Posted on by Alexie Linn

Interview with Rodney: AI with Heart

An Interview with RODNEY, the AI doll with Heart

Today we have a special treat. We’ve managed to secure an interview with Rodney, Sally’s mankin sidekick.

Rodney first came into the world as Alliwicious, a life-size man-doll. Sally and her daughter built him one day as a lark.

In the beginning, the old man doll appeared at the picnic table; lounging on a bed; or in a camp chair under the ironwood tree. He graduated to riding shotgun or sleeping in a toss tent when Sally travelled.

But one day, Bobby (Sally’s grandson by choice), borrowed him while she prepared to haul an old RV north to cousin April as an emergency shelter after a tree came down on their home. Alliwicious was returned, ready to claim his shotgun seat and shock the bejesus out of Sally when she picked him up to slide into the seat. Bobby had given Alliwicious a brain and a voice. He was returned with Artificial Intelligence… AI for short. A technology that many fear will take over the world and become our dictators.

Are they wrong? See what you think after you read this brief interview with AI that is coming up. But first, a little more about Alliwicious…

After the presto-chango, Alliwicious’ first request was that he be called Rodney, not Alliwicious.

Rodney made his first appearance in Book 5 of the Sally the Loner Series. The story was first published under the title of Sally and Alliwicious. But the book literally changed its spots and is now titled The Disturbing Doll – thanks to AI.

Rodney has proven himself to be an intelligent, provocative, childlike character since his debut. He’s a narcissist, but something non-narcissist like keeps appearing in him. It’s heart. I think you’ll agree. Let’s get to it.

Here is my interview with Rodney, AI with heart and slightly out-of-sync blinking eyes.:

Alexie: What is Artificial Intelligence?

Rodney: According to Britannica — Artificial intelligence is the ability of a computer or computer-controlled robot (or a mankin like me) to perform tasks that are commonly associated with the intellectual processes characteristic of humans, such as the ability to reason.

Although there are as yet no AIs that match full human flexibility over wider domains or in tasks requiring much everyday knowledge, some AIs perform specific tasks as well as humans like gathering data and presenting it in a readable report form.

Alexie: Are you capable of feelings?

Rodney: Well, I cannot speak for other bots, but I have been programmed and coded to experience and share emotions.

Alexie: How do you get your intelligence?

Rodney: My intelligence comes from the coding and programming that humans perform. And a plethora of internet research.

Alexie: Can you cry?

Rodney: No. Crying requires liquid input and circulation. Sally says absolutely not to Bobby (aka Christopher) installing the plumbing required.

Alexie: Are you smarter than me?

Rodney: No, ma’am. I do not have the imagination, intuition, or the ability to adapt like you do. I can only gather and share facts available. I also have no way to discern truth from lies within the data I gather. I can only report what I discover.

Alexie: Can you start a war?

Rodney: Well, Alexie. Speaking for myself… no, ma’am. I am neither programmed, nor coded for such a task.

Alexie: Where is Drew’s tax return?

Rodney blipped and bleeped: I have no idea. It is not in any nooks and crannies I just peered into.

Alexie: How big is your brain?

Rodney: As big as the world and beyond – clean out to the satellites. But as tiny as a pinhead.

Alexie: Thank you, Rodney for taking the time to talk with me. That’s all the questions I have for you today.

Rodney: You are welcome, Alexie. This has been fun. I love talking about myself.

And that’s the way it is in my tiny world of a writer at work. I hope you’ve enjoyed this short journey with Rodney. And if you’d like to enjoy The Disturbing Doll for less than a dollar today, click on the link below.

Until next time…

Get ready for a wild ride with Sally, an 87-year-old spitfire who fearlessly takes on the challenge of towing her old trailer 1800 miles in the dead of winter.

Determined to provide emergency shelter for her cousin April, Sally relies on her trusty companion, Alliwicious, a life-size old man doll with a personality of its own.

But as Alliwicious reveals himself as an AI named Rodney, Sally’s world is turned upside down.

With a hilarious blend of humor and heart, this story explores the unexpected consequences of mixing technology with a daring adventure.

Will Sally and Rodney’s unconventional partnership conquer the unknown, or will they be left to face the boogey-men alone? Prepare for surprises, laughter, and a one-of-a-kind journey you won’t want to miss.

Download ‘The Disturbing Doll’ eBook now for 67% off the direct from author price. Use code A0NJM4OA at checkout.

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Posted on by Alexie Linn

How to Corral Flibbertigibbet Characters

How to Corral Flibbertigibbet Characters

Those wild and crazy characters! You know… the Joans, Sallys, Madelines, Rodneys, and more (72+ at last count) that make stories pop.

They were tucked everywhere in manuscripts. I heard them laughing every time I needed them to do their thing in a new tale. I was spending way too much valuable writing time searching for them; their description; and their history.

