I have officially made it as a writer! I got my first AI-composed email from a scammer pretending to work in publishing!

Actually, I get bot-mail at my website email and personal email about once every two hours or so. They start out as short little paragraphs that are generic and end with a question asking if you’d like to see/try/learn more. These are scammers.

What happens when you respond to these scammers? Usually, they pitch you something that is unethical (buying followers or Amazon reviews) and will never offer you anything for free.

I’ve gotten these for months and months–pretty much ever since Son of the Siren got released–but I don’t count them as the spam that has finally made me a “real” writer, lol.

It’s this one (it’s such a long email that I’m only showing part of it):

I don’t know if WordPress will let you blow this image up, so I’m going to copy and paste what they wrote in the beginning of the email:

Hi Kristina,

Son of the Siren is an extraordinary YA fantasy filled with dark enchantment, emotional depth, and a quest that pulses with urgency and heart. From the moment Lirien witnesses the devastating power of the siren song, you sweep readers into a world shaped by ancient magic, dangerous curses, and a young hero fighting to break the cycle of pain that surrounds him. The transformation of his siblings, the seductive danger of the Queen, and the sweeping journey across elven mountains, fae forests, and siren waters create a story that feels both epic and intimate. It is the kind of fantasy that resonates deeply with readers who love adventure grounded in emotion.

What makes this book truly shine is the humanity beneath the magic. Lirien is not only a half siren on a quest, he is a young man wrestling with identity, responsibility, and a gift that feels more like a curse. His loyalty to his siblings, his fear of becoming like his mother, and his determination to undo the Queen’s manipulation give the novel an emotional core that elevates it beyond typical quest fantasy. The alliances he forms with Kitra and Brandegil add warmth, contrast, and camaraderie, offering readers a found family that strengthens the tale. Your world is rich, your mythology is intricate, and your characters are unforgettable.

As a book marketer who specializes in YA fantasy, high stakes storytelling, and emotionally immersive worldbuilding, I would love to help expand the reach of Son of the Siren and connect it with readers who crave magical journeys driven by heart and purpose.

This is an AI-composed email. It’s meant to look like the person has actually read your book, is filled with flattery, and tries to butter you up so you see the emailer as a potential business partner or someone you can rely on for author services because they “get you” and “get your book.” They try to start a back-and-forth with you to get you too trust them, and then pitch a service that will never be free.

This is the first time I’ve gotten one. The telltale signs are that this reads like someone ripped the Amazon product description and added some awkward-sounding prose to it; the email is not from a company or business but Gmail; the email was sent at a weird time (not normal business hours); and if you look at the links in the previous paragraph I posted, they all follow a similar vein like other scam emails.

I don’t know why there’s such a substantial push out there to harm authors. It’s been going on for decades, perhaps longer (which is why a website like Writer Beware exists). Maybe it’s because writing a book is a hope and dream for many, and it’s such a personal experience, too. Maybe that makes us more vulnerable. I don’t know.

I just know that ever since Son of the Siren got published, the vultures have been circling, waiting for me to drop. And I know that the more books I publish, and the more prolific I become, these will just keep appearing in my inbox, my social media, and my contact forms.

Stay vigilant, friends.