Quick Update post-AuthorNation 2025!

Yes in fact I did get screwed over by the massive airlines clusterfq, thanks for asking!

It was A LOT

Oh gosh, it was…A LOT. So much. Networking, presentations, panels, and more filled up every day I was there. A lot of folk would go to dinner shows or other tourist-y things but by 7pm I’d be wiped out, crawling into my bed with some melatonin after turning on my humidifier.

Why humidifier? Because the event was in Las Vegas! I drank a lot of water and soaked in the shower quite a bit, and put lotion on my face. Bizarre. Also, did you know that in low-humidity areas, you actually get dry when you step out of the shower?!?!??!??? WILD! And the bath towels would dry out overnight!!! What is this magic????

The big topics were, unsurprisingly, A.I., audio, kickstarter, and translations. Also, using A.I. to create audio books and translations and kickstarter campaigns. I cannot stress enough how embedded A.I. was in every discussion I had there. A few authors were opposed to it, but on the whole, the overwhelming majority admit that they use it in some capacity. That said, the majority I talked to do not use it for creative writing, mostly for brainstorming, marketing copy, business planning, and social media campaigns.

Which brings me to what I consider the main theme of the event: Lean into being Human. We all see the way A.I. is being leveraged by the corporate overlords against us across every metric, and many bigger brains than mine were stressing how the next 18 months will see a transition in the publishing industry not seen since…ever, probably, but for sure not since KDP broke (virtual) ground on self-publishing in 2007.

It’s given me a lot to think about regarding my own approach to social media, including this blog and especially my podcast. Not just about “what works?” but “what is sustainable for me?” I’ve burnt myself out before trying to chase trends or do the popular thing, so I need to be careful of where I want to take this writing lark in the age of A.I.

More later, when I’ve recovered from the trip! And yes, my return was marked by sleeping overnight in Terminal T at the Atlanta airport due to 1) bad weather causing me to miss my connection; 2) all the cancelled flights, e.g.:

Nature’s Drama Queen

This is fantasically crappy photo taken with my phone camera of a section of the Grand Canyon from about 30,000 ft. (9,100 meters). We were coming in at sunset and it took my breath away. I was reminded how much I love texture in my landscapes: mountains, valleys, canyons, arroyos. I don’t hate Florida the way some people do, but despite living here most of my life, it’s never appealed to me or felt like “home”. No, give me the full drama queen landscape! Oh, someday I will move into a cabin on a mountain in the woods. Someday!

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