From Bots to Bay Breezes

When AI gets weird and writers get real—Glenda Carroll dives into digital drama and creative community.

When it comes to storytelling, Glenda Carroll doesn’t just dip her toes, she dives headfirst. Whether she’s navigating the choppy waters of an AI interview gone rogue or reflecting on the steady rhythm of her writing group, Glenda brings humor, grit, and a swimmer’s grace to every tale. In these two recent blog posts, she shares the strange, the heartfelt, and the unmistakably Glenda. Here’s a taste of each, click through to read the full splash.

Banished, Booted Out and Brushed Off By a Bot

For the past eight years, I tutored low-income, first-generation high school and college students in English and occasionally History. I never wanted to be a teacher, but the one-on-one interaction made me happier than I could imagine. Unfortunately, this summer, all the tutors lost their jobs, including me.  It was the usual story: moving in a different direction and/or lack of funds.

My first reaction was ‘now what?’ I liked working even though I’m well-past the age when most professionals are employed. They’re happily retired, doing what … I don’t know.  Many years have passed since I started an employment search, and I was curious to know what had changed.  Now as the dowager of job seekers, I threw my hat in the ring of prospective candidates. I sent resumes and cover letters to the local colleges, hoping my four published Trisha Carson mysteries would count for something.  At least it gave me street cred. I knew how to write and edit and publish.

I came across an ad for a contract fiction writer to help train AI... READ MORE

My Writing Group - Guest Post!

By the time I was working on the first, second third, fourth (you get the picture) draft of my most recent Trisha Carson mystery, Better Off Dead, I felt like I was sinking in quicksand. The pipeline to ideas shut down. Words dribbled out at a glacial speed. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t move forward. What did I do about it? I whined, almost every day,  to my myself but especially to my writing group. I’m the current president of Northern California Sisters in Crime and most days at 1pm, you can find me Zoomed in to this supportive collection of mystery writers. They’d listen, laugh, encourage me and virtually held my hand. It made a huge difference.

I’m not sure when the switch flipped, but one day it did and the words turned into paragraphs, then chapters and finally the draft was ready for the editors. I would have finished eventually, but because of my 1pm Writers Group I’m sure I reached my goal much sooner. And who was there to celebrate with me at this milestone and when the book came out … my writing group. READ MORE