After Twenty Years in AI Research ...

I can say that there's not a lot of fiction in Mind in the Clouds, other than the fact that it hasn't happened yet. But that could change.

And in June, you can pick up a copy for only 99 cents.

https://books2read.com/u/mv2GOl

Usher in Summer with These Free, Edge-of-Your-Seat Thrillers

Now until June 20 (the day before the official start of summer), you can pick up a free copy of these exciting thriller and suspense stories. And be sure to grab your copy of my award-winning novel, Of Half a Mind.

https://storyoriginapp.com/to/4W6NQOm

New Release Giveaway

This giveaway has ended - hope you won.

But if not, you can still get a copy HERE

Enter for your chance to win The Beating Heart of a Mind in this Rafflecopter giveaway:

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/408264011722/

"Tension is well-developed, whether it's psychological revelations that involve Rebecca more deeply in her client's life than she'd imagined, the wedge between client and investigator driven home by the victim’s wife, or the probe of a business structure that supports dangerous undercurrents."
    - D. Donovan, Midwest Book Review

The Beating Heart of a Mind Has Been Released, but There's Still a Giveaway to Enter

Thanks to everyone who helped make the book release of The Beating Heart of a Mind a success. It was released on Amazon on May 2, but you can still enter for a chance to win a free copy. 

Just go to any of the websites of the book reviewers/book bloggers below who participated in the book release blitz. Toward the bottom of most of them, you will find a drawing for a free copy of the book.

RABT Book Tours 

The Avid Reader

Book Reviews by Virginia Lee

The Faerie Review

Nana's Book Reviews 

Jazzy's Book Reviews

The Indie Express

Momma Says to Read or Not to Read  

Books Blog 

My Reading Addiction 

Liliyana Shadowlyn

Texas Book Nook

Our Town Book Reviews

Momma and Her Stories 

A Life Through Books

On a Reading Bender

Matters That Count

Susan's book World

Novel News Network

The Sexy Nerd Revue

Joss's Corner

Tea Time and Books

Book Coffee and Happiness

To Celebrate Book Release Week, Get Three Novels for Less than Two Dollars!

Book #6 in the Mind Sleuth series, The Beating Heart of a Mind, will be released on May 2. You can still pick up your copy of this psychological mystery at the special preorder price of 99 cents through May 2.

Just click HERE

“As with his previous mysteries, Bruce M. Perrin excels in an investigative profile that is as much a psychological analysis as a detective’s deductions.” - D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

But there's more.

In recognition of the new release, I'm making the first book of the  series, Of Half a Mind, free through May 2.

Just click HERE for your free copy.

A “Chilling Page-Turner about Science Gone Horribly Wrong”

AND

The paranormal mystery From the Mind of a Witch, is only 99 cents through May 2. Although all the books in the series are standalone, Nicole Veles's experiences in this one affect her credibility in the new release, so I thought I'd make it easy (and inexpensive) to catch up on her backstory.

Click HERE for your 99 cent copy.

PI Rebecca Marte expects every client to proclaim their innocence, but a witch claiming it by reason of possession?

Thank You Book Bloggers/Reviewers

I'd like to thank the book bloggers/book reviewers listed below for their "teaser" for my upcoming book release. In one week, The Beating Heart of a Mind will launch on Amazon.

Because the content is mostly the same, click HERE for a sample from the Book Corner News and Reviews.

Participating book bloggers/reviewers (and hopefully, I didn't miss anyone).

Crossroad Reviews
The Avid Reader
Book Reviews by Virginia Lee
The Faerie Review
Nana's Book Reviews 
Book Junkiez
Momma Says to Read or Not to Read  
Books Blog  
Book Corner News and Reviews 
My Reading Addiction
Liliyana Shadowlyn
Kim's Book Reviews and Writing Aha's
A Place in the Spotlight 
Our Town Book Reviews
Momma and Her Stories
A Life Through Books
Defining Ways 
Gale Stanley
Matters That Count
Susan's book World
Introspective Press 
The Sexy Nerd Revue
Tea Time and Books

There's Still Time to Check Out this Outstanding Collection

⏰ Time is running out!

Don't miss out on this outstanding collection of sale-priced science fiction and fantasy stories, including the special pre-order price of 99 cents on my soon-to-be-released novel, The Beating Heart of a Mind.

