Progress Notes and A Call for Beta Readers

  Okay, so last week I was taking some time off from editing The Dragon of Doughton Park, my laptop was acting up, I’d promised myself I would catch up on my reading, and I shared a review of Red Tash’s Troll or Derby. (BTW, I’m not the only Tash fan. Hits on my blog doubled last week after the review.) Then, on Sunday, I left my Kindle unattended at the laundromat. Of course it was gone when I returned.
  So much for plans.
  Losing the Kindle was a bit of a setback. I had a bunch of editing notes on it for Dragon which can’t be recovered, and I was in the middle of reading Richelle Mead’s The Golden Lily. A new Kindle is being shipped as we speak, so at least I’ll be able to re-load all the books I’ve purchased. (One of those thank-god features from Amazon.) But I’ve had to (gasp) resort to reading paper for the entire week.
  And I returned to editing Dragon.
  Since David had already returned the first sixteen chapters to me, printed, double-spaced, and red marks scribbled throughout, I figured I might as well wade into it. Thursday night he gave me the remaining chapters, along with begrudging praise for the first draft. (It’s better than the first book, but I think you could trim 10,000 words – at least.) Thank you, David. Coming from you, that means a lot.
  So I’ve got my work cut out for me. Two of the three members of my editing team have given me their notes. If my laptop continues to behave (fingers crossed), the second Red Wolf novel should be ready for publication in July.

  I’m also pleased to announce the talented artist, Ray DeLotell, has joined Rich Westover and myself as the third member of the cover design team. (Yeah, they let me have some say – a token idea here and there.) We’re meeting next Friday to go over the covers for all three of the Red Wolf novels. Hopefully, I’ll have some sneak previews to share on next week’s blog.

  Which brings me to one last note. I’m issuing a call for volunteers to be beta readers. I need 5 – 10 people who are willing to read the next draft, complete a survey form, and give me your honest opinion on the story, characters, pace, writing style, etc. I can give the draft to you in Kindle, Word or PDF format. All participants will be listed in the Acknowledgments section of the final publication and receive a published copy of the ebook free. If you’re interested, leave a comment on this blog, email me at jundley50@gmail.com, or message me on the Red Wolf Novels Facebook page.

  Until then… keep reading!

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