‘Tis time again: time for another critique partner meetup. Also, it’s my birthday! So clearly that makes it a good day for spreading love. 😉
So, if you’re in need of a secondary reader, share the following in a comment:
Title (or working title, code name! Just something for easy reference)
Genre (e.g. fantasy, mystery, romance—get specific, if you can, with subgeneres too)
Reading level (e.g. adult, YA, MG)
Word count
What you’re looking for in a reader (e.g. a quick gut check, a thorough editorial pass, a cheerleader to read as you write)
If you see someone’s project that interests you, leave a reply and figure out how to get in touch outside the comments section. ☺️
Oh, and I highly recommendthatno one share their ENTIRE manuscript right away. Treat this like dating! Only share a few chapters initially, so you can get a feeling for how your writing and critiquing styles align. If the connection is there, keep sharing! If the connection ain’t there…then no hard feelings. Better to be honest that your styles don’t match than to keep reading when neither of you is enjoying it.
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy. This begins as a character drama with light fantasy elements that slowly builds into a full fantasy scenario.
Reading Level: my story focuses on a teenage male character, but also on his father, so hard to say if it's a true YA novel. That will be one of the things I'll need feedback on.
Book Comps: The Lost Story, Meg Shaffer, Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman, The Book of Doors, Gareth Brown, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan
Synopsis: It's a few weeks before Christmas and Sean Cromwell has returned to Amarok Island for the first time in thirty years. His estranged father, a world-famous fantasy novelist has disappeared and is presumed dead. Sean has brought along his teenage son Jesse to help deal with the estate. He also hopes that this trip will improve their own strained relationship.
Unlike his career-military father, Jesse is contemplative, creative, and forms a spiritual connection with the island. He discovers that the fantasy world that his grandfather wrote about really exists, and the island is a portal to that world. It's more than a spiritual place, it's a magical one.
Both father and son form relationships with members of an local artist collective. What they don't know is that the artists are political refugees from that other world, and mercenaries have been sent to find them. Ultimately, Jesse is the only one who can stop them!
Word Count: Projected to be 85K to 90K when done
What I'm Looking For in a Reader: I am almost 2/3 done and am pushing to finish the first draft in the next few months. I would love to connect with someone who can begin reading the completed chapters and be in a position to read the new ones as they're finished so they've read the entire novel as I'm wrapping up the last chapter. Mainly looking for feedback on the plot (are there any loose ends or undeveloped subplots), characters (writing dialogue for teenagers is a fun challenge!), and mood. Not so much on grammar, etc.
I've had a lot of experience as a reader in exchanges like this, and once worked as a script reader for a Production Company. If we connect, I hope I can help your project get where you want it to go! If you'd like to exchange a chapter or two, reach me here or at exley@yahoo.com Thanks!
PREMISE: The elves live in harmony with nature but when their forest starts to die and their magical crystals start to falter, Syra heads off in search of the cause. What she finds is a world being torn up in the name of an Industrial Revolution for the humans. When her friends are swept up in a dangerous scheme, she has no choice but to team up with a human and try and find a way to reconcile their two worlds.
LOOKING FOR IN A READER: Someone who can give me honest and detailed feedback about plot, characters, world building, and pacing. I don't need any kind of line editing, but I'd like big picture feedback.
I would like to find 1-2 critique partners who we can support each other and help each other grow. I would prefer someone in the same or similar genre.
Your reading inclinations: You would be a fan of the danmei and isekai genres, anime, k/c-dramas like Mr. Queen, Goblin, and When Destiny Brings the Demon, literary fantasy, and authors like Martha Wells, Sarah Rees Brennan, Samantha Shannon, Freya Marske, V.E. Schwab, and Alexandra Rowland. It's tough to comp, because it's a weird one. Please note: The book is part one of a cliff-hanger duology that reimagines the Ramayana but you don't need to be familiar with it to read.
Looking for multiple BETA READERS (3-4) who read and watch widely in epic, mythological fantasy and its reimaginings/retellings and in the broader genre of adult fantasy: In-line comments and emotional reactions while reading, coupled with overall character impressions including continuity, plot hole discoveries or lack thereof, boredom points, confusion points, pacing issues, and story logic. Important note: You must be into the multiple points of view of a full ensemble cast or you'll run away screaming!
Other notes: I'm very happy to reciprocate beta reads of completed manuscripts. I'm working on book two of this series and would be happy to have a beta reader become a critique partner in the near future, just not this month! I've previously queried an earlier version of this story and after several fulls that went nowhere, I rewrote it entirely. My intent is to send out first batch queries by end of month or so because I have agents who kindly trashed the previous manuscript to await the rewrite and it's been FOREVER.
Premise: Sunny Kent kicks the bucket the same day Netflix greenlights their adaptation of her bestselling fantasy series, a queer reimagining of the Ramayana. A snafu in a grim reaper's office lands Sunny in the body of one of her side characters, a warrior Sunny very much is not. As her plot goes off the rails, she does too, because who wouldn't? Physically unable to tell anyone who she really is and terrified to try to alter the plot in case things go even worse for characters who are turning out to be obstinately, heartwrendingly real, and also for herself because obviously trying not to die takes up a lot of time in stories like hers, Sunny claws her way through a world she was never supposed to see outside her own imagination while her main characters—Leni, the crown prince hero whose steadfast honor begs to be tested; River, the self-annihilating captive assassin hopelessly pining for the hero; Miro, the anarchist demigod on whose clairvoyance everything might hinge; and Elian, the fallen angel in love with the hero but not in the good way—weave their lives around hers in an ever tightening knot that starts to feel more personal than it should, since none of them are wise to her imposter syndrome. Or are they?
Finally: THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION! I whisper-shouted this affectionately.
Genre: YA Southern Gothic Fantasy with horror elements; Medusa myth reimagining rooted in Black American folklore and history
Premise: When a generations-old curse threatens to consume her family, a Black teen must untangle a century of buried secrets, reckon with a vengeful spirit who may not be the villain she appears, and trust her sisters completely before time runs out for them all.
Word Count: 82,000 words
What I’m looking for in a reader: A thorough editorial pass from readers who love Southern Gothic atmosphere, dark fantasy, and BIPOC narratives. Looking for honest feedback on pacing, character development across multiple POVs, and emotional resonance. Sensitivity readers with knowledge of Louisiana history and culture are especially welcome.
Genre: Sci-Fi/Dystopian - More character-driven than technology heavy. Some romance.
Reading level: YA
Word count: 85K
PREMISE: On an Earth relocation planet hundreds of years into the future, genes are status. One
neurodivergent girl, and one genetically engineered boy, fight for the only thing worth
dying for—love. I was inspired by The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. For this story, my goal is to explore the concept of perfectionism in our society and how as a culture, we place high value in people who are pretty, who excel in their hobbies, who are healthy and intelligent and yet true worth does not lie in those things. It's found in family, love, being true to oneself, being selfless.
LOOKING FOR IN A READER: Someone who can read chapters and give me Big Picture feedback at the end of each chapter. I don't need line edits yet. I want comments on pacing, character, plot, voice, etc. What's working. What isn't working. That kind of thing. Ideally readers who are also writing YA level.
I'd love to find 2 long-term partners who we can swap work, cheer one another on, etc. My style is positive, offering suggestions, honest--but in a kind, uplifting way. And if something isn't working for me, I will tell you, offer suggestions, and encourage you to seek others input as well. It's your story after all! I appreciate the same level of care and respect. :)
If interested--reply here or email me at lorileaann at gmail dot com
Awesome!!!My email is lorileaann at gmail dot com Feel free to email me your first two chapters and let me know anything specific you want me to look for. :)
Genre: Urban Fantasy (secondary-world setting, romance sub-plot)
Reading Level: Adult
Word Count: 83,000 words
Looking For: Feedback on overall plot, voice, character arcs, etc. from someone who reads extensively in the SFF genre (bonus points if you enjoy gritty settings, dark/mature themes, and witty/sardonic humor). Note that this book contains harsh language, light body horror, and reference to addiction and mental illness
Book comps: The Will of the Many (for political intrigue), Arcane (for weaponized magic and gritty urban setting), and The Blacktongue Thief (for sardonic humor and romantic undercurrent)
Premise: Cass wants nothing more than to live out the rest of his life in peace, far from the alchemical guilds of Istrus and their endless hunger for profit. But aether, the drug that fuels alchemy and lets him bend shadows to his will, is both his livelihood and his curse. As a contracted pitfighter in Istrus’s polluted undercity, he uses his power to win duels against other alchemists, but every dose of aether he downs costs him a piece of his soul.
When his shadows start developing a will of their own, he knows he’s nearing his end. His only hope lies with Philocrates, a vain guildmaster who claims to have discovered the formula for the Elixir of Life, a substance that could restore Cass’s soul. All he needs is Cass’s help finding a mysterious girl whose blood may complete the formula. But when an incident with a gang of undercity thugs leaves Cass in the girl’s care and he begins to fall for her, he must choose: sacrifice her and save himself, or refuse and damn what little soul he has left.
If interested: reply, message, or email at: sjhultgren at gmail dot com
What I'm looking for: I'm looking for a writing "sponsor", someone to check in to see how I'm doing, to read what I have, and point out some holes or hiccups in the flow of my writing. (In this development stage, I am not focusing on final edits such as grammar, etc) I'm a pretty relaxed person, so someone who loves being a cheerleader would make a great fit!
Premise: An orphaned pair of friends are separated in childhood- the girl to a religious cult, the boy to an expansive empire. The beginning is set in a medieval-esque time period, but involves time travel and mysteries revolving around the pair. While romance is guaranteed, happiness is not. Follow these two main characters in alternating perspectives, chapter by chapter.
For those not yet matched with a reader, I'm incredibly busy, but when I get time, I'm very attentive, kind, and thoughtful. I read mostly fantasy, sci-fi, humor, and historical fiction. Spicy is fine, but not my typical go-to. Reach out to me!
