Ryan's Secret - Behind the Scenes

I cannot begin to express the level of satisfaction and joy I feel at finally being able to hit "publish" on a book. I will be the first to admit I’ve struggled this last year. Burnout is real. There were too many voices in my head saying, "Do it this way, not that," or, "To sell/write books you have to do it this way." Somewhere along the way, I lost my why.

What "why," you ask? The reason I write. The reason I became an author in the first place.

I started writing paranormal romances because it was hard finding books I wanted to read. A lot of prayer and angst went into the decision because, as a Christian, I struggled with the idea that it was okay for me to write secular romance. I got the okay from God. He gave me a list of rules to write by (see About | Zena Wynn, Author). I acknowledged God as my Source, my Inspiration, and the reason I was able to write at all.

Somehow, someway, I lost sight of that. I still prayed, but I stopped seeing God as my Source. I started listening to other "experts," stressing myself out, and getting frustrated when their advice didn't work. Where once the words used to flow, now writing was a struggle. Marketing became a source of stress and dread. The constantly changing sands of the publishing world unbalanced me because I forgot God was my Foundation.

So, I had to take a step back. I stopped promoting. Stopped writing. Stopped doing almost everything publishing-related. It. Was. Hard. So hard, I knew I'd been right to step away. I was so out of balance, I couldn't believe it.

I spent time with God and let Him do a hard reset. He began to show me where I went wrong. How other voices had taken His place and, in doing so, stole my purpose and my peace. Honestly, for a time there, I wondered if I'd ever write again. I focused on translating and publishing my book catalog. I didn't promote. I didn't research "how to sell and/or write books." I stayed in my publishing groups but as a lurker. And one day, I realized that knot of tension, that pressure to produce and publish, was gone.

I got to the point where I would have been okay if I never wrote another book.

Then God gave me a story idea. And then another one. And another. And finally, this one. He started teaching me how to integrate AI with my writing. Like it or not, AI isn't going away, and smart people will make peace with that and find ways to use it ethically. The key for me is that God is my Source, and AI is a tool that helps me to write faster, smarter, and cleaner. Instead of replacing my creativity, AI increases it.

So, how did I use AI for Ryan's Secret? First, I uploaded Ryan's Obsession to ChatGPT, told it I wanted to write a prequel to that story. I wrote the blurb and an opening scene. ChatGPT and I then brainstormed the rest of the chapters, going scene by scene. Then I loaded it into Gemini for a detailed, chapter by chapter, line edit.

The first draft created by ChapGPT with my guided input was about 7,000 words. After extensive revisions and rewrites on my part, the final word count for Ryan's Secret was over 14,000. Very little of the original draft remains.

Could I have written the entire book on my own without AI's assistance? To be honest, I don't know. The current state of the United States has had my mind in such turmoil it's been hard to focus. I've learned coping strategies, but my writing has always been affected by my mental state. How could it not?

Either way, I'm thankful to God for the idea to write Ryan's Secret, for giving me the creativity and determination needed to complete the story, and the tenacity to publish after a long break. I still don't want to promote, and I'm praying about ways to do it that won't stress me out.

That said, Ryan's Secret is a story born from a place of renewed peace and creative freedom. It’s the story God gave me when I thought I was done writing—a story about a detective, a promise, and the complex path to fulfilling a vow that could cost him everything. If you’ve ever loved someone you shouldn't or wondered what happens when duty and the heart collide, I invite you to read Ryan's Secret.

It's available now! Buy direct for a 30% discount.

Thank you for supporting this story and my journey back to my true foundation.