AI images, Eloisa

 Copilot

Actually, Copilot did this last time, didn't it? It wanted to give Cora a red scarf thing. This time it's like a loincloth thing?

ChatGPT

Does Cora have a spear? A sword? Let's give her both!

Gemini

Look at her, just tossing her spear off the side of the building. And look at those white, white teeth.

In all three cases, though, it has given Eloisa this "female" armor. Which isn't a real thing. Sure, someone might have made it for fun at some point, but those ridges are just a place where a weapon can catch. The sleek sides of plate armor are a critical part of its defense. Blows just glance across it. If a hammer had a place to catch, it could do substantially more damage. 

Gemini 

Made the fix, it looks good.

Copilot kind of did. 

ChatGPT

Totally misses the mark here. Funny enough, feeding this back to Claude, it actually likes this one best.

 Which do you like best?

AI images, Vera

 

Ha, it even has her delivering bread, that is great!  I think this is a great start. Vera's human form is just a touch more demure(?) then as described in the book. Let's give it another try.

For fun, I had ChatGPT do this image too, and it is a little... well...

Back to Gemini

The large bag is great. No idea what is going on with her eyes, though. 

I think this one is pretty decent. I'm out of Claude chat time now, too. So I think I will call it here for now. Vera, in her human form, looks out of place, which is good. 

AI pictures, Turnus

 Since we did pictures of Cora and Jax in the last post, let's try Turnus. And oh my.

I don't think this is what I had in mind at all. way too pretty. Let's try again. And actually, I ran out of free images in Copilot, so let's try Gemini

The pendulum has swung too far the other direction. A few issues:

What improved:

• Two-handed axe is correct now — proper size, both hands on it ✓
• Raw forward energy and momentum — no longer posing ✓
• Battle chaos in the background works well ✓
• Not polished or celebrity-looking ✓

What went wrong:

• He's too old — looks closer to 50s, maybe even 60s. Turnus is late 30s. This reads as a grizzled veteran, not a man just beginning to gray
• Too Viking — the fur trim, double-headed axe, and wild long hair push him into Norse warrior territory. He's a desert mercenary commander, not a Norseman
• Hair is too long and wild — should be shorter and naturally unkempt, not a flowing Viking mane
• Beard too long and full — stubble or short rough beard, not a full warrior beard
• He's lost the handsome quality entirely — went from too pretty to too brutish. The book describes him as genuinely handsome, just in a dangerous way

And after giving that feedback, the AI seems to have ignored it. It just put the funny fur onto someone else. 

Honestly, I kind of liked the longer hair better. Anyway, let's do one last picture.

I'm not sure why he is looking crazy with his Ax, but ok. Otherwise, I think the face is quite good at this point, maybe a little older than late 30s.

Claude's one complaint, which I think is actually funny, "The only real fix needed is Cora's hair up in a ponytail. Everything else is working. This is close to a keeper." Which it clearly is. 

Turnus — strong

• Commanding the center of the room ✓
• Ruggedly handsome, reads correctly now ✓
• Dark armor, two-handed axe ✓
• Still a touch old but much more acceptable in context ✓

Jax — excellent

• Entering from the doorway exactly as written ✓
• Dark straight hair ✓
• Slim but hard build ✓
• The armor reads as brigandine ✓
• Age looks right, early 20s ✓
• This is the best Jax has looked yet

Cora — close but one clear issue

• Skin tone good ✓
• Hair color is closer to auburn ✓
• Hair is down, not in a ponytail — that's a consistent character detail from the very first line she appears in the book
• Chainmail armor is reasonable

Setting — outstanding

• Clay walls, torches, rough interior ✓
• Other mercs at a table with what looks like a map in the background — perfect for the planning scene ✓
• Desert visible through the open door ✓

AI pictures, Jax and Cora

 So this blog is probably just as much a story about AI as it is about Manetera. Today I have some pictures for you.  The first is Jax as rendered by Copilot.

I think I like the bottom left here best, as it has the most character and depicts Jax well. Here, I think he is going to go into a bit of rage-induced fit. See the almost big smile on his face and his bloodied sword. 

Next it made an image of Cora, which is ok.

I'm not sure ever uses a buckerler though.

Next, we see her throwing a spear, but it doesn't look quite right...

Claude helped me prompt this next round. Cora as someone who lives in the desert, will have darker skin, which is shown in the next version. Also, her hair color wasn't quite auburn here.

I do wonder why she is holding the shield like that and the spear like that... 

Clause agreed on the color, too.

Suggested addition to the prompt:
"Auburn hair — dark reddish-brown, NOT bright red or ginger. The red tones are subtle warmth in a predominantly brown base, not a vivid copper or flame color."

