Whenever I start a new story, the first thing I ask myself is “what if?”
That “what if” can be anything. Anything at all. That’s what’s great about science fiction. It lets you ask crazy, off-the-wall questions and then build a whole world to find the answer. At least, that’s how I see it.
And the “what if” for my current series was… what if general artificial intelligence, real artificial life, is nothing we’ve expected it to be?
It’s been an interesting time to ask that question. With the explosion of generative AI over the past year, everything’s gotten a little crazy around the subject. But I’ve found it fascinating; the more we use it, the more possibilities and pitfalls seem to appear.
That’s not to say that the Abiota Series is some dry analysis of real world AI. It’s not. Not at all. We have AIs who project themselves as dragons, AI who host their own art shows, AI struggling to manage their emotions and AI who don’t bother talking to us at all. But it has been fun to weave in some real world details, pulling the threads of what is into what could be.
Blurb and excerpt link
Daelia Hall has a mission.
Self-imposed. Of course. She might work for the Air Guard, but just as a contractor. She doesn’t wear a uniform. And good thing too right now. They can’t order her to back off.
Because she’s seen the truth behind the aliens, behind their Envoy, behind the entire concept of Unity. The grand promise to lift humanity up is hollow. But it’s only left her with more questions.
Why lie about this? And more importantly, how?
Now, she’ll risk everything to uncover the truth. But her involvement isn’t a mere product of chance, and what she uncovers threatens to shake not just the world, but her own sense of who, and what, she is.
With a passion for wholesome and entertaining stories, D.L. Gardner dives into fantasy novels both adult and young adult. She is both a best selling and an award winning author, illustrator, and screenwriter who lives in the Pacific Northwest, USA.
Making Believe 