What I'm looking for: Feedback that's honest but kindly given, would be open to a long-term partnership if a good match. I enjoy working with other authors and trading feedback on work.
This is part of a series but can be read as a standalone (It follows a side character from my last book). Comps include To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo, The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith, and A House of Salt and Sorrow by Erin Craig.
What I'm Looking for in a Reader: Cheerleaders and reading partners who keep each other motivated and accountable
Premise: Appalachian culture meets Ancient Greece when Anna Myers discovers a secret society housed deep within what was once known as the Smoky Mountains. Includes a found family, fake dating, native familiars, and an elemental magic system!
If you're interested in swapping the first couple of chapters to see if we might be a good fit, please reply or email me at leahdjenkins@gmail.com.
Hi Leah, your premise sounds fascinating. Ancient Greece and Fake Dating? I'm in! I just joined the group and posted my outline, so I'm at the top of the page. Into the Mystic is an Urban YA Fantasy. Have a look at my post and let me know if you'd like to exchange chapters and see if we'd be a good fit. Cheers!
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy (a monster of the week feel with an over arching mystery)
Reading level: Adult leaning
Word count: 60,000-80,000 words, goal is four books all around this word count
What you’re looking for in a reader: A second set of eyes, since my writing group split up I have struggled to get good feedback on pace, plot and consistency. My goal is to have it done by the end of the year.
Book comps: Souless (not steampunk but feel of world), What’s a Ghoul to Do? And a little bit of a Buffy vibe.
Premise: Peal has been hunting monsters most of her life. Not the traditional bump in the night ones, but she deals with plenty of those to. Pearl’s monsters are twisted aberrations on the traditional monsters of folk tales and the silver screen, always coming in two. Pearl’s monster’s aren’t natural they were created by a catastrophic event decades ago. Now Pearl has to navigate putting things right, an ever straining relationship with her family, an increasingly intimate relationship with her friends all well keeping her secrets.
If your interested in reviewing the first couple of chapters or think I would be a good fit for reviewing you work reply or message me @devineleahb
Genre: Fantasy (secondary-world setting, hard magic system, slow burn romance subplot)
Reading level: Young adult leaning
Word count: Roughly 85,000 words
What you’re looking for in a reader: I keep revising and revising but don't know if I'm making my manuscript better or worse! Looking for feedback and hopefully a new writer friend. Even if you can't be my manuscript critique partner, feel free to message me on Instagram to say hello!
I've revised my manuscript 3 times, but I would say it's still a bit rough around the edges, especially the latter half. I hope to finalize revisions later this year and begin querying by the end of the year.
Book comps: Of Jade and Dragons, To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods
Other comps: Avatar: The Last Airbender, D&D
Premise: A young woman has been the caretaker of her ill mother and her younger sister since her father died a mysterious death several years ago. When her mother's condition worsens, she joins the monster-hunting guild watching over her city in exchange for treatment, but when the guild is unable to cure her mother, she traces her father's steps to find a mysterious figure willing to offer a cure, as long as she betrays the guild she's working for.
Comps: Bad boy underdog like Keil in Kiera Azar’s Thorn Season and a magic reveal, but in reverse, like Kim Liggett’s The Grace Year.
What I'm looking for in a reader: I'm extremely close to querying, so I'm looking for two things: someone to do a read of the manuscript to catch any final things that still feel unclear, and someone to do an editorial pass. If anyone's interested in doing either or both, that'd be great!
Fantastic! Yes! When rookie guard Quinn Reeve accidentally releases the palace intruder, she becomes the first person to Break the Peace, or so she thinks. Soon, she learns the secret to maintaining a peaceful society: kill anyone who threatens it. To keep herself from the chopping block, she'll need proof, allies, and to get to the king before he gets her.
The MC is demiromantic & asexual, and the world is queernormative.
Reading Level: Upper YA
Word Count: 70k
What I'm Looking For: I'd love to make more writer friends and long-term critique partners! I'm open to reading any genre and market besides horror and picture books—nothing against them, I just don't read enough of them to give effective feedback! I am partway through the (hopefully) final draft of this project before I send it out to betas. My two other WIPs are also queer and comedic fantasy projects, because I am nothing if not predictable.
Hi, this sounds really cool! I'm also working on a queer comedic fantasy, with an ace mc, and would love to chat more! (Mine is not quite ready to exchange chapters yet, but down the road, I would love to have a long-term critique partner for it!)
Hi, I'd be interested in reading/chatting more! I haven't posted a description of my project yet, but it's a YA fantasy with a romance subplot, about to do some heavy lifting on the editing stage!
Hi! This sounds really good. I’m working on a gothic romantasy that follows the youngest princess with weak magic and chronic hip pain in a trial to the death among siblings to decide the next ruler of their mafia-like nation. I’m on draft 2.5ish and am looking for a few CPs/betas as well. Let me know if you’d want to swap first chapters and see if it’s a fit. If you're not big on romantasy, my next project will hopefully urban fantasy/horror so happy to see if there's a fit there too!
Hi! Thanks for replying! I love romantasy and your work sounds super cool. I'd love to trade a few chapters. I'll send you a chat and we can go from there. :)
I'm hoping for a thorough editorial pass. Brutal honesty (well, maybe not super brutal). Line edits. Plot and character development. Anything at all that you'd like to comment on. I'm working on a revision of the full MS now, but have a few chapters ready to swap.
Hi all and belated happy birthday to our wonderful host! 🍰
I'm wrapping up a contemporary YA set in Southern California but looking for critique partners/groups for a MG fantasy set in China. (Mostly looking for fellow BIPOC writers ideally!) I'm traditionally published, mostly in YA/MG and across genres. Looking forward to hearing from you and good luck to everyone with their projects! ✏️ Comment, message, or best, email! superwow2121@gmail.com
Hello, this is my first longform, so all feedback is welcome.
Title: Bones in the rafters
Genre: Scandinavian folk horror
Reading level: adult
Word count: ~85000
What I am looking for in a reader: the reading experience, what is working, what is not. The book is based on very specific lore, so does it make sense, the overall impression.
Hi Clara, I love folk horror and I lived in Sweden as a kid, so needless to say, your book sounds pretty intriguing. I just listed my project, Into the Mystic. I'm calling it a YA Urban Fantasy, though the jury is out if it's really YA. While not a horror, there are some dark elements to it. Let me know if you're interested in exchanging chapters to see if we'd be a good fit. Cheers!
Hey all! I'm a traditionally published YA author looking to expand my critique group for my next book.
• Working Title: Almenara Academy
• Genre: Romantic Fantasy
• Reading level: YA
• Word count: expected 90,000
• Quick Pitch: Mulan meets Fourth Wing battling kaiju from Pacific Rim
• What I'm looking for in a reader: critique partner as I write, someone to bounce ideas off of, etc. I'm writing the query letter now to send to my agent and would love some eyes on it too. I'm not on social media anymore, so feel free to message me!
I'm also a traditionally pubbed author looking for critique group/partners!
Mulan meets Fourth Wing fights kaiju sounds right up my alley! Very exciting! I'll message you, and here's my email if that fails: superwow2121@gmail.com
Genre: Steampunk fantasy, quest-for-power story with an inverted chosen one archetype, set in an empire with Persian mythology and demon-like antagonists
Reading level: Adult
Word count: 120k
What you’re looking for in a reader: I'd love to swap stories/pages and help each other out. I think I need help working on my pacing and development, but I'd love someone to do a read-through and just point out whatever they think needs work.
This sounds brilliant - I'd be particularly interested in seeing how you integrate steampunk elements with the Persian setting, if you're still looking for readers?
HI:). I have a hybrid fantasy/spec fiction for middle grade readers, 70 000 - but I have not redrafted it all as yet, so less than that to read. The Greenwild series is a possible comparative title. The book is set between a dystopian future and magical nature world, with the idea being that the protagonist, an 11 year old mute intuitive and computer game programmer needs to reunite the two to save them both.
Hi - I am also working on a middle grade project that deals heavily with themes of the natural world. Let me know if you're interested in chatting more.
Hi everyone! I'm a fantasy writer based in SC just south of Charlotte. Always happy to connect in person in the Charlotte area or online! I'm on IG: @kathlenebrownwrites
Title: Bronte x Poe
Genre: Historical fantasy / retelling
In a world where the Brontes can magically travel to their imaginary worlds, a dark creation of Emily's escapes, kidnapping her sister. So now she must seek help from the American who broke her heart years ago, the only person with an imagination darker than her own: Edgar Allan Poe.
Reading Level: I thought it was YA, but it's definitely shifting Adult!
Word Count: 60,000 drafted, shooting for around 85,000 when complete
Looking for: A CP for page swaps, writing sprints, accountability. I'm still drafting, so it's mostly gut-check stuff at this point. I'm also always looking for online author friends to cheer each other on!
Oooh, I love the Bronte and Poe mix! I'm working on a YA fantasy retelling of the little mermaid and am also looking for CP's. If you're interested in trading a chapter or two to see if we'd be a good match, let me know.
What you’re looking for in a reader: Someone to join writing sprints, to read each others' work, maybe an in-person meet if you're also a London-based fantasy writer! Looking for someone to read before another revision ahead of querying, and so looking forward to doing the same for you. My IG is @emmafinnertybooks
Hi! I just sent you an IG request (my handle is angela_anne_reads) but I’m a London-based fantasy writer as well! My story is NA fantasy but not super spicy so it could be a good fit to read each others’ works and possibly meet up in-person. Feel free to message me here or on IG if interested!
I'm also a YA fantasy writer. Here's my novel's premise: A young woman has been the caretaker of her ill mother and her younger sister since her father died a mysterious death several years ago. When her mother's condition worsens, she joins the monster-hunting guild watching over her city in exchange for treatment, but when the guild is unable to cure her mother, she traces her father's steps to find a mysterious figure willing to offer a cure, as long as she betrays the guild she's working for.
I'm in Central European Time! I'm not on IG anymore though but feel free to message me! I'm a YA author and getting started on my next book, so I'll be happy to swap and help with querying and anything else!