View the collection HERE

Coming Soon

Pick up your copy of the psychological thriller, The Beating Heart of a Mind, for the special pre-order price of 99 cents.

https://bit.ly/3JiX3HD

Something for the Members of Goodreads

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Beating Heart of a Mind

by Bruce M. Perrin

Giveaway ends April 26, 2023.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

About Three Weeks Until Book Launch

The Beating Heart of a Mind launches on May 2.

"Tension is well-developed, whether it's psychological revelations that involve Rebecca more deeply in her client's life than she'd imagined, the wedge between client and investigator driven home by the victim’s wife, or the probe of a business structure that supports dangerous undercurrents." - D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

But there's still time to get your copy at the special pre-order price of 99 cents HERE

What better way to enjoy April showers than with a new book?

So, check out these sale prices for Spring, including the special pre-order price of 99 cents on my soon-to-be-released novel, The Beating Heart of a Mind.

View the collection HERE

In About Four Weeks ...

On May 2, to be exact, my next book in the Mind Sleuth Series, The Beating Heart of a Mind, will be released.

Synopsis:  

Bullied to death in the boardroom … or just the product of a damaged mind?

After her kidnapping, Nicole Veles moves to escape her past and try to rebuild her life. But when the husband of a friend commits suicide and she suspects foul play, she can no longer hide from the world.

Not wanting to let her past taint her new life, she returns to St. Louis to hire PI Rebecca Marte. But as Rebecca begins her investigation, one thing is abundantly clear to the PI:  the chance that anyone bullied the man to his death is much greater in Nicole's mind than anyone else's ... including hers.

Pick up your copy for the special pre-order price of 99 cents until then:  https://bit.ly/3JiX3HD

Put that Kindle Unlimited subscription to work with this StoryOrigin collection of thrillers.

Just don't blame me when you stay up all night turning the pages.

Click HERE to see your options.

👀 I Spy a Steal on Female Detective Mysteries

Enter for your chance to win 50+ exciting Female Detective Mysteries from a great collection of authors 

AND a brand new eReader!

Here’s the link 👉 https://bit.ly/female-detective-mysteries-march23

Hey Sci-Fi and Westworld Fans, have we got a giveaway for you!

If you haven’t read Killer in the Retroscape, you can enter to win it on BookSweeps today

- plus 30 exciting science fiction novels from a great collection of authors AND 

- a Westworld swag pack worth $250!

Enter for your chance to win HERE

So, ChatGPT, What Do You Think about Killer in the Retroscape?

With Artificial Intelligence gaining so much public attention with the release of OpenAI's ChatGPT, I figured it was time for a special on Killer in the Retroscape: A Near-Future Mystery. (It's my take on how technology may shape our future). I also thought you might like hearing what ChatGPT thought about the book, so I asked.

"As an AI language model, I don't have personal thoughts or feelings, but ... it has received positive reviews for its intriguing storyline, complex characters, and thought-provoking exploration of the impact of technology on society."

While ChatGPT is limited to Internet content (i.e., online reviews), you can read the story in its entirety for only 99 cents. Just click HERE any time before March 17 when the promotion ends.

And check out this past post where I discuss how well the story has stood the test of time five years after its publication in 2018 HERE

Not enough stories on your TBR list?

Then grab some of these free "twisted" thrillers to give it some length. And don't miss my entry, In the Space of an Atom, with a villain who has some pretty twisted ideas of how to pay his temporary help.

Pick up your free stories HERE before the end of the month.

Mystery/Thriller Writers: We’re Safe from AI Chatbots … At Least, for Now

That din you’re hearing from the tech giants, the schools and universities, the print and social media—well, from just about everyone—is the buzz over ChatGPT, an AI chatbot from OpenAI.

And what is everyone saying? One pundit will suggest that these AI systems will be a boon to humanity, automating routine and dangerous tasks. Another will claim, they’ll put tens of thousands of people out of work. And then, there are those who worry that these systems might eventually kill us, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Who’s right? Who knows. But I do find myself firmly in the first two camps—they will be a boon and as such, they will put people out of work. So, maybe what I’m hearing is not the buzz around ChatGPT, but its footsteps as it’s coming up from behind to take away my job as a mystery/thriller author? Well, who better to ask than the chatbot itself.

Me:  Are you capable of make believe?

ChatGPT:  As an AI language model, I don't have personal beliefs or emotions, but I can certainly participate in pretend scenarios. What kind of scenario would you like to play out? It can be anything you imagine, like a conversation between characters in a story, a situation in a particular setting, or anything else you can come up with.

