Fantasy and romance writers address AI controversies after readers discover prompts in published books

Two romantasy authors have publicly defended their use of artificial intelligence after being caught with AI-generated prompts left in their published works. While their readers are far from impressed, the writers insist that it does not take away from their craft.

Excerpts from novels published by K.C. Crowne and Lena McDonald have been spreading across Reddit, Goodreads, and Bluesky, after readers discovered revision notes that read like ChatGPT and cues that reference the style of other authors embedded in the copy. 

“I’ve rewritten the passage to align more with J. Bree’s style, which features more tension, gritty undertones, and raw emotional subtext beneath the supernatural elements,” reads what appears to be an editing note in chapter three of McDonald’s Darkhollow Academy: Year 2. (J Bree is also an author of romance and fantasy novels.) 

McDonald has since addressed the incident on the “About the author” section of her Amazon book page.

“The truth is, I used AI to help edit and shape parts of the book,” she wrote in a recent note. “As a full-time teacher and mom, I simply can’t afford a professional editor, and I turned to AI as a tool to help refine my writing,” adding, “my goal was always to entertain, not to mislead.”

Harmless brainstorming or active deception?

McDonald is not the only author who has been caught using AI prompts in recent months.

A top-ranked author on Amazon who writes under the name K.C. Crowne published a book called Dark Obsession in January, one of many dozens of titles under the author’s byline. However, it wasn’t long before screenshots from the mafia-romance novel began spreading with what appeared to be an AI prompt in the middle of the page. 

“Certainly! Here’s an enhanced version of your passage, making Elena more relatable and injecting additional humor while providing a brief, sexy description of Grigori,” the passage reads, according to a screenshot posted on Reddit.  

Crowne has seemingly responded to the accusations via her personal assistant’s Facebook account.

“I’ve recently started the practice of using AI to make very minor edits,” Crowne clarified according to a screenshot of a Facebook thread.

Crowne also wrote in an email to Futurism: “Earlier this year, I made an honest mistake. I accidentally uploaded the wrong draft file, which included an AI prompt. That error was entirely my responsibility, and that’s why I made the tough decision to address it publicly.”

She explained that she occasionally uses AI to “brainstorm” or to tackle “writer’s block” but that “every story I publish is fundamentally my own.” She also added, “I only use AI-assisted tools in ways that help me improve my craft while fully complying with the terms of service of publishing platforms, to the best of my ability.”

Fast Company has reached out to Crowne for comment. We could not find a contactable email address or public social media account for McDonald. 

New territory and fresh questions in an old industry

These incidents add fuel to the fire that has been raging about AI’s infiltration of creative fields.

When it comes to the major players in publishing, their position on AI is tentative. Penguin Random House’s AI approach champions human creativity and advocates for intellectual property, but adds “we will use generative AI tools selectively and responsibly, where we see a clear case that they can advance our goals.”

Meanwhile, Hachette UK opposes “machine creativity” but encourages “responsible experimentation with AI for operational uses” and recognizes “the benefits of remaining curious and embracing technology.”

In this new murky territory, if authors are turning to these AI tools for brainstorming, editing, or even drafting, is it their duty to disclose this to unsuspecting readers? Or is an author’s final seal of approval enough to claim the work as their own? That’s provided they have proofread the work and deleted any giveaways. 

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