When I set out to write "The Life of Phi" (coming April 22nd), I didn’t expect to find a hidden poet inside me. But as I explored the themes of the environment, AI, and humanity, I found myself drawn to the voice of water as my narrator. Water became my storyteller—fluid, ever-changing, and deeply intertwined with existence itself. While the book itself is not poetry, water's perspective emerges at the beginning of each chapter in the form of a poem. The words spilled onto the page in a free-flowing form, refusing the confines of rigid structure. It was as if this voice demanded to be heard through poetry. This unexpected discovery stayed with me as I moved on to my next work-in-progress. I thought I could weave this poetic voice into the fabric of my new story, but it resisted. It belonged elsewhere, in its own space, with room to breathe. That’s when I realized these poems—this series I’ve come to call "Whispers Between the Worlds"—deserved to stand on their ...

  Thoughts on AI and Creativity: Transparency, Ethics, and the Changing Landscape Artificial intelligence is transforming industries, and the creative world is no exception. As an author who writes about AI in my fiction, I pay close attention to its real-world developments—not just for research, but to better understand its implications, complications, and ethical dilemmas. I want to take a moment to be clear about my own approach to AI, how I use it, and how I think it fits into the broader conversation around creativity. How I Use AI in My Work I do not use AI for writing. My words, stories, and characters are my own. However, I do use AI as a research tool. AI-assisted searches can often provide results in a single query that might take multiple standard searches to uncover. This efficiency allows me to spend more time crafting my work rather than sifting through endless pages of search results. In my novel Rephlexions: Echoes of Existence , one of the main characters is an...

 March 2 - March 8, 2025 It’s that time of year again— Read an Ebook Week is here! Whether you’re a longtime ebook lover or new to digital reading, this is the perfect time to discover new stories, explore different genres, and build up your digital library. To celebrate, all of my ebooks are available at a promotional price this week on Smashwords ! From March 2nd to March 8th, you can grab any of my books at a discount and dive into new worlds, thought-provoking narratives, and captivating adventures. You’ll find my collection—along with thousands of other discounted and free ebooks—by visiting the Read an Ebook Week promotion page on Smashwords: 🔗 Smashwords Ebook Week This is a fantastic opportunity to support indie authors and discover unique voices in speculative fiction, urban fantasy, sci-fi, and more. Let’s celebrate the joy of reading—wherever and whenever you like. 📚✨ #ebookweek25 #Smashwords #ReadAnEbookWeek

  Hello Blogger, My Old Friend… I’ve made some changes to my website. My old domain, mountainhermit.lawrencenault.me , is still up for now, but my primary site is now lawrencenault.me . As part of this shift, I’ve also moved my blog off my website to mountainhermit.blogspot.com and bid farewell to WordPress. WordPress is (or was) great, but between the constant updates, outdated templates, and rising costs, maintaining it started taking more time than it was worth—time better spent writing. By using Blogger, I’m hoping for something more stable and long-term, while also benefiting from external links to my site for SEO. This entire process has been a classic case of procrastination disguised as productivity (and, of course, far more complicated than just sitting down to write). But now, it’s time to shift gears and focus on the next phase—promoting my upcoming book. The Life of Phi – Coming April 22nd My next speculative fiction novel, The Life of Phi , launches April 22nd....