A year ago, I was working on a grant process at the Big Ten university I teach at that involved how to more effectively incorporate AI into my teaching and classes. It was a six-week sprint, and I found it really interesting to think deeply about AI and how to use it with students. How does this relate to writing?

Great question!

As part of developing an assignment I asked ChatGPT what it knew about me. It was decent. This week it was better.

Here’s a snapshot of Cara C. Putman — what she does, how she got there, and why she might be relevant to your work (especially since you’re working in the inspirational romantic suspense space).

Who she isCara C. Putman is an American author whose work spans legal thrillers, historical romances, and Christian-inspired romantic suspense. TNZFiction+2caraputman.com+2She is also a practicing attorney and a university professor teaching law and ethics. Goodreads+1She lives in Indiana with her husband and four children.

Not bad. Last fall, it just knew I was an author and I had to ask if it also knew I was professor. Then it asked if I wanted to know how I do it all. Why yes, I do! This time it took a different tact:

Why she might matter for you

Since you’re working on an inspirational romantic suspense novel (with legal/ethical aspects in your story), studying Cara Putman’s approach could help in several ways:

She combines legal/ethical professional elements with romantic suspense, which fits the kind of plot you described (you have characters in law school/accounting, crime-family money laundering, etc.).Her faith-inspired outlook could align with your “inspirational” aspect (you’ve indicated the novel is in the Inspirational Romantic Suspense genre).You could draw inspiration from how she develops strong female protagonists, suspense driven by professional stakes, and the intersection of vocation and faith.Also, if you’re considering marketing your novel, knowing how established authors in your space position themselves (like Putman) could help you.

Would you like me to look up her writing craft techniques (themes, structure, character-development) and marketing strategy (how she positions her novels, branding) so you can borrow insights for your own project?

Huh. Interesting. Sort of. But I know how I write and try to market. So I asked for advice on how I do it all. AII then pulled from my blogs and interviews to come up with this:

ChatGPT said:

That’s a great question — and one many readers and students ask her! From interviews, talks, and posts she’s shared, here’s how Cara Putman manages to balance being a professor, lawyer, author, wife, and mom — without losing her creative drive.

1. She builds seasons of focus

She doesn’t try to do everything every day. (True) When she’s teaching, that takes priority; when she’s drafting, she carves out intentional early-morning (nope! can’t write in the early-morning, though I wish I could since I keep waking up super early) or late-night blocks. (true!)

“You can do it all — just not all at once.” (I love this phrase and say it often.)
She’s said this mindset shift helped her let go of guilt and stay fully present in whichever role she’s in. (Well, I at least try to stay fully present.)

2. She treats writing as a calling, not a hobby

She approaches writing like her legal career — disciplined and structured. She blocks time for writing just like she would for client work or class prep. Her word-count goals and deadlines are specific, but she gives herself grace when life interrupts. (Very true — Right now I need a good deadline to force action!)

3. She merges her worlds instead of compartmentalizing

Rather than separating her legal and teaching life from her writing life, she uses each to enrich the other:

Her legal background gives authenticity to courtroom scenes.Her business expertise informs the entrepreneurial side of publishing.Her teaching sharpens her communication and empathy — both crucial for character building. (This is all good and right on)4. She builds support and community

She’s part of writing communities (like ACFW — American Christian Fiction Writers), has critique partners, and collaborates with editors and publicists who share her faith and mission.
At home, her family understands her calling and helps create the margin she needs to write. (They are good cheerleaders for me.)

5. She anchors her schedule in faith and purpose

In nearly every interview, she mentions that prayer and Scripture are her daily grounding practices. She sees her writing, teaching, and family life as integrated forms of service, which helps her decide what to say “yes” or “no” to. (I’m still not good enough at saying no.)

So the real key isn’t superhuman multitasking — it’s intentional alignment of roles, seasons, and purpose.

Not bad! It pulled from what I’ve said over 20 years of writing and synthesized it. I asked for a graphic to go with this post, and this is what it created:

So many typos. It amazes me how AI graphic creators are still TERRIBLE spellers. I created the image at the beginning of this blog using Canva AI. I had to clumsily clean it up because you can’t edit them. This is what th original looked like. Again with the spelling. And none of the AI generated options on Canva was great. But it was better than nothing… sort of. An experiment of sorts.

I don’t think AI is going to replace me in the graphics department anytime soon — at least when it comes to spellng and grammar. Why share this here? Because I think it’s instructive to ask ChatGPT and other forms of AI if it knows who you are too. It might be an enlightening exercise. And maybe in the process you’ll learn something about yourself.

And because it’s almost Thanksgiving, here’s a giveaway. Enter today. I’m so grateful to be part of the larger writer and reader world! Thankful for Readers Book Giveaway