To give credit where credit is due… the title of this post isn’t something I came up with; it was coined by an Authorpreneur I admire, Joanna Penn. If you are a writer and haven’t heard of her, you need to check out her website right now. I mean it, go now and I will wait… you can find her stuff here: https://www.thecreativepenn.com/. She is by far the best resource I have found for everything indie publishing.
If you are a reader and interested in what I mean by doubling down on being human… please read on!
I had a memory pop up in Facebook this month, as they sometimes do, which reminded me that 5 years ago I relaunched my entire series with rewrites and new covers. An anniversary of sorts. It was the third edition of Book 1 at that point, and the 2nd or 3rd iteration of the artwork on most of the covers. It was time well spent during Covid, especially since I had way more of it. Time that is. Had I known then what I know now, I possibly would have appreciated it more. The project was intense, a total of five books to be re-edited, formatted for print, and covered. Not to mention re-submitted to all platforms I sell them on. I put a massive amount of energy into the launch, which now includes 6 books as well as 2 e-bundles. Bundles which have yet to sell or get any reviews… which is an entirely different post.
The year 2020 was a very different time, and it seems ridiculous to even say that about a mere 5 years ago. But it’s true. The entire conversation about (and use of) AI has changed the game and has caused me to look at my own writing journey. I have limited time to commit to it currently (full-time job and all) and I constantly have to stop myself from circling the drain in a defeatist spiral. It was already bad, but now I’m not only reminded there are writers who produce faster than me, I also have AI to contend with. So the question I had to ask myself was… Do I need to write faster? Do I even want to? The answer is No my darling reader… I don’t. And I won’t. And I will continue following the Muse to produce the stories of my heart. So, if you are still with me… thank you for being okay with a book a year meaningfully written and produced by an average human. You are my people!
Is my series perfect? Goddess no! But am I proud of it! Hells yes! This series will always hold a special place in my heart, and while I have no intention of ever going back to it and “fixing” things that may be wrong, I do plan to write more stories inspired by this world. Forward progress always… telling new stories is important to me. Especially if it involves sassy shifters… because Everything Zilla won’t have it any other way.
As for this series:
Will you find typos – Most likely.
Eye-rolling jokes – Most definitely.
Is it my finest work? – I would bet not, since there is much more to come, but it doesn’t make this first series any less meaningful. That is especially true when it comes to Book 1 – Sea Of Dreams, which was the first book I ever finished during a time I wasn’t sure I would be around to see 2025. Yet here we are..13 books and counting and 14 years in remission.
On the series relaunch anniversary, I am doubling down on being human. Will you find flaws in my work? Absolutely! I hope you do! Because that means it came from my heart, soul, and ever-expanding mind. It also comes from my background, experiences, and perhaps a bit of a C average early in school. I take pride in the fact that a mere human compiled the exact sequence of words to describe how they view the world they live in. It isn’t easy, and I don’t take any of my stories for granted.
Are all my books a 5-star read for everyone? Nope.
Do I read the reviews? Sometimes.
Do they sting? Not anymore.
Because the stories were written for the people who connect with them, I realize that now. And sometimes, reading between the lines is what the writer is hoping for. It is where she lives, waiting for company. That is where you will find me. My heart and soul are in every story I produce. Yes… you will also get imperfections, but isn’t that what makes us unique and interesting?
For me, it isn’t about the destination, but always the journey… and I’m following my curiosity and passion. It is the only way I know of to be truly human. I hope that when you read one of my stories it brings you back to a time when you were wild, curious, and free of worries. It is always my goal to provide a respite for your mind. I hope if you don’t find it with me; you manage to find the perfect author for you. Believe me, they are out there, and giving unknown books/authors a chance is the best way to find them!
For those interested in supporting human-authored works, some authors are including language on their copyright pages or websites to that effect. You can see my AI clause in my Privacy Statement here: https://dahenneman.com/home/privacy-policy-for-d-a-henneman-author-saraybooks-llc/. You could also come across a seal, like the one pictured above for Sea Of Dreams, displayed proudly on an author’s work, which ensures they created their story the old-fashioned way. If you are an author and would like to learn more about the program, head to the Author’s Guild website! https://authorsguild.org/human-authored/
Thanks so much for your support from one human to another. And if you are an LLM… find someone else to scrape 🙂
You can find out more about what I write here:
For my Goddesses in Love series, the best link is:
My new Shifters In New York Collection can be seen here:
For my Mythical Creatures posts, head over to:
For more Soundtrack of my Life posts:
And for my Shorts and Tidbits:
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D.A. Henneman - Romance Author 