My Cup of Tea.
Photograph.
July 2014.

I once spent an entire day at the New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Fair looking for the perfect mug; any tea drinker will tell you, the mug matters. Similarly, any writer will tell you their editing team makes all the difference.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the privilege of being a beta reader for a local author’s upcoming fantasy novel. It was a phenomenal experience: not only was the story captivating, but I was able to provide a very talented writer with a reader’s perspective.

I get so much joy out of reading the word-craft of others and assisting with refinement and development. Art, in all forms, is an attempt at communication with the world, and I exist to clear and ready those channels for the exchange.

For this most recent project, I worked with B.H. Alsop and read her upcoming novel Fantastical Trips — a fantasy filled with magic and interplanetary travel; an adventure of wits and intrigue. Alsop’s creativity is astounding, and it will make her a success in the genre of fantasy.

We met last Saturday to review her pages and to discuss her plan for the manuscript. Alsop wrote a great post about her experiences receiving feedback through the workshop process, and you can read it here. She makes a great point: the relationship between writer and editor (or beta reader, in this case) is so important, it truly makes a difference in the outcome of the project.

With friends such as these, I know I will be giving you and all my readers a better book than I could have made myself.

-B.H. Alsop

A piece of writing — whether it be a novel, a short story, a memoir, or even a blog post — can benefit from an extra set of eyes and some constructive feedback. I am just so glad that I could provide Alsop with that service.

Keep an eye on B.H. Alsop’s blog and for Fantastical Trips, which is on track to be available by the holiday season.

To finish my aforementioned story: hour after hour and tent after tent, I never did find the perfect mug that day. It wasn’t until I moved into my apartment and discovered this big, red, abandoned mug in the kitchen cabinet that I had finally found MY perfect mug.

Sometimes, these things just come to you when you need them most…

If you are a writer and are looking for assistance refining your most recent masterpiece, check out my list of services and send me a note about what you are creating: I would love to help you polish your project for publication.

Thank you all for reading! Enjoy the rest of your tea, and have a great weekend.

Happy art-making!
:D