Photo credit: Evelyn Flint (Daydreaming Images) via Foter.com / CC BY

“This is not Monday,” I hear you say. Very true. But most people in my house have been sick, and everything’s all topsy turvey over here at the moment as we nurse the sick ones, so Monday became Tuesday and you’re getting a post today instead of yesterday. Many apologies. But it does mean that it’s time to talk about a subject that I’m always interested in. Namely, the beta reader process. Now, never having reached a stage where I’ve been able to give my book to beta readers (hopefully changing that this year though!) I don’t have a process yet, so I’m doubly interested in seeing how other people go about this.

So tell me, how do you go about the beta reader process? Do you like to send your book out chapter by chapter or all at once? How many beta readers do you like to have at once? Do you send out a general call for readers, or do you select them carefully? At what point do you actually decide it’s ready for betas? Any advice for people who haven’t yet had betas for their book?

What is this, another post in which I talk about the characters from Snow? Yep, that’s right. My apologies for two link-up posts in a row, but I left them too late in the month and so you get both of them this week. But now, it’s time for another Beautiful People post. Beautiful People is a writerly link-up hosted by Cait@Paper Fury and Sky@Further Up and Further In, and this month, it’s all relationship themed in honour of Valentine’s Day. If you saw yesterday’s post then you would have met the two main characters of Snow, the volatile duo of Nicola and Eric in my three excerpts. If you haven’t checked out that post yet, I highly suggest you do. And now, on to the questions!

How did they first meet?

Nicola and Eric first met in less than ideal circumstances. Eric was on the run from his step-father and had been brought to the base of a team of teenaged agents with mutant abilities for his own protection, and also in the hope that he could provide them with some helpful information. Nicola happens to be one of these teenaged agents. Neither of the were too happy for him to be there.

What were their first impressions of each other?

Not good. In Nicola’s own words “Either he was feeling intensely awkward, or he was just a stuck up little so-and-so. Either way he was extremely rude.” And Eric’s first impression of Nicola is “The girl with blue hair, the sarcastic one…” Yeah, they didn’t hit it off very well.

How long have they been a couple?

Well, technically in this book they’re not yet a couple. It takes them about a book and a half to start figuring things out. They’re complicated little cookies.

How committed/loyal are they to each other? Would they break up over a secret or a disagreement? Could stress drive them apart? Would they die for each other?

Once they actually become a couple, they’re incredibly committed to each other. Nicola is willing to sneak into the middle of the enemy’s base to find help for Eric, and Eric will put himself in harm’s way, or even die for Nicola if he had to. Both of them have trust issues, and they have a rocky start to their relationship, but once they get things straightened out, they’re willing to do anything for the other. And as far as breaking up over a secret, they're both pretty tolerant of secrets as they each have their own fair share of them. Dark pasts are dark, peoples.

List 5 “food quirks” they know about each other. (Ex: how they take their coffee, if they’re allergic to something, etc….and feel free to mention other non-food quirks!)

Oh goodness, I don’t think I know five food related quirks about them, let alone if they know them. However, here are five random quirks they know about each other.

Does anyone disapprove of their relationship?

We hit a little snag in editing this week. And by snag I mean a massive plot hole the size of the Marianas Trench, which has me weeping in a dark corner at the amount of rewriting it’s going to take to fix it. Consider I just hit 55k before discerning the problem, which requires me to go back and fix over half the book, the amount of despairing tears being wept could fill said plot hole twice over. Now if only that was a viable solution.

So, instead of discussing my abysmal writing week, I’m going to cheer myself up immensely by linking up with Snazzy Snippets, hosted by Alyssa@The Devil Orders Takeout and Emily@Loony Literate, and share some excerpts. These come from my current project, Snow, and involve the two MCs, Eric and Nicola. Valentine’s Day might have come and gone, but there’s always time for some fuzzy feels.

A Heartwarming Snippet That Makes Readers Go “Aww!”

Yes, I know, another excerpt from the infamous cookie scene. I think I’ve used it in about three different posts now. But it is by far the most heartwarming of any of my scenes so far, so I’m sharing this anyway.

 Eric plucked a morsel up in his thumb and forefinger and popped it in his mouth. Instantly it exploded with flavour. There were cookies, and then there were mouthwateringly amazing delicacies. These weren’t even cooked yet, but he was already sure this was a success. His mouth watered, begging for a second taste. “These are amazing.”

“I agree. These have turned out pretty good. I think we can count this recipe as a success.” Nicola nodded her head in a considering fashion. “They’ll go down nicely I think.”

“Where did you learn to cook like this?” Eric asked. How did anyone learn to cook like this? This was practically professional quality.

“My mum taught me.” An uncharacteristically sad expression flitted over Nicola’s face. She turned away and started fussing with the trays. “If you think my cookies are good, you should taste hers.”