I'm not based in London, but Upper YA is my sweet spot! My current work (a fantasy involving the Brontes) is shifting more adult, but I also have a YA retelling of Romeo & Juliet that I'm querying. I'd love to hear more about your WIP! (I'll find you on IG, too.)
Pitch: Arite Kamateros is a pirate queen who graduated from stealing ships to stealing kingdoms. Confronted with rebels on her borders armed with terrifying new weapons, she sees no choice but to reassert power - no matter how many peasants have to die in the process.
Theodora Dalassena is the last scion of an impoverished merchant house which has lost everything except a once noble name. When a stranger from across the seas suggests a dangerous mercantile proposition, she gambles what little she has to save her family - with the reward of failure being a sure ruin.
Charles de Haut-Alain, the spymaster of a kingdom slowly recovering from a bloody civil war which consumed his youth, wants little more than to die in a world at peace. But as the king ails and foreign agitators whip up religious rivalries, he must reckon with how far he will go, and who he will become, to serve the crown.
All three must confront the shifting tides of power and the rising strength of new doctrines, rising to the occasion of revolution - or falling before its relentless pressure.
Comps: Genuinely unsure at this stage. There's a touch of Guy Gavriel Kay's LIONS OF AL-RASSAN crossed with the scope of Ken Liu's THE GRACE OF KINGS, but that might be reaching.
What I'm looking for: This is the first time I've tried to write from multiple POVs - three main, geographically distinct ones, and a set of semi-recurrent interludes from side characters. I'd be really keen, in addition to general perspectives, to views on: making sure they are distinct; that side character interludes are being used well; and addressing the geographical scope.
Hi everyone! I've got two slightly different projects which I'd love feedback on - both in service of the broader objective of making more writer friends.
Title: DO WRONG RIGHT
Genre: Fantasy Workplace Comedy
Reading Level: Adult
Wordcount: 26,000 > (aiming for 70,000; this is the first draft).
Pitch: Kat is sick and tired of being a henchwoman for supervillains who think weaponised pterodactyls are a valid replacement for KPIs. Her new plan - setting up a management consultancy for vilains - gets off to a brilliant start when she lands a contract to transform the Empire of Qarad-Har, ruled by a reformist Dark Lady who overthrew her reactionary father.
But the vision of slide-decks and generous expense accounts swiftly runs into difficulty. The evil viziers don't like a changed tax code, the dragons are refusing to diversify their portfolios, and other supervillains resent her corporate ambitions. Unhelpfully, she’s also falling in love with the Dark Lady, which is very poor customer relationship management practice.
As the situation in Qarad-Har spirals out of control, Kat faces a stark choice. Stick with the woman she loves and the cause of rule; or cut it loose to try and save the company she’s worked so hard to build. And no matter what happens, she'll somehow have to keep the shareholders on side...
Comps: Natalie Zina Walschots' HENCH x Django Wexler's HOW TO BE THE DARK LORD AND DIE TRYING
What I'm looking for: Gut check and initial impressions, particularly on whether the comedy and satire land well - I've previously only written quite grounded SFF so this is a bit of a departure!
I absolutely loved HOW TO BECOME THE DARK LORD AND DIE TRYING, and your project sounds so fun! I also write queer & comedic fantasy (though in a slightly different vein—less satirical, more like the "comedic relief" button got jammed). My post is above, and I'd be happy to share my project's pitch if you're interested!
Comps: Competition element from The Serpent and the Wings of Night and the blurred loyalties in Glow of the Everflame. Combines classic superpowers with training / competition and the covert spy vibes of Alias, plus features a strangers to friends to lovers arc.
Logline: When a self-healing rebel goes undercover into enemy territory, she must gather critical intelligence without being discovered, despite the threat of mind-readers around every corner.
This sounds really good. I’m working on a gothic romantasy that follows the youngest princess with weak magic and chronic hip pain in a trial to the death among siblings to decide the next ruler of their mafia-like nation. I’m on draft 2.5ish and am looking for a few CPs/betas as well. Let me know if you’d want to swap first chapters and see if it’s a fit.
Nice to see a fellow mystery/suspense writer. I'm also a big Ross MacDonald fan. Would be interested in reading/reciprocating with my present day mystery titled NO SIGN OF LIFE. Also looking for reader reaction on whether the tension builds and overall mood and clarity.
The novel is the third in a trilogy that is grounded in a contemporary/near future, real world setting, with supernatural/folkloric elements. The first two books are set in the Midlands, England and this one takes place on the Aberdeenshire coast. It should resonate with readers who are drawn to socially awkward and flawed characters faced with seemingly unassailable challenges, alongside ancient mystery but in a familiar setting. This is low, not high fantasy.
Reading level: YA+
Word count: 59,500
What you’re looking for in a reader: A quick gut check.
A pass through the story - read or skimmed if you will. What works for you? What doesn't? I'm about to publish, so this is very nearly my final draft.
I'm very happy to reciprocate and I'm particulalry interested in YA or fiction aimed at adults that is not formulaic and genre-bound. Do you break the barriers between the genres? Is yours hard to place, as mine is? Do people say 'It's really more than one type of story'? Great! Also, is it not a massive tome. Short is good too.
My space opera, more sass than space, more opry than opera, is running on my 'stack. If anyone cares to comment they are welcome and appreciated. If others are doing a serial let's connect, and work together expanding our reach.
looking for: if anything doesn't make sense (and brainstorming how to fix it), and is the ending easy to understand (was there enough clues for it?), first time reading reactions are also nice.
A young woman on the brink of confessing love to her female bff discovers she’s bound to a demon since birth. Disconnecting from society seems safer until the demon threatens her crush.
What a great idea, I would LOVE to make author friends! If you live in Austin, TX or want to be online friends (regardless of being critique partners) message me! IG @taskett
Title: Social Capital
Genre: Memoir
WC: ~50k
Looking for: cheerleader, quick gut check
Comps: The Status Game by Will Storr, Very Important People by Ashley Mears, Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino, Sex and The City (the book, not the show) by Candace Bushnell
Pitch: In a city where entrepreneurs treat mansions like business cards and dinner parties come with guest bios, I was pulled into a curated elite social circle led by a charismatic gatekeeper who I call “The Collector.” As I went from outsider to insider, I became fluent in the coded language of elite circles: the books you must read, the personalities you must perform. But the more 'in' these circles I got, the more I began to disappear.
Ps- Happy birthday Sooz! Thank you for putting this together! <3
Hi! I’d love to hear more about your novel. I am also working on a more modern fantasy. And need some gut check and accountability. Happy to share some chapters with you. I am @devineleahb
Looking for a second set of eyes to check on pacing and voice. Plus a content check.
Pitch: Set in 1988 Suburbia, Vinny goes on an epic kids on bikes adventure w/ his friends to find a crashed UFO. Along the way they find a duplicate of their neighborhood, a secret mansion & find a conspiracy that threatens more than their neighborhood.
Genre: literary fiction with heavy romantic subplots; this is a Jude the Obscure (by Thomas Hardy) retelling (though it's ok if you have no idea what Victorian novel that I'm working with; it's not a very popular one.
WC: about 12k (goal is 80-85k) --> this is a second draft that is undergoing heavy revision.
Reading Level: Adult/New Adult
Pitch: All that Julia Fawley wants is to go to Harvard, something that her best friend did before her. And when she does get accepted, she is over the moon. Everything that she's ever dreamed is finally coming true. But then she meets Alex Dunn---or rather crashes into him--- and a relationship blooms between them. However, it's only a summer fling with a end in sight...until Julia gets pregnant, and Alex forces her to choose him and the baby instead of Harvard, her dreams completely abandoned. She goes along with it until one night, she hits her breaking point and flees, putting all her responsibilities behind as she tries to discover who she is. Obscure is a story of desire.
What I Would Like: feedback partner, a gut check --> So the reason that my word count is so low right now is because I'm currently working on rewriting/revising the second draft, and I'm writing a lot more slowly than I would like because I want to make sure each section is perfect before I'm go onto the next. Right now, I have a beta reader reading, but I would love another set of eyes to read and review so that the writing process can speed up some.
Also, I'm more than happy to read your WIP if you read mine. I'll read literally anything.
Hi! I'd love to do a reading/feedback swap if you're game! I'm looking for the same thing you are: feedback partner/gut check. My genre is speculative fiction in the political area (and my protagonist is a Harvardian, by the way). My WIP is at 54K, but I'd make sure to share it with you in parts (to be gentle). Here's what it's about:
When rural Florida business owner Shelton Stiles loses his race for congress, he figures he must not have raised enough money for the quest. But chance brings him into contact with three professors from the local university who for some time have been propounding a theory among their academic colleagues: it’s possible to win a congressional race without money by using a novel method of campaigning, or at least presenting yourself to the voters. They’ve been seeking guinea pigs for their long-term experiment, which they call the Scalable Model of Democracy. It requires candidates to forswear contributions while at the same time giving up many of the thoughts and motivations that originally drove them to become candidates in the first place. Stiles signs on and tries again.
Winning this time around, he discovers it’s not easy to stay in office. There are quite a number of people who don’t like this idea of moneyless campaigns and prefer the old-school method. The machine strikes back and he loses his seat, but not his faith in the academics. He takes up a new quest to show the nation that the unusual method is surprisingly effective at replacing dead weight in congress with agile minds and fresh ideas.
He struggles against the party bosses and big donors who benefit from the current sclerosis and don’t want the new idea to gain traction. Against the odds, he persuades one presidential candidate to adopt the method, throwing the presidential race into turmoil and making voters wonder if this is the real change they’ve hungered for. This is Stiles’s one chance to prove that this radically new way of campaigning can restore people’s faith in a decaying system.
I don't have a website or anything, but I can be reached by email at jerry@cascadestrategies.com. Let me know if you'd like to work together!
