Blog

My observations as a reader, news about current and future novels, guest posts, independent author adventures, and more.

Illustration of a fantasy animal with large ears and a densely muscled body. Illustration by Adrian DKC.

A Pilot and Her Pet Gargoyle In “Stellar Drift,” my novella in the Pets in Space 8 science fiction romance anthology, the heroine Sairy has a pet gargoyle named Kyala. A pilot and her pet… what?  A gargoyle, you say? Yes. In the worlds of the Central Galactic Concordance, it’s all kinds of illegal to […]

Author Carol Van Natta standing in front of a shiny sculpture in the courtyard of the Museum of Modern Art in Sydney, Australia

Great Aussie Adventure, Part 4 I recently visited the Land of Oz, otherwise known as Australia, and had a blast. I took so, so many shareable photos that I had to break this down into four posts. This the last post about my Great Aussie Adventure, Part 4. (Click the images to see larger versions.) […]

Illustration of a logo with two black cats in silhouette with a crown above and stars below, generated by MidJourney

A.I. Art for Summer 2023 It seems like every day brings the announcement of another A.I. art service and/or another A.I. writing service. And owing to my recent Great Aussie Adventure and busy summer, I was already weeks behind in keeping up with these and MidJourney changes. So many things to catch up on! This […]

Wide landscape photo of sunrise and Kata Tjuta in Australia. Taken as part of the great Aussie adventure.

Great Aussie Adventure, Part 3 I recently visited the Land of Oz, otherwise known as Australia. I took a gazillion photos on this trip of a lifetime, so I’m breaking them down into four parts. This is my Great Aussie Adventure, Part 3. (Click the images to see larger versions.) Melbourne (Part 1) • Cairns […]

Carol's Great Aussie Adventure 2023 - Signing books in Melbourne

Great Aussie Adventure, Part 2 I recently visited the Land of Oz, otherwise known as Australia. I took a gazillion photos on this trip of a lifetime, so I’m breaking them down into four parts. This is my Great Aussie Adventure, Part 2. (Click the images to see larger versions.) Melbourne (Part 1) • Cairns […]

Carol's Great Aussie Adventure 2023 - Signing books in Melbourne

Great Aussie Adventure, Part 1 Lucky me! I went on the trip of a lifetime to visit the Land of Oz, otherwise known as Australia. I took a bazillion photos, so I’m breaking them down into four parts. Once I’ve published all the posts, I’ll update them with links so you can see them everything. […]

Audiobook cover to illustrate the playlist for Shifter's Stor

Playlist for Shifter’s storm To accompany the audiobook releases for my paranormal romance series, I’ve created bonus playlists for songs that go with the story. This is the playlist for Shifter’s Storm. Get the audiobook for Shifter’s Storm, narrated by David Brenin A lost sheriff’s deputy and a captive prehistoric shifter must fight danger—and their […]

Dire Wolf Wanted audiobook cover image

Playlist for Dire Wolf Wanted In celebration of the audiobook releases for my paranormal romance series, I’m creating bonus playlists for songs that go with the story. This is the playlist for Dire Wolf Wanted. Get the audiobook for Dire Wolf Wanted, narrated by David Brenin The magical world stands on the brink of war, […]

watercolor and ink illustration of a cat with a background of stylized waves, generated by MidJourney

A.I. Art for April 2023 The big news is that the MidJourney A.I. art service recently released version 5 for user testing. Which promptly caused a bunch of idiots to make free accounts, then try to make rude and deep-fake images. MJ banned a bunch of users and suspended free accounts for the moment. And […]

illustration of a cute baby fantasy animal with wings, generated by MidJourney

A.I. Art for March 2023 I continue to dabble in A.I. art and enjoy the challenge. My MidJourney prompting skills are slowly improving, by which I mean that I get better results faster. And I’m learning when to abandon an approach and leave that concept for another day. To be honest, the results from the […]

Playlist for Heart of a Dire Wolf

Playlist for Heart of a Dire Wolf Heart of a Dire Wolf is now available as an audiobook (narrated by the fabulous David Brenin). You can also listen via Spotify if you have a subscription. As a sort of companion soundtrack, I’ve put together a playlist for Heart of a Dire Wolf.  If these bring […]

illustration of a storefront with a sign that says Turn of the Cards, as generated by MidJourney and additions by Carol Van Natta

Playlist for Shift of Destiny The audiobook for Shift of Destiny, book 2 in my Ice Age Shifters series, is out and ready for however you like to listen to books. Including, by the way, via Spotify (if you’re in the U.S., UK, AU, NZ, and IE). I like to collect songs that express the […]

fantasy illustration of a pretty Black woman with flowers in her hair, generated by MidJourney

A.I. Art for February 2023 Like most endeavors, learning to use A.I. tools takes time and practice. Plus, the tools are in active development, meaning we users are all shooting at a moving target. This is my A.I. art for February 2023. Click the images below to see bigger version. For people using smaller devices, […]

It's your last chance to get Pets in Space 7 science fiction romance anthology before it leaves the galaxy forever.

Farewell to Pets in Space 7 Just a quick reminder that Pets in Space 7 is a limited-edition anthology. They’re only on the planet for a short visit. If you don’t already have your copy, this is your last chance. Otherwise, it’s farewell to Pets in Space 7 forever. Don’t miss out — get Pets […]

Illustration of a black woman standing outside at a truck stop, generated by MidJourney

Playlist for Shifter Mate Magic I’m thrilled to be able to release the audiobook version of Shifter Mate Magic, the first story in my Ice Age Shifters series. And by the way, you can get it on Spotify, too. That’s where I also listen to podcasts and music. I especially love music, both for listening […]