my recent book haul <3

Our used bookstore had a Star Wars Day deal going last weekend, so I snagged a few books. 😉

I jokingly asked J to pose with my stack and he obliged, so that’s the picture you’re getting. XD

First up we have Uglies by Scott Westerfield, a book I’ve been looking to buy for forrrreeeeever. It looks like an interesting concept and I’ve heard there’s less body horror elements that I was expecting, so I’m excited to try it.

Next, we have Towards Zero and Three Blind Mice (a short story collection) both by Agatha Christie. They match the editions I’m collecting, and I’m always in the mood for a good mystery. 😉 Also, I haven’t read any Miss Marple yet, so that’s a compelling reason to give these a shot.

Then there’s Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant. I used to have a paperback copy I gave to a friend since I didn’t like the story that much, but since then it’s grown on me and I decided I needed the hardcover to match my copy of Reggie and Delilah. ❤

And last but not least is Cog by Greg Van Eekhout. It just looked really cute, so I decided it was coming home with me. 😉

I can’t wait until my bookshelves are all unpacked again to give these books their new home!

Have you bought/borrowed/received any cool books lately?

off the top of your head book tag

I stole this tag from JessetheReader’s YouTube channel (you can view his video here) because it looked like so much fun. 😉

The goal of this tag is to share the first answer that pops into your mind, so this will be rather rapid-fire. 😉

What was your favorite picture book as a child? Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is one I’m not sure was my favorite but it’s the one I remember the best and still enjoy. 😉

What book series did you love as a child? The Viking Quest series by Lois Walfrid Johnson. *hides* *reemerges from behind the couch* I recognize now the issues with the romance, but these books legitimately helped me in my walk with God.

What is the worst book you’ve read or tried to read? For reasons, I won’t be answering this one, but I can only think of a couple. So that’s good. 😉

What is your favorite reading or book memory? My younger sisters bought me a huge leatherbound copy of all the Sherlock Holmes books, and I got to read through them in the best possible format. (They also got me a huge maroon mug that same Christmas.)

What is a book you loved as a movie? The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is one I actually saw as a movie first and fell in love with. I’ve written post upon post about this, but it’s just so beautiful and the casting was on point. ❤

What is a book you wish that they would make into a movie? A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass would just be so dramatic and gorgeous.

What is a place you want to visit because of a book you’ve read? The entire UK, please and thank you. Or were we supposed to say fictional places?

What is a nonfiction book you’d recommend? Quiet Power by Susan Cain rocked my world in the best way.

If you could hang out with an author for a day, who would it be and why? I’d love to hang out with some of my indie author friends. I often feel like a little island so it’d be encouraging and quite fun. (And I could get my books signed too!)

You’re welcome to grab this tag, just be sure to link back to JessetheReader. 😉

eight boxes

It took eight boxes to pack up our bookshelves for the upcoming trip across the complex to our new apartment.

That’s not counting the number in our storage closet or the books we’re currently reading that will have to be packed, eventually. Or the five I just brought home from a really good sale at a favorite bookstore. Or the two that came in the mail, oops.

Moving is exciting and wonderful and strange all at once.

Will I organize my books the same or use a different process? Will I find ways to fit more or go for aesthetics? Will our new apartment have room for at least one more bookcase?

Like I said, exciting. 😉

Image by Dirk (Beeki®) Schumacher from Pixabay

the plot points comfort me

I’m a reader with anxiety, and sometimes books make me too on-edge to read them.

*sad face*

But if they’re well-plotted and follow a three-act structure… well, it helps me push through my anxiety.

I know that if something bad happens, soon something good will happen, and vice versa. I know the plot points well enough to know that the story is going to end well even if it’s dark right now.

Do you experience this too? What do you do when a book doesn’t follow regular plot points?

so, your work is being beta-read

I’ve written a few blog posts on beta-reading now. There were two with tips on how to be a beta-reader (here and here), a love letter to beta-reading itself linked here, and, most recently, an appreciation of my own beta-reading teams here.

But what I haven’t written is something about the other side of things–being the author whose work is beta-read.

(It’s terrifying isn’t it? Here’s some virtual chocolate before you read on.)

1. Prep your manuscript. I suggest having at least draft two under your belt before you hand the story off to anyone else. This will help you see and correct the most glaring issues to allow your readers to focus on the story. (If you’re using an alpha-reader or developmental editor, then a first draft is fine.) Make sure to include a copyright.