Pitch: In a gilded, mountainside manor, guests are invited to cough up their fortunes to kill and be killed at leisure, every death fleeting, every resurrection guaranteed. She's chained there by an unbreakable contract—and he's there to burn the place to oblivion.
This sounds really good. I’m working on a gothic romantasy that follows the youngest princess with weak magic and chronic hip pain in a trial to the death among her siblings to decide the next ruler of their mafia-like nation. I’m on draft 2.5ish and am looking for a few CPs/betas as well. Let me know if you’d want to swap first chapters and see if it’s a fit.
This sounds amazing! Based on your two projects, I think we might be a good fit. Check out my post for my Bronte fantasy. I also am currently querying a magical YA Romeo & Juliet retelling with a light sci-fi twist.
Comps: Ava Reid, Erin A. Craig, Elle Tesch, Margaret Rogerson
Pitch: Summoned to a shadowed château to cure a heart affliction, a haunted, smug poisoner becomes entangled in a revenge plot where alluring, uncertain allies—both dead and alive—may be her only chance at survival.
Genre: Adult Fantasy, (quest fantasy), comps to The Devils x Anji Kills a King
WC: (in progress) ~15k (Goal: 80k)
Looking for: For this one mostly looking for cheerleading and writing chats, or accountability check-ins. My post below (Buried Bones, adult dark fantasy) is up for CP's or regular chapter exchanges!
Logline: Follows an exiled ex-spy from the Empress' court, his necromancer ex-situationship, and his disgruntled twin sister as they steal & resurrect the recently deceased Empress' body to find a magical relic she hid. Everything that could go wrong, does.
Comps: A Discovery of Witches, The Dragon Heart Legacy Trilogy
Back Cover Blurb (WIP):
Five hundred years ago, three witches were cursed in dragon fire and both bloodlines have paid the price ever since.
Now Astra McEllis has discovered the truth: the curse will end her family’s magic, and her bloodline with her generation.
In Dracara, the dragon realm remains scarred by an ancient war. The land has never healed, and dragons are losing their magic, shifting uncontrollably toward humanity.
When Astra casts a spell for clarity, she accidently summons Logan, the youngest son of the Dracona, an ancient bond forms between them. As destiny tightens its hold, Astra and Logan face an impossible choice: deny the bond and lose everything, or surrender to a love powerful enough to burn through the darkness.
What I'm looking for in a reader: Gut Check, Cheerleader... I just did a major revision and am now writing the rest (yes, maybe out of order, but... lol) so I need to know the story still works. I'm about a month away from needing beta readers.
* Looking for: Gut check. This is a later-stage draft that’s going on sub soon so I mainly want to check everything’s landing right.
Pitch: During polar night in an Arctic Finnish tourist town, a ghost-seeing girl must confront her fear of the dark and her family's hidden shamanic past to stop a child-hunting Yule monster.
Yeah. Sorry that’s what happens when I try this on my phone. I’m still tightening mine up so no pressure to read mine right away. just looking to see if the story is engaging or if I need to add/ remove anything
* Looking for: Feedback on an early draft—pacing, story, characters. Anything and everything!
Pitch: After a life spent at home due to illness, 11-year-old violin enthusiast Marie is an outsider at school—until a nutcracker-turned-prince pulls her into a beautiful-but-cursed realm where music is magic, and where, for the first time, she actually fits in.
Happy birthday! I'd love to find more writer friends so this idea is great!
Title: Scaleworthy
Genre: Fantasy (queer romance subplot but not full on romantasy)
Reading level: Upper YA
Word count: 70k
Comps: House of the Dragon, Priory of the Orange Tree, Sky on Fire
What you’re looking for in a reader: I'm happy for anything! Gut reactions, analysis of plot, characters, pacing, etc. Hoping to find long-term writer friends :)
I saw you're writing Romance/Sci-fi too, and I am in a similar boat (also have a queer rom-com on my list to write). Would love to be one of your long-term writer friends! IG @taskett or message me here on Substack.
Also happy to be a cheerleader and give gut reactions!
This is wonderful, I’ve been searching for writer friends/cp :))
If you saw me accidentally post my unfinished comment… no you didn’t😂
Title: The Poisoner’s Plan for Theft
Genre: Adult historical fantastical romance (leans cozy, zero spice)
Comps: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Earl’s Trip
Pitch: When Nel, an unsocial cafe-owner, finds her home stolen by a society of maliciously charitable witches, she must rekindle her friendship with a thief, team up with magical nuns, and flee from gun-slinging doyennes to reclaim her cafe, but as adventure brings Nel out of her comfort zone, she realizes that it’s not only her cafe she’s in danger of losing—it’s her heart, too.
Word Count: 98k
Looking for: cheerleaders, gut checks, and general writing friends for support on our writing journeys!
Message me if we sound like we could be writing buddies!
If you’re still looking to connect it sounds like we have very similar vibes. I’ve written: Magic libraries, dragon riding cowboys, among others. I’m on insta @jessieheningerauthor
My writing definitely isn't cozy, but I love to read cozy! Check out my post about my Bronte fantasy to see if you think we might be a good fit. If nothing else, lets connect here on Substack or IG! I'm @kathlenebrownwrites
Genre: Adult dark fairytale with horror components
One sentence pitch: A sapphic dark fairytale inspired by the Slender Man urban legend in which a town protector must put her moral integrity aside and join forces with a demon to combat a greater evil—if the superstitious townsfolk don’t get to her first.
Current word count: 41,000 at midpoint, aiming for 85,000.
Don’t need readers quite yet but am open to start looking for betas! Happy to swap in similar genres. Also open for cheerleaders at this point
Title: Into the Mystic
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy. This begins as a character drama with light fantasy elements that slowly builds into a full fantasy scenario.
Reading Level: my story focuses on a teenage male character, but also on his father, so hard to say if it's a true YA novel. That will be one of the things I'll need feedback on.
Book Comps: The Lost Story, Meg Shaffer, Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman, The Book of Doors, Gareth Brown, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan
Synopsis: It's a few weeks before Christmas and Sean Cromwell has returned to Amarok Island for the first time in thirty years. His estranged father, a world-famous fantasy novelist has disappeared and is presumed dead. Sean has brought along his teenage son Jesse to help deal with the estate. He also hopes that this trip will improve their own strained relationship.
Unlike his career-military father, Jesse is contemplative, creative, and forms a spiritual connection with the island. He discovers that the fantasy world that his grandfather wrote about really exists, and the island is a portal to that world. It's more than a spiritual place, it's a magical one.
Both father and son form relationships with members of an local artist collective. What they don't know is that the artists are political refugees from that other world, and mercenaries have been sent to find them. Ultimately, Jesse is the only one who can stop them!
Word Count: Projected to be 85K to 90K when done
What I'm Looking For in a Reader: I am almost 2/3 done and am pushing to finish the first draft in the next few months. I would love to connect with someone who can begin reading the completed chapters and be in a position to read the new ones as they're finished so they've read the entire novel as I'm wrapping up the last chapter. Mainly looking for feedback on the plot (are there any loose ends or undeveloped subplots), characters (writing dialogue for teenagers is a fun challenge!), and mood. Not so much on grammar, etc.
I've had a lot of experience as a reader in exchanges like this, and once worked as a script reader for a Production Company. If we connect, I hope I can help your project get where you want it to go! If you'd like to exchange a chapter or two, reach me here or at exley@yahoo.com Thanks!
TITLE: The Crystal Forest
WORD COUNT: 98,000
GENRE: YA Fantasy
PREMISE: The elves live in harmony with nature but when their forest starts to die and their magical crystals start to falter, Syra heads off in search of the cause. What she finds is a world being torn up in the name of an Industrial Revolution for the humans. When her friends are swept up in a dangerous scheme, she has no choice but to team up with a human and try and find a way to reconcile their two worlds.
LOOKING FOR IN A READER: Someone who can give me honest and detailed feedback about plot, characters, world building, and pacing. I don't need any kind of line editing, but I'd like big picture feedback.
I would like to find 1-2 critique partners who we can support each other and help each other grow. I would prefer someone in the same or similar genre.
If interested please comment here.
Title: WHO WOULD EVER WANT TO BE KING
Word count: 125,000
Genre: Literary-bent fantasy
Reading level : Adult
Your reading inclinations: You would be a fan of the danmei and isekai genres, anime, k/c-dramas like Mr. Queen, Goblin, and When Destiny Brings the Demon, literary fantasy, and authors like Martha Wells, Sarah Rees Brennan, Samantha Shannon, Freya Marske, V.E. Schwab, and Alexandra Rowland. It's tough to comp, because it's a weird one. Please note: The book is part one of a cliff-hanger duology that reimagines the Ramayana but you don't need to be familiar with it to read.
Looking for multiple BETA READERS (3-4) who read and watch widely in epic, mythological fantasy and its reimaginings/retellings and in the broader genre of adult fantasy: In-line comments and emotional reactions while reading, coupled with overall character impressions including continuity, plot hole discoveries or lack thereof, boredom points, confusion points, pacing issues, and story logic. Important note: You must be into the multiple points of view of a full ensemble cast or you'll run away screaming!
Other notes: I'm very happy to reciprocate beta reads of completed manuscripts. I'm working on book two of this series and would be happy to have a beta reader become a critique partner in the near future, just not this month! I've previously queried an earlier version of this story and after several fulls that went nowhere, I rewrote it entirely. My intent is to send out first batch queries by end of month or so because I have agents who kindly trashed the previous manuscript to await the rewrite and it's been FOREVER.
Premise: Sunny Kent kicks the bucket the same day Netflix greenlights their adaptation of her bestselling fantasy series, a queer reimagining of the Ramayana. A snafu in a grim reaper's office lands Sunny in the body of one of her side characters, a warrior Sunny very much is not. As her plot goes off the rails, she does too, because who wouldn't? Physically unable to tell anyone who she really is and terrified to try to alter the plot in case things go even worse for characters who are turning out to be obstinately, heartwrendingly real, and also for herself because obviously trying not to die takes up a lot of time in stories like hers, Sunny claws her way through a world she was never supposed to see outside her own imagination while her main characters—Leni, the crown prince hero whose steadfast honor begs to be tested; River, the self-annihilating captive assassin hopelessly pining for the hero; Miro, the anarchist demigod on whose clairvoyance everything might hinge; and Elian, the fallen angel in love with the hero but not in the good way—weave their lives around hers in an ever tightening knot that starts to feel more personal than it should, since none of them are wise to her imposter syndrome. Or are they?
