Book Review: Just One Summer Novella Collection

by Catherine Hudson

This fun Novella collection had me entertained from page one, book one, to last page, book four. The Stories were penned by four fabulous authors: A Summer Remade by Nicole Deese, Waves of Summer by Tammy L. Gray, A Painted Summer by Amy Matayo, and Wild Heart Summer by Jenny B. Jones.

In A Summer Remade, Joss Sanders heads back to her family’s cabin she has promised to spend every summer vacationing at, with the friends who have had to sadly renege on their promise for this particular year. But fear not, these four friends become the spunky heroines for each of these novellas, in a fresh idea that provides continuity, and draws the reader onwards.

Joss tries to escape the pain of her present by returning to sweeter memories she shared with her family at the cabin—only things are not the same, life moves on and so must Joss if she is to embrace the future. The love story in this first book is breathtakingly sweet, revisiting that boy-next-door childhood friend who makes the perfect literary hero.

Waves of Summer flows perfectly in style from the previous one, even though Sydney Andrews is a very different character to her friend Joss. Sydney’s summer adventures turn to romance when she becomes friends with the bartender at her mother’s wedding. Holiday life doesn’t let Sydney relax into complacency or mere spontaneous living, but ensures she faces the real her, to find a better future, one that includes love.

A Painted Summer expands on a subtle theme throughout these books; that holding to stereotypical ideas or an old mindset can keep a person from the best things in life. Darby Sparks has lived a sheltered life and finally could take it no more—she’s followed her dreams to Los Angeles. Thing is, she runs out of money, and ends up working for Lennon Dixon in a tattoo parlor. This inked-up hero challenges and surprises both Darby and no doubt the reader, as he shows her that people are not always what you expect, and the best things in life can be found in unexpected places.

In Wild Heart Summer all Avery Crawford wants to do is get to her summer internship cooking on a ranch and get back to college—without having anything to do with her grandfather who owns the ranch, or falling in love with a certain attractive cowboy. Of course, just like her friends, Avery is not the same by summer’s end. She will face her past, her beliefs, her fears—and be open to a beautiful future.

The writing in these four Novellas is, in my humble opinion, stellar. Fresh, witty, funny, clean, and with a plot line that flowed from book to book, pulling you on to finish each story and experience the romance. The stories fit general market romance, but they were clean, with hints of inspirational tones. I highly recommend these fun reads and I will be reading these authors again.

Book Review ~ Bridge Of Faith by Catherine West

Review by Catherine Hudson 

 

I received Bridge of Faith as a gift from Andrea Grigg, who knows my love of difficult topics handled well in a fictional setting.

The book opens with a hook that sets up the rest of the story:

He only needed to survive one more day.

Reid Wallace’s comfortable, successful life as the attractive journalist and TV reporter is blown apart, and he finds himself back in his small home town of Bridgewater, despite self assurances he would not return. Here he is forced to face past mistakes, the old Reid — and whoever the new Reid will be. The reason for all this personal introspection and day by day living quickly becomes clear. Julia Hansen.

Julia has returned to Bridgewater with a survival story of her own and the cost has been high—one that continues to take its toll on new relationships, her family, and her two children. Julia and Reid must be in the same physical location—even talk to one another—to get to the bottom of their secrets and grievances.

Something they both loathe, and want to do. Talk about tension.

I found these characters compelling and likeable with an electric attraction that made you want to shift time and sort out their issues for them. I had no trouble turning the page, hoping for healing and the release of truth that they both needed. At each turn it seems almost impossible that these two damaged individuals will find the courage to recover from their past traumas and find a future.

The writing style had slight deviations and there were some short, sharp scenes of unusual lengths, but this did not detract from my enjoyment and I was still drawn into the story. The black moments for this couple were many, but the depth of plot and character meant that I was eager to finish the book. Near the end I encountered one last black moment from Julia that looked set to derail the romance, one that frustrated my suspension of disbelief as a reader and somewhat lessened my enjoyment of an otherwise fantastic ending.

