A Call for Beta Readers
Hey there, FCs!
Hope all is good in the wood.
Coming at you for a request. Do you wanna be my beta reader?
For those who may have been following along in Elsewhere, you’ve probably seen me post a little about my standalone novel that I have tentatively titled, Under a God-Made Mountain.
Well, it’s been sitting in draft for long enough and it’s time I start making some progress on getting it out into the world. But that doesn’t start without getting a few sets of eyes on it.
Those eyes can belong to you!
I need a few folks to read it and give me their honest opinion on what’s working for them and what’s not so I know what to correct if needs be. I’m not asking for a line by line edit or anything, just a once over and helping me figure out of it’s any good.
What’s in it for you? A chance to get your hands on my work first before anyone else, and a chance to help direct a story!
I can’t promise I’ll change everything you suggest, but I promise I’ll give it a lot of thinking over and probably lose some sleep.
If you’re interested, shoot me a message at hallwaytoelsewhere@gmail.com. I’ll keep this offer open for a month until May 15th.
The book is about 75k long and I would call it literary fantasy/horror.
Here’s a blurb I was kicking about for it to pique your interest:
Melk fell in love with the wrong girl. It was hard not to with her brilliant eyes, playful personality, beautiful mane, and teeth that could crush a man’s skull…
As a tamer of the lions sent to fight in the crusades against the Northern heathens, he has one job: ensure the cubs under his charge become weapons and not pets, a tall order for an orphan boy who has been alone since he was six.
With his best friend on the brink of being sent to war, Melk commits an unthinkable crime. Caught by the corrupt soldier priests that control the city, he is banished to the inside of the holy Mount Methunarga and told to find his way out, a harrowing task when the mountain is said to be possessed by the devil itself. Now, Melk and five other criminals must survive this mythical labyrinth of shadows while keeping their souls intact. A terrible test, but if he passes it, there’s a chance he can emerge once more into the light and not only save his companion but also himself from becoming the darkness that has always lurked inside of him.
Other than begging for beta readers and trying to make movement on Under a God-Made Mountain, I’m still pushing forward with Stone of the Scarred.
As of writing this I am at 85k words with about 40k more to go. I am happy with the progress, and it feels like every time I get stuck a good walk shakes me lose from the rut and helps me move forward.
I know where book 2 will end, and then it’s onto book 3, whose name I’m still playing with.
I say with this with caution, but I am hopeful that I can stay focused and finish the series with book 4 before turning my attention to books 2 & 3 of the Dragod Saga.
That’s a lot of words ahead for me, but I keep trying to distill it into days and not think about the weeks and months it’ll take me to get there.
For now, let me leave you with an updated piece of progress. Here, Requiem has found himself in another sticky situation. Caught in the wrong hands…
The soldiers were having their fun, pushing and hitting him, reaping stories with each strike so they could tell their barmate how they got a lick in on one of the Scarred.
He tried to tell them they were wrong. That they were making a mistake. That the fate of the world hung in their hands. But they laughed and called him a bugger, and tried to see how far they could take Ruse away from him before he’d cry out in agony. It was a big show they made as they meandered their way through the city.
What city are they in? Which soldiers have him? You’ll have answers soon enough. For now, let me know about beta reading, and follow along on my Insta if you’re interested in seeing more tidbits on Stone of the Scarred.
Until next time in Elsewhere,
Stay saucy, Fellow Creatures!
-Jeff