C. C. Harper - Author

  In today’s midweek prompt - which you may freely consider slightly lengthy for a writing prompt - we’re going back to an urban fantasy setting, to the witches, the magic and the supernatural.   So here it goes: In the heart of a neon-lit metropolis, where the dazzling glow of modernity gleams against the backdrop of age-old secrets, a forgotten coven stirs from its century-long slumber. The city, a fusion of towering skyscrapers and dark alleyways, hums with an energy that pulses just beneath its surface. Ancient magic, once cloaked in shadow and silence, begins to seep into the streets, awakening forces long thought to be extinct.  Here, amidst the chaos of honking cars and flickering streetlights, you find yourself entangled in a web woven from the threads of your ancestry. You are a witch, a proud descendant of the Forsaken Coven—a group banished from the magical realm for daring to summon powers deemed too dangerous for mortal hands. Until recently, your life h...

  There’s something delightfully magical about a garden gnome. Isn’t there? Standing quietly in a flowerbed or nestled between shrubs, they seem to simply watch over their surroundings—innocent, stationary, perhaps even ordinary. Or are they? I’ve always been deeply fascinated by these little figures, especially after watching The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain . There was something so whimsical about the idea of a garden gnome secretly traveling the world, sending postcards to its unsuspecting owner. It made me wonder—what if these gnomes have lives of their own when we’re not looking? During one of my trips to Finland, I noticed that many cabins had their own resident gnomes. They stood in gardens, watching over homes as if they had always been part of the landscape. And for the first time, I began to imagine what sort of stories these gnomes could tell if they came to life. What world do they belong to when the stars come out and the humans go to sleep? In European folklore,...

I always like trying out new tools, that I haven't tried out before. For this one, I used Canva , which I generally use for everything because it's user friendly, quite intuitive and very diverse. I have been using the free version so far, but this video was made with the Pro version. 

  I know today should be midweek prompt day, and I didn’t post last week because I was traveling and, planning and scheduling in advance is just some sort of alternate concept that sometimes I use, sometimes I don’t, but… Today I just want to tell you that, recently, I came to the realization that it's important to celebrate small victories.  Now this might seem obvious to many of you, but for a long time, I overlooked these moments, always keeping my eyes fixed on what I considered to be the bigger goals. Like many others, I thought only large accomplishments deserved recognition. But now, my mind has shifted, and I understand that the small wins—those moments that seem utterly insignificant to others—are often what sustain us in the long run. Take, for example, being awarded a tiny blue badge acknowledging that you’ve published a book. Just like the one I now have next to my name and looks so cute. On the surface, it’s just a digital marker—something that doesn’t attest to t...

  Here is a video containing excerpts from my book, The Bloodstar. These are from 2 different passages from the same chapter. I made this video because I wanted to know how it sounded when the texts were read out loud, and now I know. First lesson learned: Pay more attention to punctuation! It matters, and I have already noticed some mistakes. But live and learn. I’ll work harder to correct those and will also work harder to make new ones so it doesn’t get boring.

  A couple of years ago, I attended a training about storytelling and writing. So as a part of our exercises, we were asked to come up with a draft for a story we would like to tell. Something simple, not very fancy nor detailed. Just something that could set the wheels in motion.  As per usual, with me, nothing is ever simple. My neurons start firing at each other and arguing “do this!”, and the other goes “No! Do that!” and then a third one comes into play and says “Oh bullocks! You’re ruining everything, do this instead!”, then finally the referee shows up – whenever that may be, but preferably before they all start grabbing on each other’s throats – blows the whistle and puts some order in the place.  Therefore, when asked to keep things short and simple, normally I panic and start wondering what sort of sorcery I should resort to in order to accomplish such task… just like what I’m doing right now.  Anyway, long story short, after this long internal battle I cam...

  Today, I want to share some thoughts on AI and the use of Large Language Models (LLMs). Back in April, I presented my perspective on AI in an article titled “ The AI Factor .” In this piece, I’m diving deeper into the subject, this time based on a specific experience I had recently. Before I get into the details, let me share a bit about myself. I’m not one to follow trends blindly. I did that during my early high school years, but I eventually grew out of it and started thinking independently—around the same time I began writing. This means that just because many people hold strong opinions on a topic, it doesn’t necessarily mean I agree with them. I respect their right to their opinions, regardless of how they’ve formed them. Now that you have this background, let’s dive into the matter at hand. Last Friday, I received an email from my self-publishing platform inviting me to take a survey about LLMs and the creation of original content by writers. They were exploring new revenu...