Overall I recommend this book as the story and characters are compelling and the story themes powerful.

Thanks Andrea for another great read.

*****

Catherine Hudson writes Historical and contemporary fiction for the CBA market. She was a finalist in the MARA fiction from the heartland contest 2014 and resides in beautiful New Zealand.

Snapshot Of A Writers' Retreat

The Romance Queens in their element! 

The Romance Queens is a group of writers who chat online about all things life, love and writing. Whilst chatting is one of their gifts from God, they’re also good at making plans. 
Plans to meet.
Eat Tim Tams. 
And steal time away from the ordinary for a few days of solid writing. I know this because I am one of the Romance Queens, and the only one who couldn’t make it to their recent writing retreat in glorious Queensland.

But because the Romance Queens are generous souls, they kept me up-to-date with their mischief progress on an hourly basis. Between the four of them, Andrea Grigg, Catherine Hudson, Skye Wieland and Nola Passmore, I heard FOUR daily points of view, often contradictory and always hilarious.

My inbox pinged all day and most of the evening with the latest version of their merry making and such high adventure should never be contained. I decided to interview these four and share with our ACW friends a little of their writing retreat, hosted by the lovely Andrea Grigg in her beautiful home by the sea.

Andrea ~ The writers' retreat was held at my home on the Gold Coast, Queensland, the second week of the Easter school holidays, April 12-19. Being together was terrific, but the perfect weather made it even better. We made the most of it and walked along Currumbin Beach, over beautiful Burleigh Hill and around the lake system where I live. There was even swimming involved! 

Once we'd exercised and breakfasted, it was straight into writing. Basically, we ate and wrote and ate and wrote. We went out for dinner at the local surf club on Cat's birthday and again for kebabs on Thursday night (a tradition in the Grigg household) but we'd always have another writing session afterwards. What a dedicated bunch!

Dotti ~ Dedicated, indeed. I don’t know what I envied the most. The morning swimming report or the writing sessions! Both, I’m sure.

Now tell us, why is dedicated writing time alongside other authors so important to you? 

All smiles at the Romance Queens' writing retreat

Andrea ~ I got a kick out of watching the others at work. Nola was totally focussed, but Cat and Skye were much more like me ... easily distracted! The best part about being together (other than having fun of course! ) was being able to discuss things then and there, bandy ideas around, brainstorm solutions. Nothing can beat that.

Catherine ~ Writing is such a lonely job - and one prone to make you a little crazy due to the nature of the craft. There's so much to learn, but stories burn in your heart, urging to be put on paper. Being with other writers reminds you you are not alone in doubting yourself - not alone in occasionally thinking "hey that scene I wrote is pretty good!" (And hating it the next day, loving it the day after that, then thinking it's award winning...You get the picture)

Skye ~ I love spending time with other authors! It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or a seasoned writer, there’s always something new that can be learnt from networking, hanging out, and just having a good laugh with fellow authors. Who knows what could transpire? In between bouts of Tim Tams, morning runs, lamenting over the fact that I don’t have a paddleboard or kayak, something amazing could happen - even collaborative works…who knows?

Nola ~ When you commit to writing with others, it's like that time is sacred. You can't not write. You can't make excuses, you can't procrastinate until the muse strikes. You have to put derriere in chair and write. Since you're with other authors, you know they share the highs and lows with you. They know this is important and they're going to encourage you. They "get" you in a way that non-writers don't (no matter how supportive those non-writers are). The bonus of being with other Christian writers was that we were also able to pray for each other's projects and discuss controversial issues relating to Christian and mainstream markets. Plus it was fun being able to bounce ideas off of other people who are as crazy as you.

Heads down for hard work

Dotti ~ Did you set any personal writing goals before, during or after your retreat, or were you happy to see what came of it once you arrived? 

Andrea ~ I figured I wouldn't get a whole lot of writing done seeing as how I was the host and there were things to be done. I edited instead, so, while Nola achieved 10 000 words over 4.5 days, I lost 1500! I didn't mind at all - I got a kick out of seeing three happy campers.

