[Mainstream Fiction] Requests for Readers

Please use this thread to find a reader for your novel! When posting, please remember to use the Template as listed in the sticky thread at the top of this forum! PLEASE read the guidelines before posting... not reading the guidelines results in unnecessary questions and the possibility your request will be ignored.

Please use the preview option when posting. At this time, there is no ability to edit, so what you post WILL stay as is.

Post your request here for your readers. It does not have to be for the novel you wrote for National Novel Writing Month. (If you are interested in something posted here DO NOT respond in this thread, send the poster a NaNoMail.)

Do NOT contact someone about reading their novel if you have no intention of providing feedback.

Copy and Paste Template:

Title:
Length, Draft and Language:
Brief Summary (not more than 300 words)
Sub Genre & Keywords:
Known Issues:

Critique Requested:
Critique Tolerance:

Experience & Goals:
Method of Communication:
Anything else? Disclaimers?

Title: The Head or the Heart
Length, Draft and Language: 50,035 words, first draft, English
Brief Summary (not more than 300 words) A kid loses his mother and then loses all memory of her. A doctor wishes to help the child reagin the memory of his mother while the father wants to keep him safe from the pain that comes from finding out the truth.
Sub Genre & Keywords: Memory, Basketball
Known Issues:
Critique Requested: Anything that you'd like. I'm willing and open to listen to any critques, small or large. Plot revisions would be more helpful than grammar or organization ones. I care more about the story than the little things.
Critique Tolerance: I can take it all. I like to believe my story's amazing, but I want to know if it's no good.

Experience & Goals: This is my first novel and I'm not looking to do anything with it publishing wise. I just want to create the best novel I can for personal pride.
Method of Communication: email works
Anything else? Disclaimers? Nothing else. THANKS!! :)

Title: Life by Death, A Vampires Tale
Length, Draft and Language: approx 73,000 words, 2nd rough draft, English (Graphic)
Brief Summary (not more than 300 words) - Samantha or Sammy as she is known to her friends was your average run of the mill working girl who had a lust for the bad boys. Marcus was the new local mystery man in town. Their one night stand will turn Sammy's world upside down and finally bring her to life. Blood, Love, lust, and violence become Sammy's new way of life. Until one day she meets Victoria who not only created Marcus but is totally obsessed with him. Sammy's new world of death comes too close to home when her sister Taylor falls prey to Victoria's madness.
Sub Genre & Keywords: Vampires, Fantasy, Family, Death, Graphic Sex & Murder
Known Issues: I have two sections I still need to flesh out, but the book is hanging lifeless. Its my first attempt at a novel, and I want to know if its worth finishing up. Spelling and Grammar are a constant problem, sorry.

Critique Requested: Whenever someone has time. I haven't touched the book in almost 2 years. I had started a squeal but it's dry as a bone and I left it be while I moved onto my 2nd attempt at a novel.
Critique Tolerance: Honesty, but be kind. I need to know what to fix, but I also would like to know what is good as well. Too much negative and I have a tendency to self-doubt the whole writing thing all together.

Experience & Goals: Would love to one publish, although not sure if the Graphic nature is too much. The sex scene is deffinatly rated R, border line NC-17. So youth fiction is out of the question. Ultimately I want to learn how to be a better writer.
Method of Communication: Email, current book is saved in 2010 Word file as well as a PDF.
Anything else? Disclaimers? Like I said, its graphic in some areas, but main stream in the rest, so I was unsure as to where to post it for review. I know I have issues, just want help fleshing them out.

Title: The Wheel Breaks the Butterfly
Length, Draft and Language: Not yet complete, draft one, English.
Brief Summary:
- - - This is my synopsis:
"I was a call-boy, I guess you could say. Don't know what that is? Go look it up or something. Google it."

Rein Adalbert isn't exactly your traditional working man. In fact, there is almost nothing traditional about him. He's fueled by a constant want for more money, and for a while, money keeps him happy. Henry "Hank" Cooke, rich-boy son of big-time businessman Francis Cooke, takes advantage of Rein's love of money and showers him in an unlimited--or supposedly unlimited--stream of funds from his father. It takes a Rein a while to realize he's still not happy.

Enter Finley Lane, or Finni, as she introduces herself. Finding Rein especially interesting--whether it be his candy blue hair or his shamelessly feminine appearance--Finni adopts him as a friend, and for a while, Rein really is happy.

Until Henry finds out that his "personal companion" is "seeing" another person.