This looks like brown hair to me. This is how my chats with Copilot usually go, a lot of back and forth.

Now this looks like red highlights. I think I give up.

An AI written status update.

 As a bit of a tangent, I'm not sure a blog that is often written by AI is going to convince anyone to read these books, which are not written by AI. That said, if I write absolutely nothing, I think that is a certainly (that books aren't going to sell that is.)

Anyways, here is a status update, written by AI, mistakes and all:

Current work is focused entirely on The Brotherhood of Light. We are systematically applying the first round of line edits and structural feedback received from Bennion (Leafbound Review).

Recent updates to the manuscript include:

• Pacing: Tightening the flow of the early chapters to establish a quicker narrative hook.

• Dialogue: Sharpening the interactions between the initiates—specifically Brumdin and Folen—and their instructors to better highlight the rigid environment of the Order.

• Continuity: Cleaning up early formatting and structural rough spots to ensure the prose is seamless before the draft moves to a final proofreader.

The next step is finishing these revisions while continuing to build our audience infrastructure through the Leafbound Review newsletter.

Chronicle Panels Debut - Maleki Issue No. 3

 

I've been working on this one over the past few weeks; Chronicle Panels is Realms of Manetera's version of a comic. The main goal is to capture the 12 scenes from each book within the anthology. I like this one as Maleki's father is defends him well, and as Father's Day is fast approaching refreshing to see part of what it truly means to be a father. 

A councilman orders the capture of a teenage Maleki, leading to a tense confrontation. Then the father disarms a guard and issues a warning—marking the start of a larger struggle between honoring authority, survival, and loyalty to family.

State of the Realm: Editing, Experiments, and the "Villain’s Journey"

 Welcome back to the blog! I recently did a segment on Ricky Rambles where I decided to multitask by live-dictating a status update on my primary creative project: The Realms of Manetera.

If you’ve been following along, you know this fantasy universe is a collaborative creation between Andrew and me. But what you might not know is that the whole thing actually started as a joke.

The Accidental Novelist

Years ago, Andrew told me he wanted to write a book together. At the time, I didn't really take him seriously. To poke a little fun at the idea, I sat down and wrote the most ridiculous premise I could imagine: a story about a half-orc (actually a half-ogre—even worse!) and an imp who become unlikely friends and head off on a grand quest.

It was essentially a "Villain’s Journey" disguised as a Hero’s Journey, centered on themes of redemption and absurdity. But a funny thing happened while writing that "ridiculous" story—I actually started to like it.

I finished that book, titled Maleki, and then I wrote another. And another. Fast forward to today, and I have four mostly completed novellas set in this universe.

The Brutal Reality of Editing

Writing the books is the fun part. Editing them? Not so much. I am a "pantser"—meaning I don't plot anything out; I just fly by the seat of my pants. While that makes for a fun first draft, it makes editing a monumental task. I’m currently deep in the trenches of the editing process, and let me tell you, it’s brutal.

I’ve decided to hold back on releasing Maleki (the one with the ridiculous premise) and instead focus on finishing Brotherhood of Light first. I want Brotherhood to be the "straightforward" entry point for readers into the series. I’ve already had a friend and Chief Editor at Leafbound Review take a pass at it, and now I’m working through those comments to get it ready for a final proofreader.

Lessons from the Amazon Jungle

Lately, I’ve been running some "crazy experiments" on Amazon to see how the market works. I tried two strategies:

1. Low-content books: I released some journals to see if they’d gain traction. (Spoiler: They didn't).

2. Public Domain: I reformatted and published the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

Neither of these experiments resulted in many sales, but I don't view them as a waste of time. Every hour spent formatting and navigating the backend of Amazon is a skill learned. I’m getting better at the technical side of publishing so that when the Manetera books are ready, I won't be stumbling in the dark.

The "No-Audience" Problem

The biggest takeaway from my experiments—and from my children’s book (which people in person find hysterical, despite a few being offended by the "pigs possess great wealth" line!)—is that infrastructure matters.

It’s easier than ever to release a book, but harder than ever to get noticed. In 2016, you could drop a book on Bitcoin and get organic sales just because the topic was new. Today, if you launch a book to zero audience, it will likely stay at zero.

That’s why I’m focusing on building the Leafbound Review newsletter. We’re working to build a community of people who love literature, so that when we finally open the gates to the Realms of Manetera, there will actually be someone there to walk through them.

What’s Next?

The drafts for the third and fourth books are currently in a "continuous draft" state. Thanks to modern tech, I don't have to re-type pages like the old typewriter days, but the mental work remains the same.

I’m still rambling, still writing, and still figuring out the best way to bring these stories to you. If you’re reading this, I truly appreciate you being here.