Catherine ~ Before retreat I was really considering giving up writing for a multitude of reasons, perhaps none of them very good reasons but it felt real to me. I could not seem to get my first novel's introduction to flow right, and the standard I wanted to attain seemed too hard. I set some tasks for the retreat but didn't know what I would achieve out of the list.

I discovered I need to RELAX. This was my key word. I am the boss of my writing and since I've already decided I want to self publish, and I generally take constructive criticism well, I don't think I'm at risk of producing works I'll be embarrassed about. I just need to RELAX and enjoy the process.

Skye ~ I was really excited leading up to this retreat - and it wasn’t just because Andrea lives near the beach. :) I have been working on editing my work-in-process for some time, and I’ve struggled to find the motivation to pick it back up again after going through a stage of feeling that it was rather - well, lifeless in many aspects. Just prior to the retreat, Cat introduced me to a new teaching program geared towards helping authors with deep editing techniques. I went ahead and bought the first module. This started me on a whole new journey with my manuscript and brought back some of the excitement for the story. My personal goal before the retreat was to both continue studying these modules, as well as applying it to my work. During my retreat, I found myself someone distracted at times, but I was still able to plod through with moderate levels of success. Since returning back to the “real world” I am still excited, but need to discipline myself now to find that work/life balance so I can make the time required.

Nola ~ I had a goal to write 10 000 words on my novel during the four full days I was there.  The reason I was so specific is that I've applied to an Editor's Boot Camp being run by the Queensland Writers Centre in August and I need a full draft for that.  Not only would writing 10 000 words boost my word count, but it would also let me know whether I really could get this draft done.  I met the goal with time to spare.  It really boosted my confidence and showed that I can do it when I set my mind to it and have help from above.  

Happy Birthday, dear Catherine

Dotti ~ Taking yourself away from family and other commitments for a writing retreat often feels like logistical gymnastics. What did you achieve during the writing retreat which made it worth the sacrifice? 

Andrea ~ Hosting the retreat was easy. I planned the menus in advance and shopped the day before everyone arrived so it was all good. I have to say, my husband and daughter were wonderful about having three extra women in the house - mind you, they both worked during the day so they were only subjected to our craziness at night. I'd do it all again in a heartbeat which is just as well because apparently they're all coming back next year!

Catherine ~ Peace, relaxation - and more laughter than I've had in months. Need I say more? Oh yes I do - it was worth my husbands gratitude upon me returning to our kitchen, he he he. 

Skye ~ I can honestly say that regarding my work, I got several chapters through some deep editing techniques during the retreat, but spending time talking about these techniques with friends and being able to spend that time sharing about our journeys with our work was something that I found the most valuable.

Nola ~ It was definitely worth it.  I met my personal goal of writing 10 000 words, but I also learned from the others.  It was great to be able to throw ideas around with other authors.  I was the "ring-in" because the others were more in the romance genre, but we were all working on such different things. We spent some time one afternoon reading some of our work to each other and getting feedback. That was really valuable. Whether you were writing adventure, suspense, romance, historical or contemporary, I think we all learned from each other. It was also helpful to hear about different tools and strategies that others have found helpful. Plus it was a whole lot of fun. We had designated writing times, but we also swam, walked on the beach, watched movies, ate great food and generally chilled out. I'd love to go again and would definitely recommend it to others.

Dotti ~ So there you have it. The wrap up of a highly successful writing retreat with goals met and kindred spirits stirred for what we must all return to when the fun is over… the solitary world of writing.

Have you attended a writing retreat? What impressed you most about the Romance Queens’ week-long gathering?

Blessings

Dotti 

*****

Dorothy Adamek lives in Melbourne with her Beloved and their three gorgeous kids. 

She's the winner of the 2013 FHL ~ Touched By Love Competition, 
and the 2104 Inspirational Category Winner of the TARA Writing Contest. 

