates instead of figure skates (challenging)

-    the art of stick handling, passing without losing the puck, and skating fast (equally challenging)

-    there were no funds to buy team jackets (minor detail – we knit toques for everyone)

There was a wide range of athletic abilities amongst us, but we were determined. Not even the 6 AM Sunday morning ice times deterred us.

(top row 3^rd from the left)

We surpassed all our obstacles and our first game was against Jasper.

The game started. They skated fast. They deeked and passed and zipped up and down the ice like super stars. But we kept up. And then there was a bam. Our centre got slammed into the boards.

I stood in the box with my mouth open. My teammates wore similar expressions. Our coaches - speechless.

What the hell? We all looked at the ref. Nothing. He did nothing.

I watched our player lean against the boards and pull herself up. When my line went out I took my spot – left forward. Skate fast. Pass. Stay out of their way. That was my strategy.

I flew down the ice (it’s my memory, I can go as fast as I want). Just as I went to pass to a teammate, I felt a thunk. The next instant I was on my back looking at the overhead lighting.

I rolled over, got up on my knees and blinked. That hurt. A lot.

“It’s a long way from the heart,” Coach shouted. “Get up.” They were the exact words I needed to hear to stop the tears.

We lost 13 – 0. We should have been devastated but we weren’t. We were just thankful we could all still walk.

From then on, our practices involved: how to check, how to take a check, how to avoid a check.

Fast forward to our next game against Jasper. We lost 4-0 but we were all proud of our defeat. We hadn’t been thumped.

Our final game against Jasper was the Easter Tournament in Banff. In the first period there was a battle of sticks in front of their net. And then the red light went on. The red light!

We scored a goal.

It felt like the whole team scored that goal. And it was the only goal of the game. A shutout our coaches talked about for years. We were victorious.

           Now back to the goal I scored while playing hockey with my sweet grandson and my son-in-law.

  

Who am I to tell Wyatt the goal I scored was not intentional? I’d merely leaned on my stick to stop from toppling over after turning too fast. My stick hit the ice just in time for the puck to deflect off it and into the net. Almost like I planned it. But I didn't tell him any of that. I'll let him think I'm a super star for a bit longer. 

 

You can contact me at: bbaker.write@gmail.com

Summer of Lies: Baker, Barbara:9780228615774: Books - Amazon.ca

What About Me?: Sequel to Summer of Lies : Baker, Barbara: Amazon.ca: Books

 

 

The Do's and Don'ts of Querying Publishers by CHATGPT and Vanessa C. Hawkins

 

 

 Vanessa Hawkins Author Page

Soo, everyone has talking about AI, and unless you haven't heard, there are now programs that can deliver art, essays, and stories at the press of a button. Students, office workers and anyone who doesn't want to pay an artist for their work, rejoice! It's admittedly pretty darn neat. 

But!

Butt.

A lot of people--artists especially--are worried. Why? Because most of us already make peanuts. Imagine if some dumb AI can do everything we can, but only with a line of instruction. There are a lot of folks on the fence about it, and I suppose I am one of them, but I can certainly understand the concern and/or fascination. 

So I decided to try it out. I told ChatGPT to write my blog post for me! Let's see what it can--currently--do! 

Okay CHATGPT! Write a funny, how to blog post about querying publishers!

CHATGPT: Hello and welcome to this hilarious guide on how to query publishers!

Isn't that a little on the nose, ChatGPT? Ever hear of show don't tell?

CHATGPT: If you're a writer, you know that querying publishers can be a daunting task. But fear not, I'm here to provide you with some tips and tricks to make the process a little less painful and a lot more entertaining!

This must be ChatGPT's attempt at being witty... 10 Points for trying! CHATGPT: Step 1: Pick the right publisher The first step in querying publishers is to pick the right one. Do your research and find publishers who are interested in your genre. Don't waste your time querying a publisher who only publishes cookbooks when you've written a sci-fi novel about aliens who invade Earth to steal all our pizza.

This... is pretty good information, actually. I agree with you ChatGPT. Keep up the good work! CHATGPT: Step 2: Use a catchy subject line When you're sending your query email, make sure your subject line is attention-grabbing. Instead of "Query Letter", try something like "Please publish my book so I can afford to buy more ramen noodles."

Okay, well... as cute as this may be, it's poor advice. In my experience, publishers would rather you be on point. They've heard it all. They get hundreds if not thousands of submissions a day. Spare them your "attempt" at being witty and just get to the point. Example: Submission for Blah Blah Press. Some publishers will actually tell you what to put on the subject line, and if they do, follow it to the letter.

-10 points ChatGPT CHATGPT: Step 3: Be creative in your introduction The introduction is where you really want to shine. Start with a joke or a funny anecdote. For example, "I'm a writer, which means I spend most of my time talking to imaginary people. But don't worry, they're all very friendly."

Ugh, no ChatGPT. Bad. -20 points.

The first line of any query letter should be something along the lines of: My name is Author McAuthorson and I would like to introduce my novel, ChatGPT Is Trying Too Hard To Be Funny. It is a 70,000 word paranormal fantasy that takes place in Internet Space.

Again, publishers want the facts up front. They want to read the first line and be able to tell right away if your book is something they are interested in. After that, sure, you can hook them with a fun, witty, thought-out blurb, but again... Facts first, fun later.

CHATGPT: Step 4: Include a hilarious synopsis Your book's synopsis should be both informative and hilarious. For example, "In my novel, a young woman must navigate the treacherous world of online dating while also battling a horde of zombie llamas. Will she find love, or will she become llama chow?"

Technically, this is kinda true. Though a synopsis shouldn't leave someone guessing, it should be informative. There should be no questions of what happens at the end. A synopsis is a semi-thorough summary of events that happen in the book. I HATE WRITING THESE! Because to me, everything is important: read the book, butthead! But in a lot of cases I find synopsis' come out rather dry... If you can make yours hiliarious, go for it. CHATGPT: Step 5: Finish with a funny sign-off Finally, don't forget to end your query letter with a bang. Instead of a boring "Sincerely", try something like "Yours in pizza and puns" or "Cheers, and may the force be with you (unless you're a Sith Lord, in which case, never mind)."

Sure, you can do this if you want. I find it pretty cheesy, and personally cringe-worthy, but if the publisher got to the end of your query without throwing it in the trash, maybe they will enjoy it.

Ehh... no points taken off, but no points given ChatGPT.  

CHATGPT: And there you have it, folks! With these tips, querying publishers will be a hilarious and unforgettable experience. Who knows, your query letter may be so funny that the publisher will offer you a book deal just for making them laugh! 

Unlikely ChatGPT. Unlikely. 

So there. The do's and don'ts of querying publishers by ChatGPT and yours truly. What do you think? Personally, I think this particular AI has a way to go before it produces something I want to take credit for, though if it means getting Winds of Winter out, maybe George should give it a try. 

And you thought I was through with bringing him up, didn't you? Didn't you? Hahaha!

But seriously, I'd love to know what you all think of AI. Let me know! :)