BETA READERS WANTED

BETA READERS WANTED

Beta Readers Required

For Mythic Fantasy Quest

The Asaric Tales quint …
… begins in an age before the gods, in the between-time when ice gave way to warmer days, when nomadic hunter-fisher clans turned to settled agriculture, when villages began, and spirits and demons held sway. We follow Kerrid, an Asar with abilities beyond the human, as she weaves through ages fraught with ice and floods and droughts on a mythic quest to discover what she has done to draw the venom of the darkest demon.

Asaric Tales Books One through Five will be published on Kindle just as soon as the fifth book has passed the beta reader stage. Why not be part of that process and help me achieve my goal. You never know, you might enjoy it. Currently calling for beta readers for Book Three, Asaric Skies.

Asaric Skies: The Blurb

The Spinner, Lady of the Oracular Web, has tasked Kerrid to eradicate the demon Neka (Book One). Analysis of her own and her fellow Asars’ dreams have revealed the Asars to be banished divines (Book Two). But for what crime were they banished? For failing to oust an intruding demon from their high divine world—or so believes her husband, the Asar Gimmerin. With no better suggestion, Kerrid accepts it. Now she must find a way back to their usurped world and, this time, successfully oust the demon. The Spinner uses a pole to move through the dimensions. If Kerrid can find it and use it to reach that high world then she might also discover what she has done to draw the demon’s hatred of her. Equipped with that knowledge she then can do the Spinner’s bidding and eradicate the dark demon. But there are those she meets along the way who would distract, delay or hinder her. Some might even try to kill her.

Interested in beta reading this? Just fill in and submit the form on the Contact Page. And I will contact you with further details.

More information on being a beta reader can be found at beta-reader etiquette

 

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Asaric Tales e-book update #12

Asaric Tales update12

Another month and what have I done? Am I nearer to my goal of e-publication? I’d say yes.

Asaric Axis (Asaric Tales Book Two)

Though it was late in the month before I tackled the amendments suggested by my beta readers and critiquers, once started I fairly zipped along. Now the main outstanding item is to rewrite the dreams. Since these are the Asars only memory of their life before banishment, they are essential to the plot. But, in true dream-fashion, the knowledge they contain is couched in symbolism. From the start, the challenge has been to make these scenes work without causing the reader confusion. I thank Lauren, my critique partner, for suggesting how I might do it. I’m not surprised I’ve been putting it off. High levels of concentration required as I cut, separate and rearrange. Yet it must be done.

Asaric Skies (Asaric Tales Book Three)

I can now loudly declare that the revision of Asaric Skies is complete. I didn’t manage to lose as many words as I’d hoped, but the loss is in pounds rather than ounces. And so …

BETA READERS WANTED

Beta Readers Required

For Mythic Fantasy

What is a beta reader?
A reader who offers detailed feedback on plot, characters, clarity and pacing.

What do I want?
Readers, all genders, young adults, adults and above, to help me perfect the Asaric Tales.

What do I ask of you?
That you read the book—sent to you in five sections—and answer a few questions, some specific, some general, in as many or few words as suits you.

Simple, yea?

But what are the Asaric Tales?
A Mythic Fantasy quint that begins in an age before the gods, in the between-time when ice gave way to warmer days, when nomadic hunter-fisher clans turned to settled agriculture, when villages began, and spirits and demons held sway. We follow Kerrid, an Asar with abilities beyond the human, as she weaves through ages fraught with floods and droughts on a mythic quest to discover what she has done to draw the venom of the darkest demon.

Asaric Skies: The Blurb

The Spinner, Lady of the Oracular Web, has tasked Kerrid to eradicate the demon Neka (Book One). Analysis of her own and her fellow Asars’ dreams have revealed the Asars to be banished divines (Book Two). But for what crime were they banished? For failing to oust an intruding demon from their high divine world—or so believes her husband, the Asar Gimmerin. With no better suggestion, Kerrid accepts it. Now she must find a way back to their usurped world and, this time, successfully oust the demon. The Spinner uses a pole to move through the dimensions. If Kerrid can find it and use it to reach that high world then she might also discover what she has done to draw the demon’s hatred of her. Equipped with that knowledge she then can do the Spinner’s bidding and eradicate the dark demon. But there are those she meets along the way who would distract, delay or hinder her. Some might even try to kill her.