Enamoured by all things 19th century, she writes The Heartbeat of Yesteryear, Historical Romance - Aussie style. Come say G'day at her blog, Ink Dots. 

Book Review: Lady at Arms by Tamara Leigh

Review by Catherine Hudson

Since the increase in Indie book sales, many authors are getting their rights back to older books, perhaps now out of print. From there, some are re-working them, and as a reader, I wondered how the changes translate our particular market.

Lady at Arms by Tamara Leigh is an example of a novel re-written to suit the standards of the CBA market, after being distributed in the general market. It is classed as a ‘clean read’ re-write of the 1994 Bantam Books bestseller, Warrior Bride.

Lady at Arms did not disappoint as a historical romance. I was transported to Medieval times where knights served their King with valour and honour and ladies were—well, Ladies.

Lizanne Balmaine and Ranulf Wardieu cross paths as a result of the cruellest of twists, making for an intriguing story of love, revenge and greed. I was instantly taken with Lady Lizanne, even for her faults, which constantly invite trouble and fly in the face of what is expected of her. Ranulf is a man of honour, patience, and an iron will, who finds himself caught up with the headstrong Lizanne. The story delivered all that I expected with sword fights, fast-paced chases on horse back, and more than one case of trickery employed to win a battle. Of course King Henry and Eleanor have their moment—and quite the moment it is for these characters.

The plot was fast-paced and kept me reading with just enough historical dialect/words to add flavour. Due to its original printing, there were changes of point of view that differ from our usual writing craft standards, but I felt that they were smooth and did not effect my enjoyment of this tale.

The faith element was handled with subtlety, in a way that was believable for the era, but that places it in my mind as a suitable read for the CBA market. The sexual tension of the young couple remained, but was in no way offensive or explicit. The character arc of both Lizanne and Ranulf fitted my reader expectations, leaving me with a satisfying ending, and a desire to read the next in the series—which I promptly did.

Lady at Arms is a great example of the sort of ‘clean-read’ re-writes that I hope to see coming from other authors. I found that the following books in the series, Lady of Eve and Lady of Fire, did not disappoint, either. Tamara Leigh has handled the stories with care and retained her plot lines while weaving a believable, simplistic spiritual arc into her characters lives—taking us along for the ride.

Structuring Your Novel, by KM Weiland

By Catherine Hudson

They say there are two basic types of writers: Pantzers and Plotters. 

I am, unashamedly, a Pantzer—one who would love to have the wonderful structure that seems to be available to Plotters. Structuring your Novel by K.M Weiland, has helped me begin to find that structure, without losing my natural fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants style. To put it in plain English, as far as writing craft books go, this is one I love.

Perhaps it was an advantage that I had a finished manuscript to mentally compare to as I read this gem, but I think anyone would benefit from the advice laid out by Ms Weiland, in particular, new writers wanting to get a handle on the basics of structure.

After clearly telling us why we need structure (something I will not attempt to debate here, that’s a whole other blog post), she lays out structure from the hook to the resolution, before adding further chapters on scene and sequel.

The simple layout, using examples from literature and film, demonstrates exactly what is being taught. I have to admit, this is the book that made me finally understand the concept of a hook. I found myself Googling famous hooks and scribbling down various attempts for my own book. (No, I have not settled on one yet, but I’ll let you know when I do!)

Another useful element is the use of approximate percentages where a writer should place such things as inciting incidents, and character reflection, within their work. This was useful as I could go to my highly-edited, nipped and tucked WIP, and see if my inciting incidences now occurred at the right points to register subconsciously for the reader. Readers expect these moments and even though they may not be able to express this in writing terms, it will register when the structural pillars are missing from a novel.

Structuring your novel clearly teaches how to implement what is needed to produce a well-structured novel that holds up your story, rather than bringing it down.

Highly recommended.

It’s Conference Time!

