To Beat the Bots, Talk to a Tree

Hank Phillippi Ryan: As always, Jane Cleland, a darling friend of the Reds, knows just the right thing to say, and just the perfect doors to open for us.

Her newest book is Beat The Bots. Yes. Beat the Bots. And more on that below. (It's so life-changingly important!)

Happy Saturday, everyone. Take a few minutes, and now, let Jane transport you.  And Jane is giving a copy of BEAT THE BOTS to one very lucky commenter!

To Beat the Bots, Talk to a Tree

Jane K. Cleland

When I was young, my dad built a rock garden, a secret space filled with craggy stones and low-lying plants placed just so. 

He’d come home from work and visit his garden, repositioning a rock, adjusting a trailing vine. It was his happy place, and perhaps I caught my love of natural beauty from him.

When I visit a new city, I ask about walking trails and botanical gardens. (I know, I know. I can see you rolling your eyes. Over the years, more than one traveling companion has politely suggested we meet up later as they’re out the door to check out the local shops or cafes, while I trek off to a garden.) 

What can I tell you? To me, there’s something about the trees and the shrubs and purling brooks and waterfalls that moves me, that inspires me.

I mean, really... look at this photo I took of the Katharine Hepburn garden in Midtown Manhattan.

This tiny walkway contains stones engraved with some of the late great actress’s most intriguing sayings, like “Without discipline, there’s no life at all,” and “If you always do what interests you, at least one person will be pleased.”

Only recently, in researching the science behind the lore for my new book, Beat the Bots: A Writer’s Guide to Surviving & Thriving in the Age of AI, did I learn that spending time in nature is more than good for us—it will help us harness our creativity. Wallace J. Nichols, a marine biologist, has conducted research that proves that being in or around water reduces stress and facilitates creative thinking.

Here’s a photo I took from the balcony of a cruise ship. I couldn’t stop looking at this gorgeous, lulling view.

Forests provide solace, too. The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries created the term shinrin-yoku, which translates to “forest bathing” or “absorbing the forest atmosphere.” They encourage people to spend time in nature — no actual bathing required. The goal of forest bathing is to live in the present moment while immersing your senses in the sights and sounds of a natural setting.

While the little parks called Tudor City Greens in New York City can’t be called a forest, they offered me great solace during my daily walks, the meandering path, the hidden ferns.

Speaking of ferns, look at the last flower box in my garden in New York—a moss garden with ferns. I added a couple of rocks, too. I think my dad would have been proud.

Even if you can’t leave your home for a walk on the beach or stroll through the woods, you can approximate the mood by playing any of scores of free nature videos widely available on YouTube, the sounds of waterfalls, or birds chirping, or forest creatures cavorting. If you’re like most people, you’ll relax as your internal muse rises to the surface, eager to help you bring forth your creative best.

How about you? I’d love to hear about your favorite nature spot! Please add a comment below and tell me about a place that’s moved and inspired you.


HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, we have a little stone bench in our side yard…long ago, maybe a hundred years ago? It was one of the front steps to our house, and for some reason,it had to be taken out. It was so gorgeous that I said–don;t throw that away! I had it made into a bench, using a chunky rock under each end, and now it’s in the midst of a grove of  ferns and spirea, and it is absolutely tranquil.

And we have engraved stones in our yard, too! (They are images: including the Big Dipper, the sun, a flower...and duck footprints!)


How about you, Reds and Readers? What’s your answer to this delightful question?

And Jane is giving a copy of BEAT THE BOTS to one very lucky commenter!
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And don’t you think Jane should tell us more about her new book? Here' s a bit of info:

Beat the Bots offers science-based creativity techniques that guide you through the writing process to unlock your imagination and create compelling stories that resonate with emotional truth in ways AI can’t match.

Even though artificial intelligence is based on a technology called “machine learning,” computers can’t learn to be creative—but you can. This book will show you the way. AI is, by definition, derivative, not creative. It can’t bring rational judgment to determine the quality or value of its work. When you bring those capabilities to your writing, your stories will touch readers’ hearts and minds.

Just as real food is better for us than processed food, and actual social interactions are more meaningful than social media, when it comes to writing your story, artificial intelligence can’t replicate your individual human intelligence, imagination, and sensibility. Technical wizardry can’t tell your story. Only you can do that. Your uniqueness is what separates you from a chatbot, and explains why you can’t be replaced by an algorithm. You’ll succeed because you’re human, not in spite of it.

Through engaging FAQs, invaluable “Pro Tips,” and “AI Weighs In” revelations, you’ll be able to apply the writing lessons and creativity tactics to all aspects of storytelling, bringing your distinctive vision and voice to your projects in ways AI simply can’t. Thought-provoking, science-based guided exercises challenge you to apply each chapter’s lessons to your own writing. Whether you’re writing a novel, literary nonfiction, or a memoir, you’ll be able to write stories that are fresh and compelling—your stories—and those are the books that publishers want and readers crave. That’s how you’ll beat the bots.

Jane K. Cleland’s books on the craft of writing, Mastering Suspense, Structure & Plot and Mastering Plot Twists (Writer’s Digest Books, now Penguin Putnam Random House) both won the Agatha Award. Jane has also written fourteen novels in the multiple award-winning Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series (St. Martin’s Minotaur, with short fiction published by Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine). The series has been optioned for film and TV production. 