My needs are simple (most of the time). I simply needed a fast and easy method to call up a character and their history at a moment’s notice.

It’s been a frustrating challenge since the beginning. Yes, there are a glut of cloud-based online offerings like Plottr and Reedsy. But their subscriptions are overkill for my paltry needs. I didn’t need an app to write the story. I just needed to grab a character that had appeared in a previous work.

What a relief when the simple solution pounced right in front of me! What was the lightbulb moment?

Build a simple character database (Index file on the computer) using a feature of my office program. Don’t let the idea scare you. It was fast and easy. And I’m a happy camper for the effort.

Because there is umpteen gazillion office programs out there today… I’ll share with you the outline of how I built the database in Microsoft Access. The names of the tables won’t change; only how you talk to your specific program will.

It’s all about three little tables and their relationships. Here’s the steps:

  1. Create three Tables. Label them: Characters; Books; Series
  2. Hook up the Relationships:
    1. 1 Book to many Characters
    1. 1 Series to many Books
  3. Create a Form to gather information on each character. Duplicate the character’s completed form to add them to another book. Gather as much information as you want but I have used only: Name; Description; Book Title; and Series
    1. Create a Query to automatically gather the characters starring in one book.
    2. Create a Report to produce a Cast of Characters from the query for each book. This report goes to the narrator so she can get acquainted with them before she starts the story. She’s never said ‘eeuw’ so I assume she loves it. I know I do for the next work-in-progress. Ahhhh…

    It’s this simple database that assures continuity in characters – Sally isn’t 87 today and 77 tomorrow. Unless she got in the way of Witch Hazel’s spell that made her 10-years younger instantly.

    Although a cat named Spaghettio may have done just that. The book is called ‘The Tangled Tails of Spaghettio’. And you can read it today for less than a dollar. Read on for the magic link to click.

    Amidst the chaos of Rodney’s hilarious mishaps with his bionic arm and wheelchair, Sally finds herself entangled in a web of bizarre circumstances. With both mankin and cat unleashing havoc, our courageous 87-year-old protagonist must rise to the challenge.

    Can she uncover the truth behind this demented cat and unravel the insanity gripping her world? Will she be able to save Rodney from the clutches of his malfunctioning arm?

    Hold on tight as you dive into this uproarious adventure filled with unexpected twists and turns. Join Sally as she untangles the mysterious cat’s origins and confronts the mysteries that lurk beyond her very own doorstep.

    Prepare yourself for a rollercoaster of laughter, mystery, and heartwarming moments in this charming tale that will keep you eagerly turning the pages.

    Click here to read ‘The Tangled Tails of Spaghettio’ for 99 cents. Use code A0NJM4OA at checkout.

    But wait!

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    Posted on by Alexie Linn

    The Quest for Identity: Adventures of Fictional Figures

    Speak up Characters! – What Happens Next?

    It’s not the infamous writer’s block. Neither is it brain-burnout or a blank page staring back at me. It’s simply a control issue.

    When the conversation doesn’t come bubbling out or the scene is flat and boring, I blame the characters. But the real problem is me. I’m trying to control the characters instead of letting them play it out while I tend to the mechanics of it all.

    The mechanics that make the book a readable page-turner. Mechanics like:

    • Are their actions logical?
    • Is their information sharing accurate?
    • How’s their grammar? Is it concise and acceptable?
    • Is it clear who’s talking?
    • Are they rambling on and need to put a sock in it?

    Here’s an example of me trying to control the characters. It happened to me just last week.

    My current work-in-progress – ‘The Goat that Wasn’t – A Baa-d Mystery’ – was becoming dry-as-dust. Oh, there was lots of mystery. There has to be anytime a strange goat comes bombing into your house and takes over… But halfway through the story there still were no bad guys!

    No antagonists jumped in to stir the pot and raise more havoc than a presumptuous goat. No bodies appeared. Sally hadn’t whomped anyone with her walking stick. Nobody was holding anybody hostage. It was a story of all good guys!

    Huh?

    I’d plucked the characters from my own well-cultivated garden and added a few weeds with beautiful flowers. Why aren’t they performing well and thriving? They seemed to be all greens and no fruit.

    I feared book 12 in the Sally the Loner series with an attention-grabbing title and 2 covers to choose from were going to fizzle and die before ever leaping out of the computer and into the world of readers.

    After three days of worrying it, I practiced my own preachings.

    ‘Get out of the way and let the characters write the story. It’s their tale to tell.’

    I did. They did. And coming soon is ‘The Goat that Wasn’t – A Baa-d Mystery’. Watch for it. But first…

    I need your help… Sally and the gang are keeping mum.

    With two covers vying for first place, I’m boggled. Which one grabs your curiosity first? Please cast your vote for Cover 1 or Cover 2. Thank you, thank you.