By Catherine Hudson and Iola Goulton

August is the season for romance, starting with the Romance Writers of America conference (estimated 2,000 attendees), followed by the Romance Writers of Australia conference (estimated 350 attendees), and finally the Romance Writers of New Zealand Conference (150 attendees over three days). We (Iola Goulton and Catherine Hudson) attended the New Zealand conference, along with Kiwi/Aussie author Andrea Grigg. She’s originally from Auckland and we were staying just around the corner from where she used to live, so that was fun!

We in New Zealand might have had the last conference, and it was certainly the smallest, but there are advantages to size. For example, we were able to speak with most of the presenters. We got to ask the presenter (Flo Nicoll), from Harlequin) to put the slide up again so we can get pictures of ourselves with the book cover featuring our friend Narelle’s August new release:

(See The Doctor's Return on the left?)

And we got a photo with the main workshop speaker, James Scott Bell (which is the main reason we were all there!):

RWNZ was an eye-opening conference. It showed us how much we can learn from authors writing for the general market. They were welcoming, freely sharing their ideas for marketing and craft that resulted in very admirable sales. I know that the content of our books will differ (obviously ‘sex sells’ is not a phrase that applies to those of us who do not intend to include this in our books) but we can certainly learn from those who are making a living wage from writing, across a range of genres.

Going to conference helps keep us up to date with the latest craft techniques (yes, Iola went to the session titled “Making Your Sentences Rock”), and techniques that are selling books. We must not forget that we are creating a product, and that product needs to appeal to readers. Some of us only want to write for the Christian audience, but Catherine in particular was challenged to consider that it may indeed be possible to write books that instil hope, and can cross over to be appealing to a larger market.

James Scott Bell was excellent, clarifying many craft techniques, some that were familiar, and others that were new. This event was an exercise in clarifying our writing goals, craft, genre, and motivations.

Hearing from Jim Azevedo from Smashwords was exciting. The whole world is opening up for writers. While it is still paramount that we produce quality books readers will love, we are now free to get them into the hands of readers without going the way of the gatekeepers of trad publishing. The sales figures were astounding and very encouraging. There has never been a better time to be a writer—particularly of romance. If we are willing to apply ourselves and learn the craft, study what sells, and learn best marketing practices, it is possible to make a decent living as a writer. Just the fact we can get our books into the hands of readers is thrilling—ebooks have overtaken print books in the USA, and the rest of the world is shifting to the new technology.

Catherine says: conference, as usual, was a gauge of how much I have learned in a year—which is important in a career where deadlines are often self-imposed and qualifications are not set by a certain length of time and the approval of those more knowledgeable than us. If I could put one word to the experience it is ‘liberty’. Information is power they say and I feel free to make my own informed decision toward becoming published. It was worth every cent!

Andrea says: RWNZ was amazing. Brilliant speakers—I mean, James Scott Bell!?!— and a wonderfully accepting group of writers to converse with. When asked what I wrote, no one turned a hair when I said 'inspirational romance'. In fact, they were interested and encouraging. The conference was worth every cent.

Iola says: As a freelance editor, it was gratifying to hear successful a self-published author like Marie Force emphasise the importance of honing the craft of writing before publishing, and of the importance of excellence in both editing and cover design. The best sales techniques won’t get you anywhere without the basics of a good product. And, yes, it was worth every cent!

One of the highlights for all of us was the Awards dinner on Saturday night. We had spare seats at our table, and a lady we didn’t know joined us. She asked what we wrote—inspirational romance. And are you published? Andrea replied that she was, with an Australian publisher. It turned out the lady is a Christian, and was wondering if there were any publishers in Australia who were open to Christian work. Well, yes. It shows God can move anywhere … even in a room full of general market romance authors.


What conferences have you been to, or are planning to go to? What was the main thing you learned?

The Power of No

By Catherine Hudson

Photo © Lightstock.com

Life can get crazy. This seems to be exacerbated by the unprecedented technology available with all its choices—and that’s to say nothing of the usual chores that have to be done if we want to eat, sleep, and have clean clothes to put on in the morning.