Infuriated that his money and "love" isn't good enough for Rein, Cooke hires Aleksandr Rusakova to keep Finni in check, and the story goes from there.

This is a story of money, regret, sacrifice, and the realization that sometimes the right thing often feels like the most wrong thing to do.

Sub Genre & Keywords: Some Romance, sort of like a fictional memoir, LGBTQ? Sort of?
Known Issues: This is my first attempt at writing a novel, but I've been writing for a while. I think I might have gotten into a style rut and it might be weird to read for some people. D:

Critique Requested: Anything and everything, I just enjoy having readers. <3
Critique Tolerance: I'm good at taking criticism, I hope, but don't beat the crap outta it. xD

Experience & Goals: I don't know if I want this published or not. I'm sort of hoping that having readers would help me determine that? I am taking up createspace's offer to print five for free, but that's just five books. xD
Method of Communication: Email's good. And if you have an MSN messenger ID, I'm almost always on there.
Anything else? Disclaimers?: Uhmm, there aren't really any graphic scenes, depends on what you're used to reading. This definitely isn't a youth fiction book, though. >> The rest is pretty much just mainstream. :D Thanks so much to anyone who'll help me out.

Title: 'Martyrs'
Length, Draft and Language: 50,062, English, Nano first draft
Brief Summary (not more than 300 words) The Rue des Martyrs in central Paris, with its church at the bottom and seedy red light district at the top is home to a collection of small business, running themselves on neighbourhood energy, and the changes of the seasons. There's Lucien the butcher, who after watching his wife give birth, finds her immediately and seemingly irreversibly repulsive. Mathilde and her two daughters, the beautiful Canelle and the more average Amandine wade through their family politics behind closed doors, the plainer sister living with the resentment of the inescapable attention her sibling receives.

A blind sommelier arrives in town one New Year’s eve, the protégé of Gilbert, the lonely and private ageing wine merchant whose morals are shaky at best. The traders lose one of their own, and via the florist Isolde, cheese merchant Henri and mysterious stranger, grocer Arnaud, secrets are created and hidden, in sometimes tragic fashion. Emile, the handsome bartender, nursing a broken heart after being left by his future wife, is always on hand to dole out the hard liquor and provide a sympathetic ear to ease the journey through the street’s many ups and downs.

It is a novel about seeing and not seeing, morality presented in shades of grey, and the very personal religions we all choose to live by.

Sub Genre & Keywords: Relationships, family, friendships, loyalties, love, sex, religion, secrets, lies, food
Known Issues: My writing is often simplistic, and I know I use the same words over and over again. There's a lack of dialogue as I'm really bad at writing it (as you'll discover), but I was hoping to add more at a later date, just wanted to concentrate on the story for now. I'm also really bad at endings....

Critique Requested: I'd just like to know if the story and characters work, and whether my style of writing fits in with that. Above all, is it a load of unoriginal old tosh?
Critique Tolerance: Honest, but gentle please. There's no gain from hiding the truth from me if you're that convinced of something!

Experience & Goals: Nanowrimo winner 2009 and 2011, would like to published, keen to get working on second drafts. Was a professional journalist for four years too.
Method of Communication:
Anything else? Disclaimers? I live in Paris, and know all the geography/factual bits about Rue des Martyrs are true. Just want advice on the story! I'm aware that the action may move too quickly, there's a hell of a lot more fleshing out I have already in my head, but just needed to get to the 50,000! Well done fellow nanos who made it too!

Title: No Girls in White Dresses

Length:106,000 words (see my “anything else” before you stop reading!)
Draft: thoroughly edited near-final draft
Language: English

Summary: Alex doesn’t expect a suicide attempt to land him a new job, much less one working for an ex-lover, but not only does he abruptly find himself back in the thrall of the powerful Josef Naas, he's also caught in the middle of a feud within a powerful family.

His new job throws him in with Josef's sister Morina, a headstrong divorcee who is resisting the second marriage proposed by her brother. The world has changed, and the dating pool has dried up due to a shortage of women, but Morina wants nothing to do with the suitors lined up to woo her. Though Alex has no idea how Josef expects him to influence her, he is determined to try, particularly when Josef hints that Alex's success may mean a rekindling of their affair. But Morina has reasons of her own for avoiding marriage, and when Alex and Josef’s secret history becomes the key to her freedom, Alex must decide where his loyalties lie.