Interested in beta reading this? Just fill in and submit the form on the Contact Page. I then can send you further details.

More information on being a beta reader can be found at beta-reader etiquette

Next update: first Sunday in December.

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Once Upon A Brittle Stem

Last Monday I went for a walk … into Fairy Land. All along the side of the path … it must have continued for as much as mile … these fairy trees.

Brittlestem fungi

Fairy trees? Or one of the several brittlestem species of fungi? Photo 22nd Oct 2018

I’m not sure which of the brittlestem species but I believe they’re closely related to the inkcaps. Or is it just that they both have black spores.

My claim in the #2018picoftheweek challenge for Fairy Tale.

 

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Amongst the Leaves. Pink.

Fungi come in many colours: from mushroom-grey to pastel-pink via reds and purples, yellows and greens (though they’re less often seen). Last Monday’s walk began with this in fawnish-yellow …

fungus coloured cp

A fawnish-yellow fungus, name unknown: Photo 22nd October 2018

and ended in pink …

pink fungi cp

Pink-capped fungi, name unknown: Photo 22nd October 2018

Ah, aren’t they pretty!

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A Woodland Walk

As Marriots Way leaves the Norfolk village of Attlebridge on its remaining ten miles that culminate at the walls of Norwich, it passes through a pine plantation to one side and a chestnut woods to the other. It’s kick-up leaves time!

woodland walk

Marriots Way early on a misty morning: 22 October 2018

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After Dark

So I arrived home after Monday’s walk with thoughts of a hot coffee, a hot meal, and a warm bath … to utter darkness. Not a glimmer of light. What!

Candle Light

Yikes, my light lilac wall turns pink in the candlelight: 22nd October 2018

A phone call later—oh, it’s a power cut, and the power would be off at least through to midnight. How serendipitous! I used the power-cut to fulfill the #2018picoftheweek: After Dark

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Not Another Fungus

This week’s walk, ten miles along Marriots Way, yielded loads of the trooping toadstools. And these little beauties ….

Funnel Fungi

A family of fungi raise their funnels through pine loppings : 22 Oct 2018

I was particularly taken with the colour-combo here, that delicate apricot amongst the fading green (almost blue) of the dying pine.

And then there was this. The one, the only one (lo, where have they all gone?) …

fly agaric

A fly agaric pushes its head through the compacted grit of the wayside bank: 22 October 2018

In previous years this stretch of Marriots Way has been totally speckled with these bright and poisonous hallucigenic red-caps. I put their scarcity down to the weather.

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Oops! Naughty Nature

There is a smell that pervades the damp woods at this time of year. And those with keen noses are liable to stumble upon one of Nature’s naughty secrets.

Stinkhorn 1

One of the easiest fungi to recognise. The Stinkhorn: Photo 8 October 2018

Though it’s called a ‘stinkhorn’, I don’t find the smell at all offensive. For me, it’s redolent of the autumnal woodland.

stinkhorn 2

Stinkhorn smothered in its  stinky slime: Photo 8 October 2018

The stinkhorn uses the smell of its slime to attract flies which then, slimed-up, carry away its spores. This one thinks it’s Adam. But Adam had a fig leaf, not a flimsy fern.

stinkhorn 3

Oops, embarrassing: Photo 8 October 2018

Easy to see with this flaccid specimen how spongelike the stinkhorn’s shaft. Well, if you’re going to mimic, you may as well mimic all the way.

Nature is nature; no intent to offend.

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After the rain …

After the rain, the fungi appear. But that’s not the focus of this photo. It’s that myriad of tiny waterdrops.

Liquid

The raindrops on the grass seem like miniature mimics of the mushroom: photo 24 September 2018

#2018picoftheweek: Liquid

As to the mushroom, I almost stood on it, so small and lost in the long grass.

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The Writer’s Fungi?

By popular request, two photos from yesterday’s walk. And as you can see, yesterday the sky rained.

Inkcap x1

An inkcap, beginning to ‘ink’: photo 15th Oct 2018

Inkcaps x3

Three mucky versions of the above: photo 15th October 2018

 

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