This is where the smallest word can be the most powerful. NO.
This tiny word has the potential to enable, to bring freedom, and even to bring a framework or boundary to everyday modern life.

First up, NO opens the door to YES. Huh? Yes — you heard me, NO enables you to say yes. There are so many choices, so many ways to spend our time and energy and saying NO can make way for saying yes to something better or timelier.

We live in an age of more, but we can’t have it all. NO can eliminate, a sort of multi-choice method. All the options can be laid out on the table, making clear which items can be crossed from the list. We can choose then how to engage our time, energy and personal gifts.

This is particularly true of writers. There are several parts to the job: actually writing and editing (production), writing craft (study), and platform, better known as marketing. If publication is on the table, there’s a multitude of options that kind of boil down to two — Traditional publishing, or Indie.

Writers can work back from these two end results and ask what we want, saying NO to the myriad of demands and options, then focus our energy into what will bring the desired end result.

This works much the same for other areas of our life. Having a vision of where we want to end up can keep us heading in that direction and maintaining purpose along the way.

NO can give boundaries. Most commonly, NO creates boundaries within relationships. It’s the word that says “I will not overpower another, and neither will I be overpowered.” It creates mutuality. Of course it can bring tension — but then writers would simply harness that for story….

All jokes aside, NO has been a friend to me in keeping life ticking along, my writing moving forward, and strengthening the connections with those around me. How about you? Have you taken stock recently?

What is your desired end result?

What resources and giftings are available to reach it?

Where are the edges or boundaries? Can I define them better by saying NO?

Hopefully as we hit this mid-year mark we can slow the train and make sure we are on the right track whether for writing or our personal lives. I know this is something I have to do. Do you?

Catherine Hudson writes Historical and Contemporary romance for the CBA market. She was a finalist in the 2013 MARA Fiction from the Heartland contest.

What do I Need Now?

By Catherine Hudson

Last time I wrote for ACW I talked about Beta readers. You can read that post here. Now I want to talk about after you’ve received your work back from the Beta readers.

First of all, breathe. All that red ink may be giving you heart palpitations and we don’t need a coronary on our hands.

What’s needed now is a teachable spirit.

Huh? Well, no one ever grew or changed for the better without hearing some good home truths that motivated change. It can be hard to have someone find fault with your manuscript, and it can feel like a personal attack. You may even sit alone in your office and yell at the Beta readers and critique partners.

But that backstory needs to be there! Otherwise the reader can’t possibly understand why she avoids falling in love!

But that cliché is the perfect description!

I’ve cut 50,000 words. It’s impossible to cut any more!

The classic: But my mother loved my story!

Or in my case, My dialogue is not torturous! That’s how they spoke in 1870!

Ok, let’s take another deep breath and grab some tissues. This is not personal, it’s not the end of the world, it will pass, it will be worth it and you will thank the Beta readers—after you finish yelling at them in the privacy of your office. Don’t go emailing them. Sit on it a day or two. A week or month maybe. And, most of all, pray.

As Christians we know that we have a flesh or sin nature that can inhibit our ability to see things as they truly are. We can agree and disagree over the same issue more than once in our lifetime and retrospect gives us the ability to see the benefit of a painful truth—but generally only later.

As Christian writers it is essential to have our hearts soft enough and in tune with the Holy Spirit to hear and address what is necessary. This is a teachable spirit.

Our writing (or us personally?) will grow—but only if we move past the point of hurt, anger or offence, and be willing to hear. I didn’t want to hear that my dialogue was torturous.

But. It. Was.

I took those hurtful words and researched better writing craft. And I realised something—I could make the necessary changes without loosing the message contained in my story. If anything, most advice will tighten your work and make the communication clearer and more appealing—it did for me.

And isn’t that what we want?

Industry standards are set for a good reason, but we cannot benefit from those who have gone before us unless we are willing to listen, change and grow. All that starts with a teachable spirit.

I’ll leave you with something my prayer partner taught me. If there are two ways to take something and one offends you—choose the other option. More than likely it will leave you a better person, or in this case, writer.