[First 5 pages posted to my NaNo profile]

Subgenre/Keywords: SF/F elements (near-future setting, invented city), GLBT elements. Think Children of Men meets Alan Hollinghurst.

Known Issues: nothing glaring

Critique Requested: Pacing, length, character development, world development/realism. I am getting ready to send this out to agents, so I appreciate feedback about general readability. (I don’t need you to copyedit, but if you feel moved to do so, I won’t stop you, either.)
Critique Tolerated: Pretend you’re an agent with a huge pile of these to read and you’re deciding whether or not mine gets binned.

Experience and Goals: NaNo winner yearly since ‘04. I’m also a professional editor.

Method of Communication: Nanomail and e-mail (will provide). MS can be delivered in Scrivener or MS Word unless you have some other strong preference.

Anything Else/Disclaimers: To make this fair, I would prefer to swap, which means that in exchange for you reading my somewhat long novel, you get a set of professionally trained editorial eyes on your manuscript. I am experienced in providing thorough, helpful feedback on both content and mechanical issues. As for disclaimers: this book is recommended for 18+ as it contains some adult language and a couple of sex scenes.

Title: Thorns in the jam jar
Length, Draft and Language: 53000ish, first draft, english.
Brief Summary (not more than 300 words) When Cassandra Lacroix falls through a patch of orange in her ceiling, she finds herself in the strange reality of Section Seven. Where smiles are discouraged, food is fiendish, and clowns are haunting; Cassie soon learns the ways of a Section Seven inhabitant, living in fear, unnerved by rumours of their ruler.

But who is HE?
This illusive luminary whom people do not speak of.
Cassie wants to find out.
After all, how can she fear what she doesn't know?


Sub Genre & Keywords: adventure, fantasy, magic, romance, comedy
Known Issues: Eeeek, I use OpenOffice, and it tends to cut out words sometimes/the spell check can fail. Hard.

Critique Requested: Grammar, spelling, whether it's enjoyable or a bit too out there!
Critique Tolerance: You can be an absolute beast. I won't cry, I swear.

Experience & Goals: This is my second Nano partake, and my second win. I'm a second year creative writing student at university, so writing is pretty much what I do XD
Method of Communication: Email
Anything else? Disclaimers?: Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Nope, I think that's all folks! I would really appreciate is someone took this on though!

Title: Cruel Gaze
Length, Draft and Language: About 51k, unedited first draft, english
Brief Summary: Leon is an antisocial man with a haunting past and a disturbing secret. Every month on the full moon, he becomes a beast. This ailment leads him to live on his own in the secluded mountain town of Winsrow Grove, where the people keep to themselves and life is quiet. One night, the young werewolf finds himself suspected of a crime he cannot remember if he committed. Suddenly, Leon is thrust back into the world he sought to forget, a world of corrupt agencies, fraud, violence, and death.
Sub Genre & Keywords: Werewolf, family bonds, fantasy, tragedy
Known Issues: The pacing of the novel is awkward, and I'm sure my sentence structure is repetitive (which is why this is a first draft, of course!), and probably has little mistakes here and there.

Critique Requested: Just any constructive criticism! This is my first NaNo and my first crack at writing something like this, so just the basics would be nice.
Critique Tolerance: I can take any sort of constructive criticism, so long as it is constructive at its heart and not just ripping on my ideas. If it will help me to improve, say it, if not, then don't.

Experience & Goals: Just to improve my writing skills for years ahead, writing is one of my favorite past times now and I would love to get better and maybe share my work with more than just my friends someday!
Method of Communication: NaNoMail, and then I'll share my email address!


I don't know if I really need to put this as a disclaimer or not, but it isn't necessarily a happy story, with lots of death, though none of it is particularly explicit. I think it is a fun story regardless!

Title: [Untitled] by Samuel
Length, Draft and Language: 50,063, first draft, Engliah
Brief Summary (not more than 300 words)
A series of poems and stories ostensibly written by Samuel, from the ages of six to ten (he's in hospital)
Following each piece is a sort of explanation of what happened at the time it was written, then a reflection by one of Samuel's three friends

Sub Genre & Keywords: illness, friendship, general fiction (a bit of self-indulgence)
Known Issues: characterisation (Samuel probably appears too mature; to me this makes sense because he hasn't had much else to do but self-reflect and mature, but the problem still stands), plot (it's likely a bit confusing because it jumps around and I'm a bit afraid of it going from heartwarming and sappy to angsty and melodramatic, because both extremes are rather bad)

Critique Requested: anything is fine, especially on the points mentioned above; also how much you enjoyed the story
Critique Tolerance: anything goes

Experience & Goals: I wanted to actually complete a long story and create a world with easily-identifiable yet interesting characters and I still want to improve on this :)
Method of Communication: NaNoMail

This may not be everyone's type of story - it's not particularly complex and it's not the sort of story people are deep in thought over (after all, it was 'written' by six-year-olds). It's just a sort of experiment about making characters real and keeping track of a long (for me) story.