In addition, Jane is a contributing editor for Writer’s Digest Magazine and the chair of the Black Orchid Novella Award, presented by the Wolfe Pack in partnership with Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Jane is a frequent in-person and online presenter at writing conferences, association meetings, and MFA Residencies. She also offers small group Mystery Mastermind virtual workshops, monthly webinars, and free weekly YouTube Shorties—one-to-three-minute answers to FAQ. More information is available at http://janecleland.com.

Let's Do The Mash, Let’s Do the Genre Mash!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  All hail the truly amazing J. T. Ellison! I have been a fan of  the brilliant J.T. from the very beginning–I profoundly remember reading her first book–and (I wonder if she remembers) wrote her gushing a fan letter.

Now, ten million (at least) marvelous books later, JT continues to prove she's an authentically wonderful  and hard-working writer–she raises the bar at every turn, and readers can tell that she’s always pushing, pushing pushing to be even better! And  as an innovative and riveting author, she’s flying sky high.

Her newest, LAST SEEN, is again a tour de force. Special, different, unique, and truly JT. 

AND lucky lucky you reds and readers: , one of you will win a copy of LAST SEEN! Just leave a question of a comment to be entered to win.

How Genre Mashups Elevate the Story

by J. T. Ellison

What makes a mystery unforgettable? A hint of something unexpected. Many of our favorite writers are layering in elements from other genres to make their stories fresh and new. Whether there’s a Gothic edge, setting-driven folklore, a touch of romance, or even the supernatural, the modern mystery is full of surprises. These genre mashups are breathing new life into the time-honored tradition of the who-done-it. 

There’s an excellent resource out there, John Truby’s The Anatomy of Genres, for any writers who want to explore how to craft the merging of genres. But for the readers, finding what works and what doesn’t can be hit or miss. 

In LAST SEEN, I wanted to be mindful about adding elements from outside of my genre. The book is a mystery, featuring a main character, Halley James, who discovers that her entire life has been a lie. She was told that her mother died in a car accident, when in fact, she was murdered. The why behind the mystery—why her father would lie to her—is quickly brought to the fore when he admits who the killer is.

 Halley is shocked, but her father insists that hiding the truth was necessary. He’s only sought to keep his daughter safe. Who could blame him?

With that set up, I knew I wanted to play with the tone of this novel, and the best way to do that was to have a nameless narrator whom I simply referred to during the writing of the book as the Monster. (A note: Scott Brick is reading this part in the audiobook—astoundingly creepy.)

My monster in this story is a man, but he is also a mythic creature, someone who lurks in the darkness, hides in the night, and even has an underground lair. Mythologically, he is the embodiment of chaos, bringing intense creepiness and the element of horror that pervades the topical mystery, giving the story a dark and unsettling turn.

I wanted to use the element of darkness as a core theme, both literally and figuratively. Monsters create eerie atmospheres and blur the line between human and inhuman culprits. Is he a man, or beast, or a ghost? He could be any—he might be all of the above. 

This mashup of suspense with a subtle element of horror gave the book a darkness and an insularity that played incredibly well with the story I was trying to tell. Every page grew darker and more impactful, and when the Monster narrator appears, it becomes even more compelling. The suspense became more suspenseful because it’s impossible to know what his next move might be. 

I loved it, and I will definitely continue to do so in the future. It adds complexity to the story, making it very enjoyable to write. 

But it’s not just me. Many wonderful stories blend these elemental genres. Some of my favorite authors are incorporating facets from other genres to create new and unexpected stories. Lucy Foley, Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware, Lisa Unger, Riley Sager, Lisa Scottoline, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, S.A. Cosby, Tana French—all are recent reads who’ve brought something unique but universal to their recent books by taking familiar stories and merging them with elements from other genres. 

I’d love to hear some of your favorite genre mashups! Who does it well?

HANK:  Such a great question! Certainly the brilliant Lisa Scottoline, whose Tuscany books  and historical fiction break away from her usual thrillers, but still keep the Lisa touch! And so agree about Riley Sager.  Shari Lapena took a chance–and succeeded wildly–with WHAT HAVE YOU DONE–she actually calls  it a ghost story! Rachel Howzell Hall  added romantasy to her work. And our own Rhys Bowen and Jenn McKinlay push the genre boundaries every day. (I did it,too, in ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS...more I cannot say.)

Another question for you all: if your favorite author tries something new–are you willing to follow them to their new genre?

Leave a question of comment to be entered to win LAST SEEN! (and do you recognize the "inspiration" for the the title of this blog?)

J.T. Ellison is the Nashville-based New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 30 psychological thrillers, and the Emmy® award-winning co-host of A Word on Words on Nashville PBS. She created the Taylor Jackson and Dr. Samantha Owens series, co-wrote the Brit in the FBI series with Catherine Coulter, and has penned multiple standalone hits like A Very Bad Thing, It’s One of Us, and Lie to Me. With millions of books sold across 30 countries, her work has earned the ITW Thriller Award, Indie Next picks, Amazon Editor’s Pick, Book of the Month, among other honors. Last Seen is her most recent thriller.

Follow her @thrillerchick and read about the process of writing Last Seen at The Creative Edge Substack. (https://jtellison.substack.com)