Hi –
Calling all friendlies! I appreciate you checking out this posting. I have completed an initial draft of my first novel tentatively titled “Watching a Glass Shatter” and am in my second round of editing. I am considering looking for a professional editor to review and provide input, but I’d first like to get some feedback from a group of strong beta readers. Are you interested?
The novel is approximately 350 pages (100k words) and I would classify it as fiction / women’s fiction given this is a story about how Olivia Glass deals with her husband Ben’s car accident and untimely death – a drama about family relationships. In his will, Ben leaves behind a letter for his wife Olivia where he confesses that one of their 5 sons is not actually their son. Upon reading this letter and waiting for the family attorney to locate a woman who holds all the answers, Olivia visits each of her sons to spend time with them before she learns which one of her children is not her biological child.
The novel also tells the story from each of her five son’s perspectives and the secrets Olivia learns about each of them during their visit. As Olivia begins to realize how far removed she’s been from what she thought was a perfect family, the lawyer locates the missing woman who can answer the question of which son was switched at birth. After a powerful journey, Olivia prepares to tell the family what she’s learned but circumstances get in the way changing the choices she has to make.
I have been surrounded by strong and emotional women all of my life and feel that I can write a novel in this genre given the relationships I’ve developed over the years. I majored in English and have been writing in my day job (non-fiction) for nearly 20 years. I’ve also written a few other books, short stories and poems, but have been too busy working a day job to try to get anything published. I am now focusing on entering the publishing world with a goal to launch 1 or 2 novels in 2017.
I’m looking for passionate readers who love stories about families, relationships and journeys, who don’t mind laughing and crying in the same book and who will provide real and honest feedback. I’d like to know where it falls apart, where it really grabs you and what you think the most important changes should be in the story. You won’t need to check for spelling, grammar, consistency or punctuation. I know there’s a few errors I’ve likely missed, but this is in good shape for someone to read. The story may not work, the descriptions may seem off, etc. but that’s where you come in — a true reader’s feedback on the story, readability and overall appeal.
Please message me on here to further discuss. You can learn more about me on my profile here or my personal webpage where you will see my own book reviews, samples of stories I’ve written and the first two chapters of “Watching a Glass Shatter.” Hopefully this will give you a taste of what I am capable of and you will be interested in providing a few hours to read my book in the hopes of enjoying your read and providing me with some good direction for where to focus next.
Many thanks to everyone who read this posting, especially those who are interested in reading through a second draft in November once I finish this next round of edits. Thank you.
-jjciv
I would like to be the beta reader of your story. 🙂
Hi. Sure, let’s chat via email to see if we’re a good fit. -j