I have been playing with creating Book Covers using Midjourney AI. It is a fantastic tool, making it so much easier to create the exact image that I want, rather than searching for hours stock images. Yes, I could hire an artist, and before you scream at me, I am an illustrator too. I understand the fear that is gripping the creative world—from graphic designers to musicians.

Yet for me, with the AI explosion over the last two weeks, there is a mix of elation and down right terror. Rather than wonder what I could be doing to combat this new technology, I chose to embrace it and incorporate this amazing tool for work and play.

As a test, I chose my own works, many of which are still in the outline stage. Yet, in just a few hours working with this incredible tool, I had a plethora of potential, though not perfect, choices.

Here are a few examples of AI Midjourney’s power. I am sure you will find it as amazing as I do.

The Black House
where leaving isn’t an option

YA paranormal suspense

A group of teenagers discover an abandoned, dilapidated house in the woods that appears to be haunted by malevolent forces. As they investigate the strange occurrences that happen within its walls, they uncover a sinister, centuries-old conspiracy involving an evil entity that seeks to claim their souls.

Note:

This design was nearly perfect upon creation. The second leg of the bird was a little “wonky” so that was fixed.

The Black House was my first Book cover attempt using Midjourney.

The Reluctant Magician

Young MG, fantasy adventure

Twelve-year-old Mia is a budding magician, and she’s thrilled when she gets the chance to attend a workshop with her hero, a famous magician named The Great Zoltar. But during the workshop, The Great Zoltar mysteriously disappears, and it’s up to Mia to solve the case. With the help of her friends and her own magical skills, Mia must follow the clues and figure out what happened to The Great Zoltar before it’s too late.

Note:

The AI refused to make “Mia” appear 12-years-old. I am not sure if that was just a fluke or that the AI felt that an 8-10 year old would be better as the protagonist in my story. Also, the Great Zoltar (or is that the grandfather?) had 6 fingers on one hand (Yikes!).

This image is a compilation of three AI image, as well as some Photoshop magic to fix fingers, and add desired elements (butterflies).

The Sapphire Lady

Adult 1920s crime fiction

Private investigator Mike Mystery is hired to solve the case of Lady Fitzwilliam’s stolen sapphire necklace. As he delves deeper into the investigation, he discovers that there is more to the case than meets the eye. Along the way, he encounters a cast of intriguing characters, each with their own secrets and motives. Can Mike solve the case before it’s too late and the thief gets away with the priceless necklace?

Note:

This design style is Art Deco, and it took about 14 generations to find the one I liked. (Actually I liked a lot of them but this was the closest.) Again The eye, was half drawn, the chin had looked like it had a tatoo, and the area for the gem was too small for the full title of the book.

Final Note

I can’t even imagine where AI is going, and honestly, I can’t think about it. I am old school, yet I embraced the “Mac computer” when it was in its infancy. It was an amazing tool that didn’t take away any of my creativity, but actually enhanced it—enabling me to accomplish many more fantastic designs that were, before, only in my imagination.

AI will explode beyond expectations over the next weeks, months, and years. If these last couple weeks are any indication, the world will never be the same.