Beta sign-ups have been filled! Thank you to all that have volunteered!
Some of you know that I’ve begun the rewrite of another book I wrote early last year. This isn’t the next book of The Mark of Amulii; I’ll be writing the first draft of that later this year. This used to be under the name Escaping Ettanward, but will have a new title and a lot of changes in the new version. This story actually got rather popular on Wattpad and SF, but I have since removed the story to begin the rewrite and revision process, and eventual publication by late 2022.
With this will come the need for beta readers. I’ll need around 10 devoted readers who will have the time and interest to not only read the story but also give detailed feedback. I’m not sure if I will open the book up to more than 10 readers this time, because at some point, I hit diminishing returns. I’ll also put a poll at the bottom of this post to see what direction I should go this time with the sessions. Should I post chapter-by-chapter, or the entire book all at once? For The Mark of Amulii, I posted the entire book, but I didn’t quite get the detail I needed for each chapter, more of like an overall impression of the story. This is fine for a late beta session, but these are the earlier stages. This is more like ‘alpha’ reading.
If you are interested in becoming an early-stage beta reader for the story (synopsis below), I am looking for specific readers who are up to the task and can:
- Devote 30 minutes to 2 hours a week (this varies person to person) reading and commenting on each chapter.
- Give detailed answers to questionnaires.
- Recognize plot, pacing, characterization and continuity issues.
- Give accurate and honest feedback, regardless if it’s positive or negative. This is only the second draft of a story, so there WILL be things that need to be improved. Mentioning the negatives will not hurt my feelings, they will help me publish a good book. No author can do this on their own, and we become blinded by our own writing. There might be just terrible writing on the page that needs to be fixed or removed.
Though not necessary, someone who has read my writing in the past, or my last book and appreciates the niche I write, is a huge plus. I want people who really want the story to succeed.
About the story:
The new book (Title TBA) is a Gay Paranormal Romance/Fantasy novel that follows a man named Leo who gets pulled into another world and trapped in a cursed town. He has to escape a demon who’s also trapped, and will do anything he can to get out. Leo is the key to his escape, so he can fulfill an ancient contract and return to the underworld. This is another werewolf book, because you know, I just love those.
Synopsis:
Leo Grayson is devastated after finding out his boyfriend of six years has been cheating on him. He secretly scours the internet for the opportunity to leave his situation, when he receives a message from a stranger about a town in Oregon that will pay him to move there.
When an envelope stuffed with ten thousand dollars cash and an odd-looking house key turns up in the post, what he thought was a scam leads him on a journey for a better life.
His world turns upside down when he ends up in a town called Varcross, and there’s something terribly wrong with the residents prowling the streets. To make matters worse, every time he tries to leave, he ends up back in the small, decaying town.
As he stumbles through the unfamiliar and unbelievable, he makes new friends, only to discover the nightmare and tragedy that grips everyone in town. There’s also an ancient being trapped in the world with Leo, and he wants nothing more than to use the human to escape.
He must rely on his friends, but also, must remain cautious of them, because the curse can strike at any moment, and Leo may fall victim to it.
Triggers:
This is a MATURE book and contains violence, hints of (but no detailed descriptions of) non-con sex/abuse, swearing, explicit sex in a later chapter.