Back to the Regularly Scheduled Programming

The wedding craziness is over! Thank goodness! I'm not going to lie; I'm kind of glad about that. My wedding was beautiful and special and very, very exhausting. I've needed the past few days just to relax and recuperate. I've done a lot of sleeping since Saturday, and I'm finally feeling a bit like my old self.

As is the case with everything in my life, it was a bit of an adventure leading up to the big day. Starting with the fourteen wooden benches that we had to build and stain before transporting to the venue an hour away. Of course the weather decided to make all this as hard as possible. We stained benches in the morning and by three it was pouring down hard enough that we worried that our stain would turn out splotchy. This became the theme for the entire week of the wedding. Somehow everything turned out all right and we managed to get them to the venue on time.

That still left the fact that the forecast said there would be rain off and on the entire day of my wedding. We were left guessing as to whether it would be outside or inside right up until two hours before go time. Again, we lucked out and it turned into an unexpectedly beautiful afternoon. So much so, that I managed to come away with a sun burn after the ceremony. All through the reception, our family and friends commented on how they couldn't believe I burned so quickly. I know better, but I totally forgot to put on sunscreen in the excitement of everything that was going on.

I will confess, I don't remember much of the ceremony or anything surrounding it. It's all kind of a blur, which I wasn't expecting. I know other people have told me similar things, but I thought I'd soak in more than I did. I do remember feeling very happy that I was marrying my best friend and hoping that our officiant's papers that had our vows on them didn't fly away in the wind.

We had a great time, but it's so nice to get back to my normal life. Today and tomorrow I'll probably work on figuring out the outline of my next project. I'm still a bit undecided about what that will be. Maybe I'll  take a long walk this afternoon and see where the inspiration takes me.

Beta Readers Assemble!

Edit: I have enough beta readers for the moment. Thank you to everyone who volunteered.

I've labored long and hard to prepare the best book I can write. Now, the time has come to let others see my creation for themselves. For those who want to offer their services as a beta reader for Broken Lands 3, keep reading the post below.

Remember, this is still early stages so there will be odd grammatical and factual errors riddling the manuscript. Below is an explanation of what a beta reader does and what I expect out of them. It's a first come, first serve type of opportunity and priority will be given to those who've beta read for me in the past. 

Beta Reader Guidelines and Caveat

Here's how you can volunteer: Private message me through my Facebook page or email me at info@tawhiteauthor.com asking to be a beta reader and committing to the guidelines posted below. I can't guarantee I'll choose you as there has been a lot of interest in this in the past, and I can only wade through so many comments at a time.

Beta Guidelines:

This part of the process for me takes place before I send the manuscript to the editor. That means the copy is a little rough still. I'm not looking for intense grammar editing. I'm more focused on comments on the story- pace, structure, characters, things that don't make sense. That kind of stuff. I will outline these questions in more detail for those who participate.

The other thing I ask is for people to send it back to me in the time allotted. I'm asking for it back by June 15th this time. My wedding is at the end of the month and I need this to be in my editors hands so I don't have it hanging over me :-)

I also ask that you agree not to share the story with anyone or upload it to any sites. I know for most of you that would never cross your mind, but I need to say it anyway.

Also, be aware that I may not use your suggestions as my opinion trumps everyone else's. Sometimes you ask questions that I want asked or a suggestion goes against what I'm trying to accomplish.

One note: Beta reading is not for everyone. For instance, I don't beta read for people because I like getting caught up in the story and not paying attention to the things that irk me. For that reason, I will be doing advance reader copies that will take place at the end of the process and will require less critical thinking on the reader's part--hopefully.

If you're interested, let me know. If you're not, I hope you enjoy the book when it comes out.