Finally: THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION! I whisper-shouted this affectionately.
Title: DOB
Genre: YA Southern Gothic Fantasy with horror elements; Medusa myth reimagining rooted in Black American folklore and history
Premise: When a generations-old curse threatens to consume her family, a Black teen must untangle a century of buried secrets, reckon with a vengeful spirit who may not be the villain she appears, and trust her sisters completely before time runs out for them all.
Word Count: 82,000 words
What I’m looking for in a reader: A thorough editorial pass from readers who love Southern Gothic atmosphere, dark fantasy, and BIPOC narratives. Looking for honest feedback on pacing, character development across multiple POVs, and emotional resonance. Sensitivity readers with knowledge of Louisiana history and culture are especially welcome.
Title (or working title)- DEFECT
Genre: Sci-Fi/Dystopian - More character-driven than technology heavy. Some romance.
Reading level: YA
Word count: 85K
PREMISE: On an Earth relocation planet hundreds of years into the future, genes are status. One
neurodivergent girl, and one genetically engineered boy, fight for the only thing worth
dying for—love. I was inspired by The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. For this story, my goal is to explore the concept of perfectionism in our society and how as a culture, we place high value in people who are pretty, who excel in their hobbies, who are healthy and intelligent and yet true worth does not lie in those things. It's found in family, love, being true to oneself, being selfless.
LOOKING FOR IN A READER: Someone who can read chapters and give me Big Picture feedback at the end of each chapter. I don't need line edits yet. I want comments on pacing, character, plot, voice, etc. What's working. What isn't working. That kind of thing. Ideally readers who are also writing YA level.
I'd love to find 2 long-term partners who we can swap work, cheer one another on, etc. My style is positive, offering suggestions, honest--but in a kind, uplifting way. And if something isn't working for me, I will tell you, offer suggestions, and encourage you to seek others input as well. It's your story after all! I appreciate the same level of care and respect. :)
If interested--reply here or email me at lorileaann at gmail dot com
Hey, Lori! Thank you for commenting on mine. I'd love to swap some pages to see if we vibe.
Awesome!!!My email is lorileaann at gmail dot com Feel free to email me your first two chapters and let me know anything specific you want me to look for. :)
Title (working): Guttersaints
Genre: Urban Fantasy (secondary-world setting, romance sub-plot)
Reading Level: Adult
Word Count: 83,000 words
Looking For: Feedback on overall plot, voice, character arcs, etc. from someone who reads extensively in the SFF genre (bonus points if you enjoy gritty settings, dark/mature themes, and witty/sardonic humor). Note that this book contains harsh language, light body horror, and reference to addiction and mental illness
Book comps: The Will of the Many (for political intrigue), Arcane (for weaponized magic and gritty urban setting), and The Blacktongue Thief (for sardonic humor and romantic undercurrent)
Premise: Cass wants nothing more than to live out the rest of his life in peace, far from the alchemical guilds of Istrus and their endless hunger for profit. But aether, the drug that fuels alchemy and lets him bend shadows to his will, is both his livelihood and his curse. As a contracted pitfighter in Istrus’s polluted undercity, he uses his power to win duels against other alchemists, but every dose of aether he downs costs him a piece of his soul.
When his shadows start developing a will of their own, he knows he’s nearing his end. His only hope lies with Philocrates, a vain guildmaster who claims to have discovered the formula for the Elixir of Life, a substance that could restore Cass’s soul. All he needs is Cass’s help finding a mysterious girl whose blood may complete the formula. But when an incident with a gang of undercity thugs leaves Cass in the girl’s care and he begins to fall for her, he must choose: sacrifice her and save himself, or refuse and damn what little soul he has left.
If interested: reply, message, or email at: sjhultgren at gmail dot com
Hi Sam,
I'd be interested in reading Guttersaints. Feels like it might be a bit like Nevernight Chronicles. I've emailed you.
Thanks!
-Matt
Title (working): Echoes in Water
Genre/reading level: Romantasy/Sci-Fi
Word count, to date: 19k
What I'm looking for: I'm looking for a writing "sponsor", someone to check in to see how I'm doing, to read what I have, and point out some holes or hiccups in the flow of my writing. (In this development stage, I am not focusing on final edits such as grammar, etc) I'm a pretty relaxed person, so someone who loves being a cheerleader would make a great fit!
Premise: An orphaned pair of friends are separated in childhood- the girl to a religious cult, the boy to an expansive empire. The beginning is set in a medieval-esque time period, but involves time travel and mysteries revolving around the pair. While romance is guaranteed, happiness is not. Follow these two main characters in alternating perspectives, chapter by chapter.
Email: itsmarysummers at gmail dot com
And thank you, Susan, for setting this up!
For those not yet matched with a reader, I'm incredibly busy, but when I get time, I'm very attentive, kind, and thoughtful. I read mostly fantasy, sci-fi, humor, and historical fiction. Spicy is fine, but not my typical go-to. Reach out to me!
Title (working): Mermaid retelling novella
Genre/reading level: YA fantasy
Word count: currently 25k
What I'm looking for: Feedback that's honest but kindly given, would be open to a long-term partnership if a good match. I enjoy working with other authors and trading feedback on work.
This is part of a series but can be read as a standalone (It follows a side character from my last book). Comps include To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo, The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith, and A House of Salt and Sorrow by Erin Craig.
email: channbradley at gmail.com
IG: charityrau
Title: Call of Silence
Genre: Fantasy/Dystopian
Reading Level: Adult
Word Count: 65K
What I'm Looking for in a Reader: Cheerleaders and reading partners who keep each other motivated and accountable
Premise: Appalachian culture meets Ancient Greece when Anna Myers discovers a secret society housed deep within what was once known as the Smoky Mountains. Includes a found family, fake dating, native familiars, and an elemental magic system!
If you're interested in swapping the first couple of chapters to see if we might be a good fit, please reply or email me at leahdjenkins@gmail.com.
Hi Leah, your premise sounds fascinating. Ancient Greece and Fake Dating? I'm in! I just joined the group and posted my outline, so I'm at the top of the page. Into the Mystic is an Urban YA Fantasy. Have a look at my post and let me know if you'd like to exchange chapters and see if we'd be a good fit. Cheers!
Title: Pearl Falling(working title)
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy (a monster of the week feel with an over arching mystery)
Reading level: Adult leaning
Word count: 60,000-80,000 words, goal is four books all around this word count
What you’re looking for in a reader: A second set of eyes, since my writing group split up I have struggled to get good feedback on pace, plot and consistency. My goal is to have it done by the end of the year.
Book comps: Souless (not steampunk but feel of world), What’s a Ghoul to Do? And a little bit of a Buffy vibe.
Premise: Peal has been hunting monsters most of her life. Not the traditional bump in the night ones, but she deals with plenty of those to. Pearl’s monsters are twisted aberrations on the traditional monsters of folk tales and the silver screen, always coming in two. Pearl’s monster’s aren’t natural they were created by a catastrophic event decades ago. Now Pearl has to navigate putting things right, an ever straining relationship with her family, an increasingly intimate relationship with her friends all well keeping her secrets.
If your interested in reviewing the first couple of chapters or think I would be a good fit for reviewing you work reply or message me @devineleahb
Title: Kingdom of the River Dragon
Genre: Fantasy (secondary-world setting, hard magic system, slow burn romance subplot)
Reading level: Young adult leaning
Word count: Roughly 85,000 words
What you’re looking for in a reader: I keep revising and revising but don't know if I'm making my manuscript better or worse! Looking for feedback and hopefully a new writer friend. Even if you can't be my manuscript critique partner, feel free to message me on Instagram to say hello!
I've revised my manuscript 3 times, but I would say it's still a bit rough around the edges, especially the latter half. I hope to finalize revisions later this year and begin querying by the end of the year.
Book comps: Of Jade and Dragons, To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods
Other comps: Avatar: The Last Airbender, D&D
Premise: A young woman has been the caretaker of her ill mother and her younger sister since her father died a mysterious death several years ago. When her mother's condition worsens, she joins the monster-hunting guild watching over her city in exchange for treatment, but when the guild is unable to cure her mother, she traces her father's steps to find a mysterious figure willing to offer a cure, as long as she betrays the guild she's working for.
IG (preferred), X, or Bluesky: lilyrongbooks
Email: lilyrongbooks at gmail.com
Hi! I love this premise! I sent you an email :) I also posted my story up above if you want to read my premise and book info.
Hi! This sounds like it's up my alley. If you're interested, I'd love to trade a couple of chapters and see if we're a good match.
Title: Concordia
Genre: Dystopian Fantasy
Reading Level: Upper YA
Work Count: 99,600 words
Comps: Bad boy underdog like Keil in Kiera Azar’s Thorn Season and a magic reveal, but in reverse, like Kim Liggett’s The Grace Year.
What I'm looking for in a reader: I'm extremely close to querying, so I'm looking for two things: someone to do a read of the manuscript to catch any final things that still feel unclear, and someone to do an editorial pass. If anyone's interested in doing either or both, that'd be great!
IG: @elisha.jachetti
can you share a logline? i'm interested in the same sort of thing in a reader
Fantastic! Yes! When rookie guard Quinn Reeve accidentally releases the palace intruder, she becomes the first person to Break the Peace, or so she thinks. Soon, she learns the secret to maintaining a peaceful society: kill anyone who threatens it. To keep herself from the chopping block, she'll need proof, allies, and to get to the king before he gets her.
Title: The King Is Dead
Genre: Queer & Comedic Romantic Fantasy
The MC is demiromantic & asexual, and the world is queernormative.
