News

Illustration of a flying car above a futuristic megacity. Illustration by Carol Van Natta and Dall-E.

Space Opera Tech on My Wish List

Ever had that moment when you come up with a wonderful idea for technology, then think, “Wait, why don’t we have this yet?” An interviewer recently asked me which single technology from my futuristic Central Galactic Concordance (CGC) universe I’d want in real life. They made me choose just one, but I have so many!…

Illustration of a futuristic sci-fi couple in love, with a high-tech background. Illustration by Carol Van Natta.

Technology Shapes Love

I love technology because it makes our lives better (except when it’s misbehaving). Technology is great for keeping us connected, but it also creates new challenges and opportunities. Let’s look at how future technology shapes love in my Central Galactic Concordance space opera romance series. Technology to Connect We’re all connected, right? A quick text…

Lark and a griffin from An Entanglement of Griffins, a space opera romance by Carol Van Natta. Illustration by Carol Van Natta.

Playlist for An Entanglement of Griffins

In my latest space opera romance novella, to save her stolen griffins, Lark Sutrio, an outcast with a troubled past must forge an uneasy alliance with Pim Okaansson, a charming space traveler whose hidden talents and pirate connections may be her only hope. As I was song-skipping around YouTube, as one does when avoiding Boring…

Photo of author Carol Van Natta. Photo by Regina Wamba.

New Author Photo for Me

I’ve been in two businesses for a long time that require official photos. I’m not talking about photos for driver licenses or passports, or even avatars. I mean the photo that officially represents me. In the acting business, I’ve had hundreds of photos of me, and that’s not counting film or television appearances. In the…

Illustration of a quilt depicting a rocket launch, and the numbers "2025" across the top. Image by Carol Van Natta and MidJourney

Plans and Goals for 2025

Last year was a “rebuilding year,” the euphemism I like to use when things didn’t go as planned. However, I made some changes that I hope will keep me more on track in the coming year. These are my plans and goals for 2025. Goals Are Dreams with Deadlines Dreaming big, then making attainable plans…

AI Art for Fall 2024

AI Art for Fall 2024

AI-generated image services are still entertaining enough to keep me off the streets and out of the karaoke bars. The greatest hits are still dominated by MidJourney, but Ideogram and others are rising up the charts. These are my adventures in AI art for Fall 2024. Want more AI art? See these previous posts for…

Stylized illustration of a girl wearing headphones and holding a phone in a futuristic setting, generated by MidJourney

AI Art for Spring 2024

As far as generative AI art services, I find that MidJourney (MJ) is still the leader for most things I want to do. Not all, mind you, because sometimes MJ whiffs it. As I’ve mentioned before, the services vary significantly across the platforms in terms of prompts. What works well in one may be a…

Audiobook News for 2024

Audiobook News for 2024

In audiobook news for 2024, if you’ve been looking for audiobook versions of my stories, there’s been a glitch. The good news is that my Ice Age Shifters® paranormal romance series has audiobook versions. My Central Galactic Concordance space opera series had audiobook versions, and will have again. The bad news is that none of…

Galactic Pirates Collection: A Kickstarter Special

Galactic Pirates Collection: A Kickstarter Special

Announcing my first Kickstarter campaign — whee! I’m calling it the Galactic Pirates Collection, a Kickstarter special. It’s in pre-launch right now while I finalize all the parts that make it special. ❗ UPDATE 27 Feb 2024: CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED! ❗ The campaign will start a short run at the end of this month. If you…

Abstract illustration showing white on one half and blue stars on the other, with starships leaving the blue stars, generated by MidJourney

AI Art for Winter 2024

Several highly popular generative AI art services continue to roll out new versions. I primarily use MidJourney, but dabble in others, notably NightCafé. I’ve seen impressive results by others from DALL-E v. 3, but I haven’t played with it myself for over a year. The nuances of prompting — describing the image you want —…