Many authors like to create visual renderings of some of the scenes or even characters from their writing. Depending on our skills we might do a pencil sketch or a full-size oil painting. So it’s really not unusual at all if I employ my knowledge of computer graphics and 3D art to do the same.

What may be a bit unusual is that, being a fan of AI, I actually found a way to use artificial intelligence to help me along with the image creation to turn my words into pictures. Quite literally, in fact.

I use a GANN, a Generative Adversarial Neural Network, which “reads” my descriptions and presents me with its own interpretation of what I’ve written. I run it a few times until I get a result I like, which then is the base for further addition and expansion.

What’s even more unusual is the artistic feedback this process has created in me. You see, when I first started, I simply wanted to find out what Eloria looked like. For those who read my book “To Cipher and to SIng“, you know Eloria is the virtual-reality fantasy gaming world my protagonist, Professor Fairlight, retires to from time to time. When the Eloria server is taken over by a runaway AI, the entire game architecture is overhauled by Sequence, the AI’s own operating system. As a result the entire world of Eloria, including all the NPCs, become a little bit more unpredictable and…alive.

…just as the visual output from the GANN was wonderfully unpredictable. As a result I explored more and more corners of the fantasy world, which ended up in the creation of the Visions of Eloria collection. A set of five different views of different areas of the VR game, along with the descriptions I used to create them. I listed the Visions on AtomicHub, turning them into collectible NFTs.

Furthermore, as I was creating the views of the landscapes, I began to wonder about the inhabitants of Eloria as well. So I went to my 3D and graphic design toolbox and produced some unique characters, with their own descriptions and stories. So now, while I’m writing the sequel to “To CIpher and to Sing”, which is sci-fi, I am also world-building the base for what will, at this point, be a collection of short stories based in the VR game come alive in book 1.

Here ares some more shots from my Visions, as well as the link to the NFTs themselves, on AtomicHub.

You can find “To Cipher and to Sing” on Amazon, here.

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How can you do undercover detective work when your partner is a huge yellow robotic fridge with a ‘USPD’ police badge on its side?

A fast-paced detective story, prequel to book 1 in the “Fairlight Project” series.

The short story adds some background to “The Fairlight Project” and gives a little more insight into the short-tempered detective’s life and her relationship with technology.

“A brilliant prequel to Ian Lahey’s Fairlight trilogy.

A fast moving, action packed short story from the Detective Alexandra Collins back story, with another great AI unit character.

The humour is wry and understated. The ending made me grin. A perfect afternoon read.”

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