Reading Level: Upper YA
Word Count: 70k
What I'm Looking For: I'd love to make more writer friends and long-term critique partners! I'm open to reading any genre and market besides horror and picture books—nothing against them, I just don't read enough of them to give effective feedback! I am partway through the (hopefully) final draft of this project before I send it out to betas. My two other WIPs are also queer and comedic fantasy projects, because I am nothing if not predictable.
Thanks so much for organizing this!
Hi, this sounds really cool! I'm also working on a queer comedic fantasy, with an ace mc, and would love to chat more! (Mine is not quite ready to exchange chapters yet, but down the road, I would love to have a long-term critique partner for it!)
Hi, I'd be interested in reading/chatting more! I haven't posted a description of my project yet, but it's a YA fantasy with a romance subplot, about to do some heavy lifting on the editing stage!
Title: Hitchhikers (code name)
Genre: Contemporary Supernatural Fantasy - dash of horror
Reading Level: Adult
Word Count: Currently at 40k, hoping for a finished count around 100k
Think Supernatural meets Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood. A campy, mystery, roadtrip that takes place in the southern US.
This is my second novel, and I'm looking for developmental feedback and a gut check!
Hi! This sounds really good. I’m working on a gothic romantasy that follows the youngest princess with weak magic and chronic hip pain in a trial to the death among siblings to decide the next ruler of their mafia-like nation. I’m on draft 2.5ish and am looking for a few CPs/betas as well. Let me know if you’d want to swap first chapters and see if it’s a fit. If you're not big on romantasy, my next project will hopefully urban fantasy/horror so happy to see if there's a fit there too!
Hey! I messaged you on Instagram. For some reason, I can't message you on here.
Hi! Thanks for replying! I love romantasy and your work sounds super cool. I'd love to trade a few chapters. I'll send you a chat and we can go from there. :)
Title: Nameless
Genre: Sci-fi Action
Reading Level: Adult
Word Count: currently 100K, but more planned.
Comparison: Neal Asher had a baby with Douglas Adams
LF: someone to read it and tell me if it’s got potential.
Multiple points of view and tense are used and some feedback about whether the disparate parts work as a whole would be appreciated.
Title: Whispering Falls
Genre: cozy mystery
Reading level: YA
Word count: 83k
Comp: Maureen Johnson
I'm hoping for a thorough editorial pass. Brutal honesty (well, maybe not super brutal). Line edits. Plot and character development. Anything at all that you'd like to comment on. I'm working on a revision of the full MS now, but have a few chapters ready to swap.
Sounds like we're both looking for editorial passes + I love your comp. Would be happy to swap if you're interested!
Hi all and belated happy birthday to our wonderful host! 🍰
I'm wrapping up a contemporary YA set in Southern California but looking for critique partners/groups for a MG fantasy set in China. (Mostly looking for fellow BIPOC writers ideally!) I'm traditionally published, mostly in YA/MG and across genres. Looking forward to hearing from you and good luck to everyone with their projects! ✏️ Comment, message, or best, email! superwow2121@gmail.com
I'm working on a rewrite of my sci-fi romance series.v
Title: nasaru of earth
Genre: spicy sci-fi romance
Level: Adults only
Word Count: 4 books written at 110k each
Comps: Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter but spicier. Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark series but not as irreverent... And spicier.
Looking for: read-through for general reactions. I'm editing pretty heavily for readability and clarity so help with that.
Hello, this is my first longform, so all feedback is welcome.
Title: Bones in the rafters
Genre: Scandinavian folk horror
Reading level: adult
Word count: ~85000
What I am looking for in a reader: the reading experience, what is working, what is not. The book is based on very specific lore, so does it make sense, the overall impression.
Hi Clara, I love folk horror and I lived in Sweden as a kid, so needless to say, your book sounds pretty intriguing. I just listed my project, Into the Mystic. I'm calling it a YA Urban Fantasy, though the jury is out if it's really YA. While not a horror, there are some dark elements to it. Let me know if you're interested in exchanging chapters to see if we'd be a good fit. Cheers!
Hi! Your story sounds fascinating. I would love to read it and let you know what my thoughts and feelings are!
Great! is it ok if I send you a link to google docs in a DM?
Yes!
Hey all! I'm a traditionally published YA author looking to expand my critique group for my next book.
• Working Title: Almenara Academy
• Genre: Romantic Fantasy
• Reading level: YA
• Word count: expected 90,000
• Quick Pitch: Mulan meets Fourth Wing battling kaiju from Pacific Rim
• What I'm looking for in a reader: critique partner as I write, someone to bounce ideas off of, etc. I'm writing the query letter now to send to my agent and would love some eyes on it too. I'm not on social media anymore, so feel free to message me!
I'm also a traditionally pubbed author looking for critique group/partners!
Mulan meets Fourth Wing fights kaiju sounds right up my alley! Very exciting! I'll message you, and here's my email if that fails: superwow2121@gmail.com
Happy birthday! 🎂 You and my aunt have the same birthday 🥳 Hope you had a good one and thank you for this post 🥰
Title: sun story (placeholder)
Genre: Steampunk fantasy, quest-for-power story with an inverted chosen one archetype, set in an empire with Persian mythology and demon-like antagonists
Reading level: Adult
Word count: 120k
What you’re looking for in a reader: I'd love to swap stories/pages and help each other out. I think I need help working on my pacing and development, but I'd love someone to do a read-through and just point out whatever they think needs work.
This sounds brilliant - I'd be particularly interested in seeing how you integrate steampunk elements with the Persian setting, if you're still looking for readers?
Of course, I’ll message you!
I love the sound of those genres and I’d love to give it a read-through and offer some feedback. Do you have a preferred method of contact?
Sounds great! I can message you with my email
I'm doing a steampunk too! And have been recently exploring Persian history on YT randomly! I'll message you, or you me! superwow2121@gmail.com
Title: The Arcanium Chronicles: Shadows of the Arcanium
Genre: Fantasy
Level: YA/MG
Word count: Roughly 3000
Looking for: overall read, really looking for long term CPs, and people to help keep me motivated to finish
Hi! Also working on MG and would love to meet new CPs!
HI:). I have a hybrid fantasy/spec fiction for middle grade readers, 70 000 - but I have not redrafted it all as yet, so less than that to read. The Greenwild series is a possible comparative title. The book is set between a dystopian future and magical nature world, with the idea being that the protagonist, an 11 year old mute intuitive and computer game programmer needs to reunite the two to save them both.
Looking for feedback on pacing and structure.
Hi - I am also working on a middle grade project that deals heavily with themes of the natural world. Let me know if you're interested in chatting more.
Hi Shannon, for sure. Do you want to swap first chapters?
Hi everyone! I'm a fantasy writer based in SC just south of Charlotte. Always happy to connect in person in the Charlotte area or online! I'm on IG: @kathlenebrownwrites
Title: Bronte x Poe
Genre: Historical fantasy / retelling
In a world where the Brontes can magically travel to their imaginary worlds, a dark creation of Emily's escapes, kidnapping her sister. So now she must seek help from the American who broke her heart years ago, the only person with an imagination darker than her own: Edgar Allan Poe.
Reading Level: I thought it was YA, but it's definitely shifting Adult!
Word Count: 60,000 drafted, shooting for around 85,000 when complete
Looking for: A CP for page swaps, writing sprints, accountability. I'm still drafting, so it's mostly gut-check stuff at this point. I'm also always looking for online author friends to cheer each other on!
Oooh, I love the Bronte and Poe mix! I'm working on a YA fantasy retelling of the little mermaid and am also looking for CP's. If you're interested in trading a chapter or two to see if we'd be a good match, let me know.
I sent you a direct message. :)
Hi everyone! I'm a 31F writer based in London ❤️
Title: Sisters of No Mercy
Genre: Fantasy
Reading level: Upper YA
Word count: ~70k currently
What you’re looking for in a reader: Someone to join writing sprints, to read each others' work, maybe an in-person meet if you're also a London-based fantasy writer! Looking for someone to read before another revision ahead of querying, and so looking forward to doing the same for you. My IG is @emmafinnertybooks
Hi! I just sent you an IG request (my handle is angela_anne_reads) but I’m a London-based fantasy writer as well! My story is NA fantasy but not super spicy so it could be a good fit to read each others’ works and possibly meet up in-person. Feel free to message me here or on IG if interested!
Hi, I'd love to hear more about your novel.
I'm also a YA fantasy writer. Here's my novel's premise: A young woman has been the caretaker of her ill mother and her younger sister since her father died a mysterious death several years ago. When her mother's condition worsens, she joins the monster-hunting guild watching over her city in exchange for treatment, but when the guild is unable to cure her mother, she traces her father's steps to find a mysterious figure willing to offer a cure, as long as she betrays the guild she's working for.
I'm in Central European Time! I'm not on IG anymore though but feel free to message me! I'm a YA author and getting started on my next book, so I'll be happy to swap and help with querying and anything else!
I'm not based in London, but Upper YA is my sweet spot! My current work (a fantasy involving the Brontes) is shifting more adult, but I also have a YA retelling of Romeo & Juliet that I'm querying. I'd love to hear more about your WIP! (I'll find you on IG, too.)
Hi! New here and new to writing, just about done my first draft and would love some eyes on it!
Title: Project "Shady"
Genre: Fantasy (Contemporary)
Reading level: Middle Grade
Word count: ~35k
Looking for: Gut check / Cheerleader
Dark-ish academia book about acceptance with lots of family secrets and institutional corruption.
Hi again! My second one:
Title: BANNERS UNDER HEAVEN
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Reading Level: Adult
Wordcount: 80,000
Pitch: Arite Kamateros is a pirate queen who graduated from stealing ships to stealing kingdoms. Confronted with rebels on her borders armed with terrifying new weapons, she sees no choice but to reassert power - no matter how many peasants have to die in the process.
