My beta reader’s circle has been widened for my #1 novel Allyria, and I’m starting to get tweets and e-mails from friends who are reading it.
I KNOW these people are not reading it with a critical eye, and I’m not sure they would tell me if they thought there was something wrong, but I thought I’d share a few of their comments.
From one of my best friends, whom I have know for 35 years, who is reading it with her 17 year old daughter:
“I am loving the book. I am so impressed. I can’t believe you wrote this. This is a real book. I am on chap. 5 and want to keep reading, but my eyes are hurting….Yardley is loving it too. I will ask her how she feels about the fantasy/other world part of it. I am liking Ash despite his poor hygiene.”
From the intern at work, who loves YA fiction:
@CNC999 I am [reading it]! Haven’t been able to put it down – thus i missed your tweet. This is really REALLY good! Lex’s thoughts crack me up 
6:50 PM Feb 28th via web in reply to CNC999
(followed by this)
@CNC999 Just finished it. Now you must hurry with the 2nd one bc that ending has left me on edge! I need more! 8:21 PM Mar 3rd via web
From my third pair of readers, I haven’t heard anything yet — the daughter is 11, and the mother is PTO president this year, so it’s going to take them a little longer. I am trying to be patient!
I still have not done any more writing of Book II since my revelation last week that I need to put the characters in more agony. I am contemplating putting the manuscript into that program that allows you to chunk the book by scene and then switch scenes around, but I can’t remember the name of it. Does anyone know the name? If so, please leave a comment.
That’s all for now. Life gets in the way once again. (Go Duke!)
Tags: beta readers, book author, book reviews, edit, editing, fantasy, first novel, novel, writer, writing
