Our topic at the SFF Seven this week is: How do you define Critique Partners, Alpha Readers, and Beta Readers? Actually, there have been some great definitions and examples offered by my fellow SFF7 colleagues in earlier posts of the week.
I don’t have definitions handy because I don’t use any of
these.
I write the stories I want to read. The stories unspool the
way I want them to go. I’m very possessive of my characters and the events. I
can’t imagine a better way to stop my writing DED than to invite people to read
it while a book is in progress. The tender little green shoots of the book would wither and die under the harsh sunlight of premature feedback. No one has ever been invited to read one of my
WIPs as far as I can recall. Yes, I’m
saying I want no feedback during the process of writing my books. I don’t ask
for it, I don’t go looking for it…I wouldn’t use it if there was any…writing to
me is a completely solitary, individual creative pursuit. Me, my characters and
I.
And my Muse.
I pay for a developmental edit when the book is pretty much
close to done. I may or may not take the suggestions from my editor but I
appreciate receiving them. At that stage the book is finished in my own mind
and I’m ready to have the professional feedback on any issues or places where
the existing book could be made stronger.
Fortunately for me, there’s no one right way or wrong way to
go about being an author. I say go for it to people who relish and/or need all that
feedback as part of their process. It isn’t something I’d ever do but the world
is big enough for all of us to do our own thing. The more books, the merrier,
however they arrive!
Speaking of arriving, Pets In Space® 5 will be out on
October 6th and is up for pre-order. My story this time is STAR
CRUISE: RETURN VOYAGE.
PETS IN SPACE® 5
ANTHOLOGY BLURB:
It’s time for an escape! Pets in Space® 5 is back for the
fifth amazing year! Escape to new worlds with twelve of today’s top Science
Fiction Romance authors. They have written 12 original, never-before-released
stories filled with action, adventure, suspense, humor, and romance that will
take you out of this world. The giving doesn’t stop there. For the fifth year,
Pets in Space® will be donating a portion of the first month proceeds to
Hero-Dogs.org, a non-profit charity that supports our veterans and First
Responders. If you are ready to forget the world around you and make a difference
while you are having fun, grab your copy before it’s gone!
STAR CRUISE: RETURN
VOYAGE (The Sectors SF Romance Series):
Gianna Nadenoft is a reclusive survivor of one of the worst
interstellar cruise ship disasters in the history of the Sectors. Now a
renowned artist, she hasn’t left her home planet in decades, not since
returning there after the wreck as a traumatized three-year-old. With her
service animal at her side, she’s going to attempt to travel across the star
systems to attend her brother’s wedding and reunite with her fellow survivors.
Trevor Hanson is a security officer aboard the cruise liner
Nebula Zephyr with his own traumatic past as a former Special Forces soldier
and prisoner of war. He’s assigned to provide personal protection to Gianna
during her time aboard the ship but soon finds his interest turning from
professional to romantic.
Onboard the Nebula
Zephyr, powerful enemies are watching Gianna and making plans to seize this
rare opportunity to gain access to her and the secrets they believe she’s still
keeping about the wreck. Can Trevor overcome his personal demons and rise to
the occasion to save Gianna from the danger waiting on his ship, or will she
slip through his fingers and suffer a terrible fate deferred from her last
disastrous voyage?
BUY LINKS
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2BRiWxU
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pets-Space-5-SE-Smith-ebook/dp/B08F2XF73Q/
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Pets-Space-5-SE-Smith-ebook/dp/B08F2XF73Q/
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Pets-Space-5-SE-Smith-ebook/dp/B08F2XF73Q/
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/pets-in-space-5
Apple Books: https://apple.co/30maDUg
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pets-in-space-5-s-e-smith/1137421518?ean=2940162669395
GooglePlay: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/SE_Smith_Pets_in_Space_5?id=AGH0DwAAQBAJ&hl=en