Theodora Dalassena is the last scion of an impoverished merchant house which has lost everything except a once noble name. When a stranger from across the seas suggests a dangerous mercantile proposition, she gambles what little she has to save her family - with the reward of failure being a sure ruin.
Charles de Haut-Alain, the spymaster of a kingdom slowly recovering from a bloody civil war which consumed his youth, wants little more than to die in a world at peace. But as the king ails and foreign agitators whip up religious rivalries, he must reckon with how far he will go, and who he will become, to serve the crown.
All three must confront the shifting tides of power and the rising strength of new doctrines, rising to the occasion of revolution - or falling before its relentless pressure.
Comps: Genuinely unsure at this stage. There's a touch of Guy Gavriel Kay's LIONS OF AL-RASSAN crossed with the scope of Ken Liu's THE GRACE OF KINGS, but that might be reaching.
What I'm looking for: This is the first time I've tried to write from multiple POVs - three main, geographically distinct ones, and a set of semi-recurrent interludes from side characters. I'd be really keen, in addition to general perspectives, to views on: making sure they are distinct; that side character interludes are being used well; and addressing the geographical scope.
Hi! I would love to read and provide feedback!
That sounds cool. I’m on board to read and provide feedback
Hi everyone! I've got two slightly different projects which I'd love feedback on - both in service of the broader objective of making more writer friends.
Title: DO WRONG RIGHT
Genre: Fantasy Workplace Comedy
Reading Level: Adult
Wordcount: 26,000 > (aiming for 70,000; this is the first draft).
Pitch: Kat is sick and tired of being a henchwoman for supervillains who think weaponised pterodactyls are a valid replacement for KPIs. Her new plan - setting up a management consultancy for vilains - gets off to a brilliant start when she lands a contract to transform the Empire of Qarad-Har, ruled by a reformist Dark Lady who overthrew her reactionary father.
But the vision of slide-decks and generous expense accounts swiftly runs into difficulty. The evil viziers don't like a changed tax code, the dragons are refusing to diversify their portfolios, and other supervillains resent her corporate ambitions. Unhelpfully, she’s also falling in love with the Dark Lady, which is very poor customer relationship management practice.
As the situation in Qarad-Har spirals out of control, Kat faces a stark choice. Stick with the woman she loves and the cause of rule; or cut it loose to try and save the company she’s worked so hard to build. And no matter what happens, she'll somehow have to keep the shareholders on side...
Comps: Natalie Zina Walschots' HENCH x Django Wexler's HOW TO BE THE DARK LORD AND DIE TRYING
What I'm looking for: Gut check and initial impressions, particularly on whether the comedy and satire land well - I've previously only written quite grounded SFF so this is a bit of a departure!
I absolutely loved HOW TO BECOME THE DARK LORD AND DIE TRYING, and your project sounds so fun! I also write queer & comedic fantasy (though in a slightly different vein—less satirical, more like the "comedic relief" button got jammed). My post is above, and I'd be happy to share my project's pitch if you're interested!
I’m a big fan of seriously satirical pieces. Would love to give this a read.
Title: In Service
Genre: Fantasy romance (3rd person limited)
Reading level: New adult
Word count: 129k
Comps: Competition element from The Serpent and the Wings of Night and the blurred loyalties in Glow of the Everflame. Combines classic superpowers with training / competition and the covert spy vibes of Alias, plus features a strangers to friends to lovers arc.
Logline: When a self-healing rebel goes undercover into enemy territory, she must gather critical intelligence without being discovered, despite the threat of mind-readers around every corner.
What I'm looking for: beta reader / CP
This sounds really good. I’m working on a gothic romantasy that follows the youngest princess with weak magic and chronic hip pain in a trial to the death among siblings to decide the next ruler of their mafia-like nation. I’m on draft 2.5ish and am looking for a few CPs/betas as well. Let me know if you’d want to swap first chapters and see if it’s a fit.
Game! Where can I reach you?
this sounds super intriguing, I’d love to read
Love your comp titles and you story sounds great. Feel free to check out my post to see if we might be a good fit.
Espionage against mind-readers sounds like a great challenge for both writer and character -I'd be keen to read some sample chapters.
Love the concept for your Do Wrong Right! Would be game to swap for that
Title: The Waterfront
Genre: Crime/suspense with a noir atmosphere and a historical (1950s) setting
Reading level: Adult
Word count: 69,000
What you’re looking for in a reader: the reader's impressions, pointing out strengths/weaknesses. Will reciprocate.
Nice to see a fellow mystery/suspense writer. I'm also a big Ross MacDonald fan. Would be interested in reading/reciprocating with my present day mystery titled NO SIGN OF LIFE. Also looking for reader reaction on whether the tension builds and overall mood and clarity.
Sounds interesting. I’m game
OK. I'm a bit of novice at this. I assume email is ok to send. I'm at rbuckner143@yahoo.com.
Title: Ice Cooper and the Daughter of the Sea
Genre: urban fantasy/near future speculative
The novel is the third in a trilogy that is grounded in a contemporary/near future, real world setting, with supernatural/folkloric elements. The first two books are set in the Midlands, England and this one takes place on the Aberdeenshire coast. It should resonate with readers who are drawn to socially awkward and flawed characters faced with seemingly unassailable challenges, alongside ancient mystery but in a familiar setting. This is low, not high fantasy.
Reading level: YA+
Word count: 59,500
What you’re looking for in a reader: A quick gut check.
A pass through the story - read or skimmed if you will. What works for you? What doesn't? I'm about to publish, so this is very nearly my final draft.
I'm very happy to reciprocate and I'm particulalry interested in YA or fiction aimed at adults that is not formulaic and genre-bound. Do you break the barriers between the genres? Is yours hard to place, as mine is? Do people say 'It's really more than one type of story'? Great! Also, is it not a massive tome. Short is good too.
I'd be happy to swap pages and see if we'd be a good fit. I posted today my premise up above if you want to take a look and see if it's of interest :)
My space opera, more sass than space, more opry than opera, is running on my 'stack. If anyone cares to comment they are welcome and appreciated. If others are doing a serial let's connect, and work together expanding our reach.
sounds fun!
Silver and Yellow
dark psychological horror/thriller
steamy adult
88000
looking for: if anything doesn't make sense (and brainstorming how to fix it), and is the ending easy to understand (was there enough clues for it?), first time reading reactions are also nice.
A young woman on the brink of confessing love to her female bff discovers she’s bound to a demon since birth. Disconnecting from society seems safer until the demon threatens her crush.
What a great idea, I would LOVE to make author friends! If you live in Austin, TX or want to be online friends (regardless of being critique partners) message me! IG @taskett
Title: Social Capital
Genre: Memoir
WC: ~50k
Looking for: cheerleader, quick gut check
Comps: The Status Game by Will Storr, Very Important People by Ashley Mears, Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino, Sex and The City (the book, not the show) by Candace Bushnell
Pitch: In a city where entrepreneurs treat mansions like business cards and dinner parties come with guest bios, I was pulled into a curated elite social circle led by a charismatic gatekeeper who I call “The Collector.” As I went from outsider to insider, I became fluent in the coded language of elite circles: the books you must read, the personalities you must perform. But the more 'in' these circles I got, the more I began to disappear.
Ps- Happy birthday Sooz! Thank you for putting this together! <3
Love the sound of this! I'm not a memoirist, but I'll add you on IG. :)
Just added you! Sounds like a good match ❤️
Hello! Also writing memoir. Happy to cheerlead /gut check. Also would love to exchange chapters (if you want!) @sanjna9 on IG
Great, just added you on IG!
Working Title: Far-Flung Bodies
Genre: Fantasy (modern characters, action/adventure, light MM romance, light litrpg tropes for flavor)
Reading level: Adult
Word count: First draft is currently 34k, aiming for 55-60k.
What you’re looking for in a reader: right now, mutual cheerleading and the occasional gut check or brainstorming session.
Hi! I’d love to hear more about your novel. I am also working on a more modern fantasy. And need some gut check and accountability. Happy to share some chapters with you. I am @devineleahb
Hey, happy birthday! Today is mine too.
Title: Piece of Night
Genre: SciFi/Adventure
Reading Level: MG
Word Count: 57k
Looking for a second set of eyes to check on pacing and voice. Plus a content check.
Pitch: Set in 1988 Suburbia, Vinny goes on an epic kids on bikes adventure w/ his friends to find a crashed UFO. Along the way they find a duplicate of their neighborhood, a secret mansion & find a conspiracy that threatens more than their neighborhood.
This sounds like something my friends would have done. I would be up for a read
Hello!
Title: Obscure
Genre: literary fiction with heavy romantic subplots; this is a Jude the Obscure (by Thomas Hardy) retelling (though it's ok if you have no idea what Victorian novel that I'm working with; it's not a very popular one.
WC: about 12k (goal is 80-85k) --> this is a second draft that is undergoing heavy revision.
Reading Level: Adult/New Adult
Pitch: All that Julia Fawley wants is to go to Harvard, something that her best friend did before her. And when she does get accepted, she is over the moon. Everything that she's ever dreamed is finally coming true. But then she meets Alex Dunn---or rather crashes into him--- and a relationship blooms between them. However, it's only a summer fling with a end in sight...until Julia gets pregnant, and Alex forces her to choose him and the baby instead of Harvard, her dreams completely abandoned. She goes along with it until one night, she hits her breaking point and flees, putting all her responsibilities behind as she tries to discover who she is. Obscure is a story of desire.
What I Would Like: feedback partner, a gut check --> So the reason that my word count is so low right now is because I'm currently working on rewriting/revising the second draft, and I'm writing a lot more slowly than I would like because I want to make sure each section is perfect before I'm go onto the next. Right now, I have a beta reader reading, but I would love another set of eyes to read and review so that the writing process can speed up some.
Also, I'm more than happy to read your WIP if you read mine. I'll read literally anything.