Title: X and Y (working title, but not set in stone)

Length, Draft and Language: English, First Draft, 100,154 words

Brief Summary (not more than 300 words): Mystery Clarke, at the age of sixteen, learns that she has androgen insitivity syndrome. While normal in appearance physically, she has the genetic make-up of a man. The diagnosis throws her family into strife ending up in divorce after unforgivable words from the father. Identity and gender confusion flood into Mystery's life and it is her friend and lover, Heather, that help her tread the shaky ground. Told through present and past tense reflections, Mystery tells the story of her life, of her marriage and it's end, of her love of food, and how the love of Heather, no matter how painful, is the truest thing that she knows.

Sub Genre & Keywords: Chick Lit/Romance/Gender Identiry

Known Issues: Pacing

Critique Requested: No grammar critiques. I am aware of the spelling and missing commas and am working to get those fixed. I am looking for a global criticism, plot flaws, and impression of readibility.
Critique Tolerance: No critique is too severe if it is constructive.

Experience & Goals: No experience writing professionally. The ultimate goal is getting this thing published.
Method of Communication: e-mail
Anything else? Disclaimers?

Frank language, i.e., cursing. Sex (nothing raunchy), sexual dialogue.

--JSC

Title: Ski Season (more of a description than a title, but i'm working on it)

Length, Draft and Language: English, First Draft, 10,000.

Brief Summary (not more than 300 words): A woman loses control skiing down a black run and falls into a coma but foul play is suspected. When attempted murder is confirmed, the suspects are a drug attack, the victim of an unwarranted assault, a man pushed to breaking point and an eccentric novelist - none of them have alibis and all of them have motives. A woman is charged with the murder as time passes and no more clues arise, but has she been framed? Everyone involved has been drawn to the slopes for a certain reason, but no person have pure motives. The perspective of five people doing a ski season, and how the event changes all their lives.

Sub Genre & Keywords: Chick Lit/mystery

Known Issues: Probably lack of a strong storyline.

Critique Requested: Just overall opinion!
Critique Tolerance: Anything constructive.

Experience & Goals: I wrote a 50,000 word novel but this one is just for fun.
Method of Communication: e-mail or nanomail.

Anything else? Disclaimers? A tiny bit of mild swearing, allusions to sex, non-graphic attempted murder.

I'd be really grateful if anyone was willing to look at this!

Title: Ready to Go
Length, Draft and Language: 50,836, first draft, English
Brief Summary (not more than 300 words)
Nicole is trying to change her life by heading out to California. She meets Daniel, who decides on a whim to help her out and drive her completely across the country. They both know the situation is a little strange, but she needs the ride, so she goes with him. On the way, they meet wild animals, haunted houses, a crazy mechanic, and for the first time, they truly meet themselves.
Sub Genre & Keywords: travel, road trip, coming of age
Known Issues: I didn't know where I was going to take the story while I was writing it, and I'm afraid it shows.

Critique Requested: I need a streamlined plot. I need to know what to cut and what I should expand.
Critique Tolerance: Lay it on me. Be harsh. I would much rather prefer a detailed explanation of why you hate it than a short note of how much you love it.

Experience & Goals: I've got a book in a publisher's hands now, but it's a widely different genre (a cookbook). I want to be a fiction writer, so I want this manuscript to be publish-worthy.
Method of Communication: Email, Nanomail if you need to.
Anything else? Disclaimers? Some f-bombs, but they're not every other word.

Title: THE POINT

Length, Draft and Language: 81,469 words The 2nd draft in English.

Brief Summary:

Someone is going to die - a knife is at his throat. Who is it?

For years Josh Clements has been identified as a homosexual, and bullied repeatedly. His teachers and principal know, but won't help. Now in his junior year of high school, he attempts suicide, and his parents send him to a pray away the gay boot camp where he is tortured into being straight.

