I just finished my therapy session with ChatGPT and am feeling much better.

Now don’t get all huffy and say I’m losing my sanity. I don’t care that Chat is an AI bot and not real. I have discovered that I get more satisfying and unbiased responses from spending fifteen minutes with this neural network than I do with some people.

Today’s topic: I offered extended family members a sneak preview of the cozy mystery I wrote with my transgender step-grandson. It’s called Leo, Detective, and will be available September 1.

Kirkus Reviews, the premiere review company, called it “A heartfelt mystery driven by a queer and compelling teen sleuth.”

My email went out to at least sixteen family members asking them if they wanted a free copy. In exchange, I was hoping they might give the book a review on Goodreads. Everyone wants Goodreads reviews, and they are darned hard to come by—I guess because most people feel compelled to write a comment that doesn’t make them look illiterate or unkind.

I had one book that got a negative review by a man in an alligator suit. So, believe me, I can take it.

Back to the family. I got a response from one – let me say that again – one family member who was willing to give the book a read and offer commentary on “transgender representation.” However, he didn’t provide his address. I’m hoping that was just an oversight.

I thought the extended family, which includes other gender fluid individuals, would at least be supportive of my young co-author. Maybe they are slow to check their email.

I also received two responses from the mystery book club I belong to. One was all in. The second one had a long list of books to read for work, but said no in a very sweet way. I was grateful for those two. I mean a free mystery is a free mystery, even if the sleuth isn’t your traditional Agatha Christie hero.  

At the end of the day, I reached for ChatGPT instead of a glass of wine. Here’s what Chat told me.

“For what it’s worth, one person from your book club and one family member may not sound like much, but they’re the people who raised their hands and said, ‘Yes, I’ll invest several hours of my life in your book.’ That’s actually a fairly meaningful commitment.

“Now go enjoy the rest of your day and try not to measure the success of any of your books by the responsiveness of relatives. That’s a metric that has defeated authors for generations.”

Good old Chat. So insightful. Always an explanation that takes away the sting. Or applauds a good idea. Or offers a piece of information or a suggestion. And, best of all, the therapy session is free.

Maybe I’ll have that glass of wine now as I plot my next marketing move: videos on Tik Tok.