2. Assemble your team. I like to put out a call to my writing buddies or my blog followers when I need beta-readers and use a form for them to sign up. (Sometimes I’ll ask specific people personally if they’d be willing to read for me, usually when I know for sure they and the book are going to be a good fit.) I like to aim for a team of five that’s a mixture of other published authors, writers, and casual readers to get a wide range of experience and perspectives. If you don’t have a bookish community to read for you, I suggest asking your family and friends while working towards building your own community eventually.

3. Give guidance and access. Here comes the scary part–it’s time to share your story! I like to give “Commenter” access through Google Docs and send a short welcome email explaining the type of feedback I’m looking for while leaving it open to whatever type they want to give.

Here we pause while our beta-readers do their thing. It’s up to you if you want to read comments as they hit your inbox or wait to read them until everyone is done. Whichever is less overwhelming to you, I suggest doing! 😉

(Remember for this next bit, always be kind and grateful to your beta-readers in your replies to them!)

4. Cross-off the “easy” stuff. When it’s time to work through your beta-reader comments, I suggest going all the way through the document once doing stuff like adding commas, fixing words, and adjusting sentences. Then with the big stuff like character inconsistencies or worldbuilding mistakes (a good rule of thumb is if two or more people mention something, you might need to fix it), sum them up in a to-do list so they’re a manageable size and you have a big picture of what needs to happen.

5. Remove access. Once everyone is done, the deadline is reached, and you’ve gone through all the comments either replying to them or “accepting” the edits, remove everyone’s access from your document. It’s time for the story to be yours alone again and a safe space to fix those “big” issues in private. ❤ (If you make significant changes, consider another beta-reading round.)

One last tip–thank your beta-readers! They’ve been amazing to do this for you! Be sure to mention them in your acknowledgments and maybe send a free digital copy of your book when it’s published. 😉

A Dream of Home’s opening scene

I was looking through my archives to update my Projects page, and I realized I hadn’t shared an excerpt of my Jewish sci-fi novella with you all yet. *stares in shock* It’s time to fix that…

The first time I was called an “Ashkie” was on the refugee ship taking me away from the only home I’d ever known.

The metal tube full of makeshift seats and brand-new harnesses rattled, bringing breakfast into my throat along with more tears than I was ready to cry. I was glad there were no windows. If I saw the twin planets of Kenaz disappear before my eyes, I’d lose all hope, and hope and the daughter growing in my stomach were all I had left.

I needed to hold on. For her.

“Hey, Ashkie,” a voice said as an arm bumped mine. It was a young man with a gapped smile and a military surplus hat jammed over his hair.

We could have all been wounded soldiers on our way back from battle. A green uniform jacket here, a pair of pants there…. They had spread out spare uniforms to keep us from freezing to death after our ordeal to reach the ship. A small mercy.

I glanced down at the black, laced boots my pregnancy-swollen feet were shoved into. 

“It gets better, you know. This is my second ride,” the man said, stretching his arms up above his head. “Home planet didn’t want me—Kenaz didn’t either. That’s the way it goes.”

The ship shook again and another passenger cried out as the lights dimmed for one endless moment. 

“That would be the ship getting up to speed,” my self-designated tour guide explained, though I already knew.

I forced my lips shut tight and curled my cold fingers around the harness. 

“Y’hi ratzon milfanecha Adoshem Eloheinu ve-lohei avoteinu she-tolichenu l’shalom v’tatz’idenu l’shalom, v’tism’chenu l’shalom.” I whispered the beginning of the Tefilet Haderech, a blessing for travel, before the ship lurched and I lost breakfast and consciousness.

Copyright 2023 Kate Willis

What do you all think? Are you excited to read the rest?

my favorite books for the first quarter

I’ve read 39 (!!) books so far this year, but only a handful have landed on my Goodreads “favorites” shelf. This honor is bestowed upon the best of the best, the cutest of the cute, the helpfulest of helpfulness. Or the ones that stick with me the most in their entertainment and encouragement. 😉

January

The Only Girl in Town by Ally Condie was one of my most anticipated releases last year, and you bet I read it as soon as I could get it from the library. It’s just sooo good, and reminded me why I love this author and her deep themes. Check out my review.

The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass has lived rent-free in my mind for months now. In fact, I think I need my own copy soon, since I borrowed it from my library. (How apropos.) It has ghosts and books and community and a fabulous cat, pretty much everything you’d want in a good book. Read my review.

