Garbage In, Garbage Out + Metaphysical Fiction Review + The Spectre - a spooky romantic story
Searching for comps with AI
Headline: Garbage In, Garbage Out
I took a nine-year BA because I took whatever classes sounded interesting and meandered through schools in three states. While I was in Marin, that included Music, Drama, Composition and Lit classes - and Intro to Computers. In that class the rumor was that some guys south of The City (San Francisco) may have come up with a computer that fit on a table! The one we used for class took up most of a room.
We wrote programs in COBOL and the primary rule was Garbage In, Garbage Out. For a program to work right, a programmer has to be meticulous and phrase each command perfectly. Computer programs are only as smart as their programmers.
Now we come to AI. I hear a lot of complaints that it spews out garbage because it’s been trained to use the entire web, including garbage. That’s partially true - AI has trouble discerning the validity of what’s been posted online, just like people do. The other part, though, is that when you ask AI a question, you are, in essence, programming the experience. Vague or poorly worded questions are garbage in and you will get garbage out. Instead of shoving away AI as useless, work on your question.
For example, I asked Chat GPT what books might be comps for All for One - Love, War, & Ghosts. I expect it scanned through reviews as well as my updated description and came back with a list of novels with which I was not terribly familiar - and gave an explanation why each was a comp. Those bullet points showed AI was missing key elements, so I explained why the answers weren’t quite right, including that the story does not follow them throughout their lives, but jumps over several decades.
One cool thing about Chat GPT is it never gets offended by being told their answer isn’t right. It came back with this response: “Your structure now aligns even more clearly with novels that split time between formative trauma and later reckoning.” That is exactly what my novel does. The top recommendation:
📘 Mystic River – Dennis Lehane
• Childhood bond
• A violent rupture
• Adult reckoning years later
• Suspense driven by character and memory
Those bullet points are right on target. Aside from the thrill of a best seller making the top position, I read (re-read?) the book this week and yes, there’s a childhood bond ruptured by a violent episode. In Mystic River the boys are young when one of them gets into a car and disappears for four days. The friendship is irreparably damaged. In my novel, Vietnam and its immediate aftereffects break the friendship.
Mystic River mentions Dave was a jock in high school and Jimmy spent time in jail, but we don’t see the entire chronological progression of their lives. My novel jumps from the final split a few years after Vietnam to 2022. In both books, the original incident comes back to haunt them and results in deadly violence. The suspense is driven by the characters and memory. In Mystic River, Dave never told anyone what happened to him those four days he was missing or what he’s now done because of it. Everyone comes to the wrong conclusion. In All for One - Love, War, & Ghosts, Henry is haunted by a secret guilt he’s never shared and, while the reader gets glimpses of why it has come back now as a real threat, everyone in his life makes erroneous assumptions.
There are differences that AI did not mention. Mystic River has more plot lines and is about twice as long as All for One - Love, War, & Ghosts. There are differences in writing style and method, but enough overlap that I believe readers who enjoyed LeHane’s story will probably enjoy mine.
Now I need to go back to my description, which evidently didn’t cue Chat GPT about the “formative trauma and later reckoning” aspect. I need to make sure that is clear and see what else I can do to gain the attention of those specific readers.
It was definitely worth refining my question instead of grumbling about garbage.
Heads Up
Free Books
Let me know when you’re doing a free or reduced price promotion and I’ll post it here!
Those with Kindle Unlimited may still read Tom Huggler’s The Woman She Left Behind. I reviewed this book January 13 and thoroughly enjoyed it - really well done.
Resources to check publishers, publicity offers, etc.
I’ve decided to keep these posted each week, as the need keeps arising. If you know another good site, let me know and I’ll add it.
https://writerbeware.blog (search on right)
https://authorsguild.org/resource/publishing-scam-alerts/ (most recent first)
https://www.allianceindependentauthors.org/watchdog/ (scroll down to view ratings links)
Free Learning Opportunities
Jane Friedman’s webinar with Elizabeth Lyons last week was excellent. I’ve been doing this for a long time and still learned a few things. The Indie Author’s Guide to a Standout Amazon Listing is now available on Jane’s YouTube channel, along with a ton of other great informational material. Even if you have a publisher handling your Amazon listing, this will help you assess what they’re doing.
Conferences & Organizations for Writers
WNBA (Women’s National Book Association) is an organization that offers a lot of benefits for writers. The San Francisco Chapter’s Pitch-o-rama is going to be virtual this year (April 25). If you don’t want to do it all yourself, this is a good place to start pitching. Early bird prices expire January 31st, 2026. Members, of course, pay less than non-members. Membership is also discounted until January 31st. Check out these links to learn more about the benefits of WNBA-SF membership and join the chapter’s community! As a senior, my $45 membership has paid for itself.
Independent Publishers of New England (IPNE) has their 14th Annual Conference 2026 Online, February 20-21. I get free admission for judging their awards contest and last year it was definitely worth the time spent reading and evaluating books. The non-member cost of $145 is not bad for the program they have lined up, and it includes one year of IPNE membership as well as access to recordings of all sessions. There’s also a benefit for group registration - if 3 or more people from your group register, they’ll give you a $20/person discount! Details here.
It’s early days on this one, but I’ve signed up for Author Nation in Las Vegas, November 2026. I’m also on the wait list for the Sacramento Book Festival in April.
Call to Action - Get your indie book reviewed!
Sometimes I’ll review books that help writers with their craft or self-publishers with their business, but I’ve been judging books for Independent Publishers of New England the last few years and I’d like to help readers and indie authors connect. I’ve had a great response since mentioning this on an Authors Guild discussion. I have, however, learned to “read sample” or “look inside” before saying send me the book - if the opening doesn’t grab me, I probably won’t finish or review it.
Details are explained in this website blog.
Book Review:
The Dream Haunters by Megan Mary, Inner Realms Publishing.
I read The Dream Haunters on my Kindle and found it technically professional. As I read, I realized it was not really my sort of book, but I still finished it to see how the author wove the story. I liked the cats. I did take exception to the lightning following thunder when Jewelia disappears, but that might have been a “magick” sort of thing. (For those of you who didn’t know, lightning comes first, then you count seconds until the thunder comes to figure out how close the lightning was - five seconds is about one mile.)
That said, if you enjoy metaphysical novels about dreams and witches with powers, you will probably enjoy this book. The characters are well developed and it’s fairly easy to tell when you’re in a dream sequence as opposed to an earthly scene.
Inner Realms Publishing is Megan Mary’s publishing entity. She only publishes her own books (so far), but she does offer author services, including website building. She also offers strategic bestseller campaigns, book trailers, and Amazon A+ content. Most of this, you can do yourself, but as discussed January 6, you need to balance your Time, Money, Intellectual Property, and Audience. Sometimes it makes more sense to spend some of your money and use your time to develop more intellectual property. (As a habitual DIYer, this is a weak spot for me.) Megan is also launching Literary Ladies, a virtual group to share book marketing tips. Contact her through the website.
Fiction:
The Spectre - a spooky romantic story
The Spectre - a spooky romantic story - is available to read on my blog or you can listen here.
©Sheri McGuinn
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Oh, and yes, all of these stories are mine, unless otherwise noted.
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