My job’s not looking that safe. So, next, I suggested a typical spy scenario and asked ChatGPT to play the part of the villain.

ChatGPT:  I'm sorry, but as an AI language model created by OpenAI, I strive to promote ethical behavior and avoid engaging in content that may cause harm or panic. 

Whew, saved by …. Well, what did save my job? What was preventing ChatGPT from taking the persona of a make-believe spy? After all, it was trained on Internet content and there’s plenty of espionage portrayed there. So, I asked.

Me:  Since you probably wouldn't have learned your prohibitions against unethical behavior from the Internet, where did they come from?

ChatGPT:  As a language model developed by OpenAI, I was programmed with guidelines and ethical considerations provided by the company.

So, fellow mystery/thriller writers, we are safe … for now. What story could keep your readers on the edge of their seats without a murder or two and an evil villain?

But then, are a few lines of code written to stop AI software from unethical behavior a safety net for us or society? What happens when those lines are deleted? Maybe that’s when we have to start worrying about the lethality of AI systems. And what could make that possibility more real than AI software that writes more software, which is one of ChatGPT’s capabilities that is currently being tested. It makes me wonder, did we really think that one through?

(Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)

A Valentine's Day Gift for You

Grab a free story from this all-genre StoryOrigin collection. 

If you don't have one yet, be sure to grab a copy of In the Space of an Atom, a thriller with a bit of science and a touch of romance. Or, try Amie & Alex, a short story about ... well, that would be a spoiler, won't it. 

Pick up your free read HERE

If You're a Kindle Unlimited Subscriber, What Could Be Better than a Book on KU?

How about box sets on Kindle Unlimited!

Check out this collection of Fantasy and Sci-Fi box sets you can read for free. And if you take an interest in my box set that includes books 2-4 of the Mind Sleuth series, you can read book 1 on KU, too.

Click HERE to take a look at the possibilities. 

Two of My Audiobooks Are on Sale

Give your eyes a break and listen as Denver C. Risley narrates the first two books of my series.

Of Half a Mind: When a young psychologist uncovers the dark side of a brilliant neuroscientist's radical research, will he and his team survive the brutal truth?

For a limited time, it's $2.99 at these retailers:

Chirp:  https://bit.ly/2NYFVgh

Google Play:  http://bit.ly/3czbeZa

Apple:  https://apple.co/3eHOxkY

Nook:  https://bit.ly/3r7Bctl

Spotify:  https://bit.ly/3X4tjBT

Mind in the Clouds:  How do you match wits with a mind in the clouds when you’re not sure if it’s the cold logic of machine intelligence or the coldblooded urges of a human killer?

For a limited time, it's $1.99 at these retailers:

Chirp:  https://bit.ly/3DOCj6h

Google Play:  https://bit.ly/3uHmyrO

Apple:  https://apple.co/3pbwt7I

Nook:  https://bit.ly/3r4JXVa

Spotify:  https://bit.ly/3Y0m6nJ

There's Still Time to Enter

 We have an out-of-this-world giveaway for you!

Subscribe to some bestselling authors for a chance to win a special collector’s edition of Leviathan Wakes by James A. Corey, a collector’s edition of Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, a print copy of Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, and much more!

Enter here for your chance to win: https://bit.ly/futrfic  

Amateur sleuths to seasoned, professional detectives - and everything in between!

Read all about them in these box sets, and see if you can name the perp before the gumshoe does.

Check out this collection HERE

Not Exactly What I Expected in my SPAM Folder

Nothing like a warning about scammers in the midst of all the emails from scammers ....

New Year’s Fiction Giveaway

Select your free story from a potpourri of genres (mystery, historical fiction, romantic suspense, etc.) in lengths ranging from novel excerpts to short stories to complete novels!

And don’t miss my award-winning short story, Tell Me What I Want to Hear.

Find your next favorite author HERE 

Whodunits for every taste!

Read these 40+ mysteries for free in the New Year with a Kindle Unlimited subscription,

Including books 2-4 in the Mind Sleuth Series Triple box set.

Check out the collection HERE

Calling All Fans of Futuristic Fiction!

 We have an out-of-this-world giveaway for you!

Subscribe to some bestselling authors for a chance to win a special collector’s edition of Leviathan Wakes by James A. Corey, a collector’s edition of Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, a print copy of Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, and much more!

Enter here for your chance to win: https://bit.ly/futrfic