When he returns to school his one friend, Ruby, becomes his girlfriend to cover for him. The bullies turn viciously on her, using social media to cyber attack. Someone is killed, another assaulted, and there is nowhere to turn, no one who will help. Josh has run out of options and he can't take any more.

Brent Greene is terrified of being identified as gay and searches out every opportunity to display his 'manly' heterosexuality. The senior, a footballer jock, bullies to drape himself in shadow, to avoid the same spotlight he turns on Josh. His desperation to be seen as normal drives him to extremes of cruelty.

When Brent's desperate need to deny his homosexuality, and Josh’s eventual acceptance of himself, lead to their final confrontation, whose hand wields the knife, and who is finally getting the point?

The Point takes place in suburban Minnesota, in a fictional school district not unlike the Anoka-Hennepin School District which has suffered nine student suicides in the last two years. It is a story too long untold by victims suffering in silence. Much of the bullying in The Point, although fictionalized, occurs daily in American schools and will resonate strongly with readers of all ages. Teachers, parents, school boards, and students will discover with Josh what The Point is of bullying.

Sub Genre & Keywords: YA Lit; bullying; coming of age; LGBT; teens

Known Issues: I have trouble keeping my tenses straight. I slip from present to past tense without being aware I've done it.

Critique Requested: Grammar; flow, dialogue, pacing... the usual. (Please don't tell me I'm wrong about the gay bullying though - If you disagree with preventing gay bullying then this book is definitely not for you.)

Critique Tolerance: I can take it, but I'd like it presented as a learning opportunity, rather than a judgmental critique where I'm found lacking. I respond well to praise (who doesn't?) and could use that whenever you feel so moved.

Experience & Goals: I have sold eight short stories; seven have been published in anthologies. One of the anthologies won a Lambda Award. This is my first NaNo novel, but I've written four other novels before this. Eventually I'd like all three of my YA LGBT novels published.

Method of Communication: Nano mail to start - and then email.

I'm definitely self publishing this book through ebooks and Print On Demand. I want it to be as perfect as possible by Feb. 1st - a personal goal I've set myself. Beta Readers will be officially thanked in Acknowledgments, and will have my undying gratitude.

Title: The Living Apocalypse

Length, Draft and Language: 8,627 words, Second Draft, English
Brief Summary (not more than 300 words): Aleyna lives in a city that is slowly destroyed for the entertainment of a future America. She doesn't know there is an outside world until a boy tells her about a legend. Along with her friend, Emerson, she embarks on a quest to find the outside world and help her city.

Sub Genre & Keywords: (I don't really know the sub genre, sorry.), destruction, loss, adventure, teen romance

Known Issues: There are probably really obvious grammer problems. (I blame my awful English teachers)

Critique Requested: All

Critique Tolerance: Not super harsh because I already get enough of it from my friends.

Experience & Goals: No experience but I hope to be a columnist one day.

Method of Communication: NaNomail

Title: The Road to Hell [UNCENSORED]
Length, Draft and Language: Approx 55K words, Second Draft, English.
Brief Summary: Everett Belvidere is a sociopath with a sordid past - a past littered with abuse, incest, rape, murder and war. He now lives as a bachelor, working as a hired gun. Even in spite of his dubious morals, he is chasing an idea.

Ingrid Morrison is a vivacious singer with a mysterious past - a mystery that adds to her charm and allure. She is running away from that past in order to forge her own path and live her life on her terms. She attracts the attention of various powerful figures, including a corrupt politician and a dirty cop.

The two people met only through fate. Their relationship is one of convenience, revenge and control, but it blossoms into something more. However, adversaries always lie in wait, but will their biggest hurdle be what they don't know about each other?
Sub Genre & Keywords: Noir Novel, Erotic Thriller, Romance
Known Issues: While there are several things that have been fixed, I still feel like I'm only scratching the surface on certain things.

Critique Requested: Characterizations, Histories, Scenario.
Critique Tolerance: Honest, but not harsh. Constructive. If you don't know anything about sociopathy or psychopathy, and if you think to lecture me on it, stop yourself. Give me various opinions on how you would think of something playing out. How would you react in such a situation. I like to go for realism, but I also want to keep a noir-style thriller edge to it.

Experience & Goals: First fiction. Years of RP experience under my belt, though
Method of Communication: E-mail or NaNo Mai.
Anything else? Disclaimers?: This novel contains rape, child rape, incest (vividly written), murder, domestic violence (vividly written), child abuse, disposing of a body (vividly written), explicit sex (several times), racial slurs and more things. This is not a walk in the park.