Hi! I'd love to do a reading/feedback swap if you're game! I'm looking for the same thing you are: feedback partner/gut check. My genre is speculative fiction in the political area (and my protagonist is a Harvardian, by the way). My WIP is at 54K, but I'd make sure to share it with you in parts (to be gentle). Here's what it's about:
When rural Florida business owner Shelton Stiles loses his race for congress, he figures he must not have raised enough money for the quest. But chance brings him into contact with three professors from the local university who for some time have been propounding a theory among their academic colleagues: it’s possible to win a congressional race without money by using a novel method of campaigning, or at least presenting yourself to the voters. They’ve been seeking guinea pigs for their long-term experiment, which they call the Scalable Model of Democracy. It requires candidates to forswear contributions while at the same time giving up many of the thoughts and motivations that originally drove them to become candidates in the first place. Stiles signs on and tries again.
Winning this time around, he discovers it’s not easy to stay in office. There are quite a number of people who don’t like this idea of moneyless campaigns and prefer the old-school method. The machine strikes back and he loses his seat, but not his faith in the academics. He takes up a new quest to show the nation that the unusual method is surprisingly effective at replacing dead weight in congress with agile minds and fresh ideas.
He struggles against the party bosses and big donors who benefit from the current sclerosis and don’t want the new idea to gain traction. Against the odds, he persuades one presidential candidate to adopt the method, throwing the presidential race into turmoil and making voters wonder if this is the real change they’ve hungered for. This is Stiles’s one chance to prove that this radically new way of campaigning can restore people’s faith in a decaying system.
I don't have a website or anything, but I can be reached by email at jerry@cascadestrategies.com. Let me know if you'd like to work together!
--Jerry Johnson
Title: Lure of the Meadowlark
Genre: Romantic Fantasy
Reading level: Adult
Word count: 112K
Looking for gut check and if my dialogue reads true
Hi again! Here's my second one:
Title: The Fall of Resurrection Manor
Genre: (New) Adult Fantasy
WC: 83k
Looking for: Pacing feedback, query cheerleader, critique partner
Comps: The Great Gatsby X Cassandra Khaw
Pitch: In a gilded, mountainside manor, guests are invited to cough up their fortunes to kill and be killed at leisure, every death fleeting, every resurrection guaranteed. She's chained there by an unbreakable contract—and he's there to burn the place to oblivion.
This sounds really good. I’m working on a gothic romantasy that follows the youngest princess with weak magic and chronic hip pain in a trial to the death among her siblings to decide the next ruler of their mafia-like nation. I’m on draft 2.5ish and am looking for a few CPs/betas as well. Let me know if you’d want to swap first chapters and see if it’s a fit.
This sounds amazing! Based on your two projects, I think we might be a good fit. Check out my post for my Bronte fantasy. I also am currently querying a magical YA Romeo & Juliet retelling with a light sci-fi twist.
This sounds brilliant - I'd be really keen to cheerlead and critique.
Hi everyone! I have two projects that I'd love feedback on. First one:
Title: Venom in the Claws
Genre: Upper YA Fantasy
WC: 93k
Looking for: Pacing feedback, query cheerleader, critique partner
Comps: Ava Reid, Erin A. Craig, Elle Tesch, Margaret Rogerson
Pitch: Summoned to a shadowed château to cure a heart affliction, a haunted, smug poisoner becomes entangled in a revenge plot where alluring, uncertain allies—both dead and alive—may be her only chance at survival.
Love the sound of this! I'd love to swap!
I'd love to be a cheerleader for this, also able to give pacing feedback (IG @taskett)
Hi Sophia! I'm intrigued! Take a look at my post below to see if you think we might be a good fit. 🐦⬛
Doing a 2nd post for my other work!
(Stand-in) Title: Body Snatching
Genre: Adult Fantasy, (quest fantasy), comps to The Devils x Anji Kills a King
WC: (in progress) ~15k (Goal: 80k)
Looking for: For this one mostly looking for cheerleading and writing chats, or accountability check-ins. My post below (Buried Bones, adult dark fantasy) is up for CP's or regular chapter exchanges!
Logline: Follows an exiled ex-spy from the Empress' court, his necromancer ex-situationship, and his disgruntled twin sister as they steal & resurrect the recently deceased Empress' body to find a magical relic she hid. Everything that could go wrong, does.
Body Snatching sounds really interesting I would look to take a look at it if you're still wanting someone to cheer you on and chat!
Happy Birthday!
Thank you for putting this together!
Title: C5&6K
Genre: dark, contemporary, portal fantasy (LGBTQ+)
Reading level: YA
Comparable to Agatha All Along for teens
Word count: The novel is approx 65k words, but the pages I'm looking for help with are only 5500 words.
What you’re looking for in a reader: developmental edit of plot/long synopsis
Happy Birthday!
Title: Bound by Flame
Genre: Romantasy
Reading Level: Adult/New Adult
Word Count: 28k (current - aiming for 85k)
Comps: A Discovery of Witches, The Dragon Heart Legacy Trilogy
Back Cover Blurb (WIP):
Five hundred years ago, three witches were cursed in dragon fire and both bloodlines have paid the price ever since.
Now Astra McEllis has discovered the truth: the curse will end her family’s magic, and her bloodline with her generation.
In Dracara, the dragon realm remains scarred by an ancient war. The land has never healed, and dragons are losing their magic, shifting uncontrollably toward humanity.
When Astra casts a spell for clarity, she accidently summons Logan, the youngest son of the Dracona, an ancient bond forms between them. As destiny tightens its hold, Astra and Logan face an impossible choice: deny the bond and lose everything, or surrender to a love powerful enough to burn through the darkness.
What I'm looking for in a reader: Gut Check, Cheerleader... I just did a major revision and am now writing the rest (yes, maybe out of order, but... lol) so I need to know the story still works. I'm about a month away from needing beta readers.
* Title: Midwinter Hunt
* Genre: Horror
* Reading level: Middle Grade
* Word count: 47k
* Looking for: Gut check. This is a later-stage draft that’s going on sub soon so I mainly want to check everything’s landing right.
Pitch: During polar night in an Arctic Finnish tourist town, a ghost-seeing girl must confront her fear of the dark and her family's hidden shamanic past to stop a child-hunting Yule monster.
This sounds cool. Let me know if you want
Hi Tom - looks like your message got cut off! Did you mean if I want to swap?
Yeah. Sorry that’s what happens when I try this on my phone. I’m still tightening mine up so no pressure to read mine right away. just looking to see if the story is engaging or if I need to add/ remove anything
Hi Starla! I don't have anything to swap, but I can read this. (We have the same agent :D) Feel free to message me if you want.
Hi Madison! Awesome, thanks so much! :)
Happy Birthday! I've got two so I'll post twice.
* Title: The Melody of In-Between
* Genre: Fantasy (fairy tale retelling)
* Reading level: Middle Grade
* Word count: 35k
* Looking for: Feedback on an early draft—pacing, story, characters. Anything and everything!
Pitch: After a life spent at home due to illness, 11-year-old violin enthusiast Marie is an outsider at school—until a nutcracker-turned-prince pulls her into a beautiful-but-cursed realm where music is magic, and where, for the first time, she actually fits in.
Hi! Also working on MG fantasy and would love to connect!
Hi Shannon, I'd love to! Feel free to DM me.
Hi Staria it sounds like it might be a good idea for us to swap read/feedback
Checked out your post - your story sounds cool! I'd love to swap. :) I'll DM you.
Great - maybe we should swap first chapters?
Sounds great! I DM'ed you - you might need to accept the request before seeing it
Happy birthday! I'd love to find more writer friends so this idea is great!
Title: Scaleworthy
Genre: Fantasy (queer romance subplot but not full on romantasy)
Reading level: Upper YA
Word count: 70k
Comps: House of the Dragon, Priory of the Orange Tree, Sky on Fire
What you’re looking for in a reader: I'm happy for anything! Gut reactions, analysis of plot, characters, pacing, etc. Hoping to find long-term writer friends :)
Hi! Your manuscript sounds super cool, and I would also like to make more writer friends!
I saw you're writing Romance/Sci-fi too, and I am in a similar boat (also have a queer rom-com on my list to write). Would love to be one of your long-term writer friends! IG @taskett or message me here on Substack.
Also happy to be a cheerleader and give gut reactions!
This sounds great, I'd love to find out more!
This sounds awesome! Check out my description above and see if you think we might be a good fit. 🌈
Happy birthday!
This is wonderful, I’ve been searching for writer friends/cp :))
If you saw me accidentally post my unfinished comment… no you didn’t😂
Title: The Poisoner’s Plan for Theft
Genre: Adult historical fantastical romance (leans cozy, zero spice)
Comps: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Earl’s Trip
Pitch: When Nel, an unsocial cafe-owner, finds her home stolen by a society of maliciously charitable witches, she must rekindle her friendship with a thief, team up with magical nuns, and flee from gun-slinging doyennes to reclaim her cafe, but as adventure brings Nel out of her comfort zone, she realizes that it’s not only her cafe she’s in danger of losing—it’s her heart, too.
Word Count: 98k
Looking for: cheerleaders, gut checks, and general writing friends for support on our writing journeys!
Message me if we sound like we could be writing buddies!
If you’re still looking to connect it sounds like we have very similar vibes. I’ve written: Magic libraries, dragon riding cowboys, among others. I’m on insta @jessieheningerauthor
this sounds so fun, i'd love to read :)
My writing definitely isn't cozy, but I love to read cozy! Check out my post about my Bronte fantasy to see if you think we might be a good fit. If nothing else, lets connect here on Substack or IG! I'm @kathlenebrownwrites
Hi all and happy birthday!!
Title: If You Bleed
Genre: Adult dark fairytale with horror components
One sentence pitch: A sapphic dark fairytale inspired by the Slender Man urban legend in which a town protector must put her moral integrity aside and join forces with a demon to combat a greater evil—if the superstitious townsfolk don’t get to her first.
Current word count: 41,000 at midpoint, aiming for 85,000.
Don’t need readers quite yet but am open to start looking for betas! Happy to swap in similar genres. Also open for cheerleaders at this point