I’m looking for between eight and twelve people who would be willing to read Parallel Lines, a 65,000-word near-future sci-fi novel with #LGBTQ+ and #AlternateWorlds appeal, plus comic romantic elements. It’s a fun, breezy read.
Here’s the logline of the book: As his marriage falls apart, a stolen technology allows Thomas to explore four “roads not taken” in search of a happier life. But with each jump ripping holes in reality and the technology’s creator in hot pursuit, can he find the choices that lead to happiness before all these worlds, like his marriage, come crashing down around him?
Please note: the book contains some of my favorite profanity, plus frank discussion of LBGTQ desires (but is not, in any way, pornographic).
Here’s what I’m asking of beta readers:
- Be 21 or over.
- Read the book between now and March 31.
- Be available to participate in a live, cameras-on, one-hour Zoom session with me and the other beta readers on Saturday, April 1, 2023, at 10:00 AM. We’ll begin by using a structured feedback method that allows all voices to be heard equally (a process you can steal for your own use, if you like!), and there will also be a chance to offer unstructured feedback, as well.
- Be very, very frank about your experience of the book. Trust me: I “grew up” as a writer in Frederick Barthelme’s brutally honest writing workshops, so there’s nothing that you could say (or any way you could say it) that would hurt my feelings! I know how to listen for information … and I’m after the kind of insightful feedback you can’t offer if you’re walking on egg-shells. If you know me, you’ll want to put your affection for me aside and discuss the work on its own merits.
- By asking to participate, you agree not to forward or release the book to anyone else, in any form, printed or electronic. This is important, as the book is being shopped to agents at this time, and it would be problematic for it to turn up on file-sharing sites.
If you’re willing to help, please send an email to mark@markmcelroy.com, with “Parallel Lines Beta” in the subject line. In the body of the email, please include:
- Your name
- Your social media address of choice (Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, etc.)
- One reason why you’d make you a great reader for this book.
- The format — EPUB or PDF or DOCX — that you prefer.
Meantime, if you’re selected, I promise to express my gratitude in the published book’s acknowledgements and offer a few fun little surprises later on, too, including signed free copies of the book.
Thanks for considering it!