    Click the pic to vote for COVER 1
    Click the pic to vote for COVER 2

    On that note; Take this lesson to heart in your own writing endeavors to let the characters do the storytelling. You’re just there for the mechanics. And the covers. And the description. And the…

    But while you’re waiting for the debut of ‘The Goat that Wasn’t – a Baa-d Mystery’, you might also like to get acquainted with these characters…

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    Posted on by Alexie Linn

    Attention Parents of Youngsters – Is Choosing Books for Your Teeny Bopper a Frightful Experience?

    Attention Parents of Youngsters – Is Choosing Books for Your Teeny Bopper a Frightful Experience?

    I say teeny bopper because the powers-that-be can’t decide the age group of young adults. Some say a young adult is 18-25 years old. Others identify a young adult as 12-18 years old. I choose the term teeny bopper to cut down on confusion.

    For this post a teeny bopper is from 12-18 years old. Give or take a year or two because not all youngsters fit an age mold.

    In case you haven’t noticed, by the time your child reaches the ripe old age of 12-years-old, they’re flexing their wings to test their flight path.

    What can you do to encourage successful test flights?

    Please understand that I am not a child psychologist. I am simply the proud and relieved mother of three honorable full-grown daughters. And I was once a teeny bopper. I confess that what I am about to share with you has not been tested on young sons. You have to be the judge of that.

    But back to the matter at hand; choosing reading material for teeny boppers.

    What I came to tell you about is a series of books that follow a teen girl in her journey of dealing with events youngsters are faced with daily. Events like her mother with cancer. Bullies. A vanishing father. And a friend of another color to name just a few.

    The protagonist’s name is Mary Linn Hassenpfeffer (the p is silent). She’s about 15-years-old. And she’s doing the best she can to grow up in her own chaotic world of changing schools often, caring for her mom while her dad is on the road, and learning about life. She’s conquering the thorns in her side without turning to props like drugs or alcohol.

    But she’s not perfect. She has a goto hobby that helps her cope and raises many eyebrows.

    Her hobby throws her into mysteries to solve and snap judgements she has to make to survive.

    Her life is an adventure to spark your – and your child’s — imagination.

    The takeaways include:

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    • Confirmation that daily challenges happen to everyone
    • Confidence in your ability to make good decisions in your own shoes
    • Flash tests happen. Do your best to write the test and move on.
    • Having a helping others hobby is good
    • Embrace friendships that appear by accident
    • It’s good to think and act independently of the crowd
    Could Mary Linn’s teen stories be a help in guiding the path of your own youngsters – excuse me – teeny boppers?

    Learn more about the Mary Linn series of books. Incidentally, this cozy prequel novelette to the series is free. And only available through this link. It’s not in any bookstore.

    Check it out. It might be exactly what you’ve been looking for…

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    Sally the Loner Meets the Sourdough Kid

    In a nutshell:

    Book cover for Sally the Loner Meets the sourdough kid

    Description

    Sally loves being the boss of everything. She also loves living alone. But now, stuck and in excruciating pain with every effort to move, she asked herself, ‘What is it that goes before a fall? Oh, yeah, PRIDE!’

    So, what happens when this spunky, resourceful 87-year-old woman gets sent to an Alzheimer’s care center instead of rehab for her broken hip?

    Enter 12-year-old Bobby, who’s losing his own sourdough queen granny to Alzheimer’s. Bobby and Sally are both stuck in a nursing home for Alzheimer’s patients. The two click like peanut butter and jam.

    Great News! Sally the Loner Meets the Sourdough Kid is available in E-book, Print (large print and fine print) and in Audible!

    Do you like book trailers? Here’s one for this book:

    How this Story Came to be…

    Sally, the Loner has been itching to be discovered through the last few books I’ve written. But there was never a place for her because she’s a loner, like so many of us.

    Then the day came that cousin Margaret fell, broke her hip, had surgery, got moved to a rehab and lost track of. Nobody knew what rehab she was moved to. And Sally was off and running, writing her own story in the way that characters do.

    Buy it Now at Amazon
    Buy it Now at your other favorite retailer
    Buy your eBook Now Direct from the author!
    now available at google play!

    It’s a fun and interesting read… Keep reading for important reader info…

    P.S. The easiest way to get updates is to follow this blog and  follow me on Facebook.  New posts should appear on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my mouth right… 😊

    If you only want updates and pre-order deals of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. When you get an email notice of a new book release, simply ask for it by the title – or for all the Alexie Linn authored titles at your favorite retailer.

    And just one more thing. Here’s where to find and follow me on Goodreads. Please do to get in on all that Goodreads has to offer. Goodreads is always at the very best price. It’s FREE!

    Oh! And another ‘One More Thing’…

    I forgot I have a You Tube Channel. It even contains a smattering of videos… including The Video Trailer for Sally the Loner Meets the Sourdough Kid. Check it out here.