What’s been your experience? Tell us a time you had a cry/rant/rave then decided to hear the truth of what was said, and put in the time to improve your manuscript (or yourself).

Andrea Grigg will be posting on 4 April, offering us another attribute needed to get through the dreaded editing-after-beta-readers. Look forward to seeing you then!

Catherine Hudson writes Historical and Contemporary romance for the CBA market. She was a finalist in the 2013 MARA Fiction from the Heartland contest.

Book Review: Raspberries and Vinegar by Valerie Comer

By Catherine Hudson

Raspberries and Vinegar is the perfect title for a book that is as tart in conflicts as it is sweet—or perhaps I should say, sizzling—in romance.

Jo Shaw is an ecologically aware, pint-sized heroine who did not intend to fall in love when she moves with two girlfriends to start their sustainable farm, Green Acres. Zach Nemesek is the way-too-attractive neighbour who has a love of way-too-many things that go right against Jo’s ecological ideals.

Raspberries and Vinegar shows the clash of these two likeable characters and the inescapable romance that ensues. Valerie Comer has given that spark of attraction between characters that creates a page turner.

Jo is a character with many issues. At times I would get cross and want to argue with her—but then the story would accomplish that for me. In the end, I could not help but like her spunk, and be glad that Zach saw that her strengths outweighed her weaknesses. Zach experiences his own internal battles that he overcomes and I was satisfied as a reader to have all this tied up in the end.

While the book has plenty of supporting characters I never felt overwhelmed by them, rather that each helped create the setting of a small farming community where everyone knows their neighbour.

For the romance genre, I would have preferred more scenes of Jo and Zach interacting throughout the middle portion of this book, however the tension and personal motivations of both kept me turning the pages. For me, more scenes with the main characters together would have deepened the ending and increased the validity of their final decisions. However, the ending was satisfying.

There were some well-developed sub-plots in Raspberries and Vinegar and excellent foreshadowing of events. There was even that sharp intake of breath that shows you have truly been caught by surprise. The book was well edited with no major flaws to pull me out of an enjoyable story.

I’m giving this four stars and I will be reading the next in the farm fresh series—those well-woven sub plots in Raspberries and Vinegar has left my romantic heart imagining where the series will lead to next (the next book, Wild Mint Tea, will be published in March). Recommended.

Catherine Hudson writes Historical and Contemporary romance for the CBA market. She was a finalist in the 2013 MARA Fiction from the Heartland contest.

Some Readers are Beta than Others

By Catherine Hudson

We know writers like to hide away in their cave with copious amounts of chocolate and coffee, but what happens after they type ‘the end’?

This is where the Beta reader comes in. What is a Beta reader? Wikipedia defines them as:

An alpha reader or beta reader (also spelled alphareader/betareader …  is a person who reads a written work, generally fiction, with the intent of looking over the material with the intent to find and improve elements such as grammar and spelling, as well as suggestions to improve the story, its characters, or its setting. Beta reading is typically done before the story is released for public consumption. Beta readers are not explicitly proofreaders or editors, but can serve in that context.

Elements highlighted by beta readers encompass things such as plot holes, problems with continuity, characterisation or believability; in fiction and non-fiction, the beta might also assist the author with fact-checking.

Your mother is not your Beta reader. She is your mother. I don’t care if she meets all criteria below (and mine almost does—she is a published fiction writer and has taught English), your mother cannot be your sole reader. Same goes for your best friend. They have rose-coloured lenses on for a reason—they love you and cheer you on. Let them continue to hold that position.

So, how do we choose the right person to view our work? Here is a list of some of the kinds of people I try to find as my Beta readers:

1 Audience with accuracy:

• They read plenty of fiction
• They are a fiction writer themselves, published or unpublished.
• They read/write good quality books in the same genre of that manuscript.
• They read books from around the world not just near to home so they have an ‘international’ viewpoint.
• They have read books published recently; in the last five years, preferably some published traditionally through an established company.

