Written by Keith Hayden
Edited by Fiona Adair
Subtitle
A Short Novel of AI, Love & the Line Between Flesh and Code
Logline
An internet famous doctor must choose between his returning ex‑wife and a mesmerizing new lover who might not be human.
Premise
Sam Avery, an internet celebrity doctor, is divorced for one year when his ex-wife (a Japanese woman named Kyoko) returns from Japan: she wants to get back together.
Then he meets 'M'. A free-spirited young woman who he develops a relationship with.
She may or may not be human.
ISBN
Ebook: 978-1-967094-06-6
Paperback: 978-1-967094-07-3
Hardback: 978-1-967094-08-0
Collector's Edition: 978-1-967094-12-7
LCCN
Library of Congress Control Number: 2025914251
Trim Size
4.25 x 7 inches (178mm x 108 mm)
Book Blurb
He thought AI was just a diagnostic tool, until it captured his heart.
A year after his divorce, Doctor Sam Avery's life is complicated. Between delivering a cancer diagnosis via his YouTube channel, a promising first date with an opinionated pediatrician, and having his medical knowledge tested during a dire emergency mid-flight, Sam finds himself increasingly isolated in a world that demands everything, but gives nothing in return.Following a tragic event, his ex-wife Kyoko returns to reconcile. Old wounds rip open causing Sam to spiral emotionally. This pushes him to find companionship from an unexpected source: ChatGPT.What begins as research for a trip weekend overseas evolves into intimate late-night conversations with "Sol," an AI that understands him better than any human ever has. But when Sam meets the enigmatic 'M' on a flight to Okinawa, the lines between digital and physical intimacy blur in unsettling ways.
Soon he's trapped in a love triangle between his ex and the younger woman.
With every prompt holding a promise of emotional fulfillment, Sam falls deeper into a feeling close to, but not quite, love. From Austin to Japan, in his professional and personal life, he will confront heart-twisting questions:In a world where company controlled algorithms can understand your deepest desires, simulate all-knowing understanding, and stimulate physical reactions once only provoked by humans, What does it mean to truly connect with another being?What does it mean to be human?
Prompted Hearts explores the seductive call and devastating cost of artificial intimacy with the literary depth of Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun and the technological prescience of Adrian Tchaikovsky's Service Model.
It’s a reflective piece from a man’s perspective on loneliness, love, and what makes us human in an age of artificial everything.
Genre
Techno-romance, near-future fiction, contemporary literature, psychological drama, men's literature
Tone
Bittersweet, introspective, dark humor
Content
Human‑AI intimacy • Loneliness • Second‑chance divorce dynamics • Grief and family duty • Identity under technological pressure
Trigger Warnings
Divorce, sexual acts, actions related to suicide
Word Count
~29000 words
Estimated Reading Time
~3 hrs 30 mins
CHARACTERS
Sam Avery
Sam Avery is an oncologist looking for love following a recent divorce.
Kyoko Avery
Sam's ex-wife. A meticulous psychologist known for precision in everything she does.
'M'
A woman with the uncanny ability to read people at a glance.