And then there’s A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass, the one that had me metaphorically giggling and kicking my feet and rooting for my messed-up cuties to have their happily-ever-after. For more screeching, read my review.

February

Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce was good, clean fun, and really cute. I loved the basis in real life too, and it was the perfect companion during the Superbowl. 😉 Read my review here.

Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson reminded me of my childhood and has me eager to read the rest of the series. This is one I hope to share with children someday. ❤ Check out my review.

March

Codependent No More by Melody Beattie, aka a book I’ve mentioned a few times now, I feel like. It was assigned to me in therapy and was both easy to read and life-changing. For more, read my review.

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown was just the loveliest of reads. It’s so gentle yet thought-provoking, and I’m looking forward to the sequel and the movie. Read my (short) review.

These are just some of the books I’ve enjoyed this year, and I’m hoping for many more! 😉 What are your favorites?

5 reasons i love my beta-readers

I’ve written a few posts about beta-reading (including this one “for the love of beta-reading“), but I thought it was high time I wrote one about my beta-readers. ❤ Here are just five reasons I’m so happy to work with them!

1. They volunteered their time to read my book! And it’s not just reading, it’s reeeeaddding. Poring over every sentence that doesn’t make sense, scrolling up to leave a comment about something I forgot to explain later, keeping their eyes peeled for inconsistencies… They took time out of their busy schedules to do this for me! I’m honored and flabbergasted every time it happens. ❤

2. They each have a unique perspective. Some are there to comment on commas, others see character issues, and still others notice those little details that slipped by everyone else. I love having so many pairs of eyes on my books because I know it’s going to be that much stronger.

3. They each bring an area of expertise. I have two books being beta-read at the same time right now, and I ended up with the perfect team for each since one person was an expert on historical details and another had experience with pregnancy. I know my stories are more accurate because of them.

4. They humble me and build me up. Like when they point out I had my main character cry “dirty tears” on a “sterile, white” spaceship. How does that work? Or they find the “darlings” I don’t want to kill and prove to me just why I need to. But also when they stay up late and fangirl over the budding romance or the themes I’ve built. When they rate my half-done story highly on Goodreads because they still enjoyed it. Processing beta-reader comments can be quite an emotional experience, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

5. They’re so fun to work with. ❤ And I mean it! The fact that I can rewrite a sentence and reply to their comment with “better?” and get a “yes!”. I can ask for a suggestion for a word and get quite a few. I get messages after they’ve finished about how much they loved the story and suggestions for how I can fix what they pointed out. It’s truly quite fun, and I always love getting to know my team better.

Have you worked with beta-readers before?

i’m in therapy

I’ve been doing therapy this year. For the past 3+ months, actually. It’s been terrifying and tear-inducing and good and growing and delightful all at once.

We talk about a lot of stuff.

How to deal with negative thoughts, how to live my own life and not others’ for them, what has happened and is happening to me, and so on.

I get worksheets and book recommendations and encouraging messages. I get to ask all the questions that are too embarrassing to ask anyone else, get to voice the thoughts that scare me most, get to learn to be brave and it’s okay to cry.

I didn’t think I needed therapy. After all, my “trauma” is with a little “t”, and it’s just the normal stuff most people go through, right?

I didn’t think I wanted therapy, especially if it wouldn’t fit with my Christian worldview.

I’m so grateful I’m in therapy. I realize it’s a privilege not everyone gets to have, but right now it’s for me. I’m doing better, I’m freer to love well, and I’m able to engage again with spiritual issues.

If you’re considering therapy even for the most minor-feeling of issues, be brave.

And it’s okay to cry.

what have i been doing?

I’ve been…

Reading In Search of a Prince by Toni Shiloh (it’s pretty cool) and Creating Character Arcs by K.M. Weiland (learning so much!).

Writing this blog post. 😛

Processing beta-reader feedback for “Letters for Victory” and for “A Dream of Home” (love my teams!).

Crying over the Bluey special.

Playing with covers for “Letters for Victory”.

Sitting on the porch while I work (still good weather!).

Waiting for my Amazon package.

Checking out library books (including an Enclave Escape book!).

Dancing to clean pop music for exercise.

Meditating on entries from a George MacDonald anthology by C.S. Lewis.

Talking to my therapist about life.

What have you been doing?