These requirements sound stringent, but readers who are widely read know what is considered quality in today’s market, and therefore are going to give me advice that is going to move me closer to publication. 

An avid non-fiction reader or writer may love a good novel, but fiction differs greatly from non-fiction, it is a moving target as far as guidelines and style of writing. You want your reader to know whether your manuscript is hitting the mark. Advice that is inaccurate or out of date may harm, rather than improve the manuscript.

2 Expert or Spy:

Technical material must be correct—is your character a nuclear physicist? Try and find one. You would be surprised who God can bring across your path if you pray. If you the writer are the expert, great, then find a colleague in your field to vet your research. They can spy out your fictional territory from a real-life perspective and find those mistakes that weasel their way into those early drafts.

3 Age/socio-economic status/race/creed/religion/culture/background

Often as writers we research from the comfort of our swivel chair and keyboard, and we miss intricate details, intrude upon the story with our own world view. I’m not saying we have to experience all the gamut of things we put our characters through, but consider your character’s age and social status alone—have you used their style of speech? Particular way of interacting? Accurate endearments or slang?

One wrong word and your readers are pulled out of the story. Find a Beta reader who closely resembles your character in real life. 

Authenticity is believability. 

4 Target Market

We should know who is going to buy our books. Find a potential fan with none of the specific traits listed above—a Joe or Jane Bloggs, if you will. These readers will tell you whether your work will sell. Did they enjoy it? What didn’t they enjoy? Were there any areas of confusion? 

These readers are the ones who will compliment you and spur you on—the bread and butter clients we want to entertain, and whose lives we want to touch.

5 Mechanics and detail

Some readers have an eye for that misspelled, misused word or inaccurate date/distance/time frame. If you find one of these they are worth their weight in gold, as they pick up many problems that would otherwise go before the editor at your publishing house.

6 Honesty

At least one reader who will in no uncertain terms, say what they DID NOT like in a manuscript. Without fail this beta reader often gives the best advice. This person must love you and have a generous supply of chocolate to soothe your wounds as they take a red pen—or in my case, scissors to your work.

Final advice: DO DO DO use an editor. Whether or not your publisher supplies one, this is an expense that should not be spared. We often have one chance to impress either reader, agent or publisher. Put a polished, pedicured, pampered foot forward—you get the picture. 

What criteria do my writerly friends here at ACW have for their Beta readers? Who thinks they would make a Beta reader than another?

Catherine Hudson writes Historical and Contemporary romance for the CBA market. She was a finalist in the 2013 MARA Fiction from the Heartland contest.

It's the Little things

By Catherine Hudson

I made a special cake this year for my mother’s birthday (the year of celebration shall of course remain unspoken in this post). As I laboured over the finer details of the icing—rolling and cutting, pinching and tucking—I was reminded that there are minor details in our characters lives that should not be omitted.

While describing every item in a room would labour a story and lose the reader, a well-placed item of singular importance should not be missed.

 

Any movie set has its props: the family photo on the wall, the wayward cushions, a rug, a scarf carelessly cast over a lamp. However, to create a real world image in a reader’s imagination, writers should also take such care to place the items that tell the story of the lives and habits of their characters.

It is often not the item that is important, but how our characters interact with it. As a reader I am drawn out of a story when a door is opened and not closed. If it is pertinent to mention it being opened, why not mention it being closed? I feel left behind with that door. While the character moves on, I’m thinking, “Yoo-hoo, the door is open!”

Perhaps others are not so visual. But dare authors take such a chance? We would do well to remember to add depth to our work using singular items, and by having purposeful character interaction with the items when on stage. Great effort goes into the research and construction of a novel—we must not forget the finishing touches.

What momentous or monotonous details have you found or missed when reading or writing?

As for me, I made sure to find the candles for my mum’s cake. After all, it’s the little things that count.

 

 
Catherine Hudson lives in New Zealand where she homeschools her three girls and pens historical and contemporary romance. She recently finalled in the MARA Fiction from the Heartland contest.