Instinctively, Eric knew he had touched on a sensitive subject for Nicola. An unexpected feeling of understanding touched him, and he avoided pressing her on the subject, instead trying to lighten the mood with a silly story of his own. If anyone understood sadness over a mother, it was him. “My mum gave up trying to teach me to cook after I burned water and set the oven gloves on fire.” He managed a half smile through his own sudden stab of sadness at the memory. “She wouldn’t let me in the kitchen for anything after that. I’m honestly surprised I haven’t set anything on fire in here yet.”

“You simply can’t learn to cook without making a few mistakes and quite a lot of mess.” Nicola gestured to the kitchen bench, which was now liberally coated with sugar and flour, and to the floor which was even worse. “This is what a kitchen should look like after you’ve finished working in it. Now, shall we get these cookies rolled and in the oven?” She smiled, but there was still a touch of sadness in her eyes. There was a story behind Nicola’s family. Eric couldn’t help but wonder what happened. But then, he could hardly press her for information. Not when he was so desperately trying to hide his own past.

A Kissing Snippet

Sorry folks. This isn’t a kissing book. However, I hate to leave a blank section, so instead I present to you one of my favourite snippets.

Eric caught the intense focus in Andrews’ eyes a second too late. “Watch out,” he gasped, his voice little more than a strangled croak.

It was too late. Andrews swept his hand through the air, pushing a huge gust of wind into Nicola. She flew sideways. Her head crashed into the side of the wardrobe. Then she slid to the ground and lay still. Even as she collapsed, Andrews turned and leapt out the window, a rush of air carrying him away from the building before anyone could stop him.

The other agents were there in the doorway, guns in hand, surveying the situation only seconds after everything played out. Eric looked from them to Nicola, still crumpled on the floor, gun clutched tightly in her hand. Greg’s face was tight as he put up his gun. There was no need to explain what happened here. The red haired Sara dropped to her knees beside her friend, while Greg strode to the window. He pulled a small dart out of the wall. Nicola did get a shot off then, right before Andrews hit her.

Sara shook Nicola’s shoulder. “Nicola. Are you ok? Nicola. Can you hear me?”

Blood trickled down the side of Nicola’s face and her face was pale. But, even as Eric watched, her eyes fluttered open. “Not so loud,” she mumbled. “My head kills.”

Sara let out a shaky laugh. “It should do. You just demolished a wardrobe with it.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t turn this into a habit,” Nicola said.

A Snippet Where Love Interests First Appear Together

Not quite the heartwarming first meeting, but a pretty accurate description of the ups and downs of their relationship.

As they headed down the hallway in the direction of the kitchen, they unexpectedly met Bethany stepping out of the lift with an unfamiliar boy by her side. He was about the same age as them with dark hair and a serious, closed off expression. Nicola eyed him with much curiosity. Well, that was different. She jerked her head in their direction, muttering to Sara, “Megan’s guy from last night?”

“Could be.” Sara flashed a smile at the newcomer. “Hi. You must be new here. I’m Sara.” She stuck out a hand for him to shake.

“Eric.” He didn’t take her hand, just watched her with eyes that held buckets of suspicion.

Sara’s smile faltered and she dropped her hand. Then her smile fixed back into place, though a little less bright than before. “Bethany helping you settle in?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool.” Sara’s voice trailed away, like she didn’t know what to make of this guy.

Well, Nicola knew what to make of them. Either he was feeling intensely awkward, or he was just a stuck up little so-and-so. Either way he was extremely rude. She folded her arms and lifted her chin, watching him with growing coolness. “Not a big talker, hey?” she said. “Or does it hurt you to say more than one word at a time?”

He turned that frigid gaze on her. Nicola pressed her lips together and held his eye. Not intimidating at all. What was it Megan said? Bethany could take him down if he got violent? Not a challenge at all. Something spiralled through the air and landed on her skin. A snowflake? In the middle of summer inside? The temperature was dropping noticeably now, and Nicola was willing it bet it wasn’t because they’d upgraded the air conditioning. Which meant this guy had to be doing it.

Bethany must have come to the same conclusion, because she touched him gently on the arm. “I’ll take you to the kitchen now. It’s this way.”

She must have been using her calming aura on him again, because he followed her without protest, though he kept his eyes firmly fixed on Nicola until he’d passed her completely. For her past, Nicola glared at his retreating back until he had completely vanished round the corner. Only then did she relax a little, though she couldn’t quite let go of her annoyance yet.

“Well.” She said finally. And that word pretty much said it all.

And that’s it folk. My slightly less than romantic Snazzy Snippets post. Phew, that ended up a bit long! Are you joining in this month? Link me to your post in the comments? Which excerpt was your favourite? Is there any kissing in your book? And tell me, do you have a scene that you share over and over again?

You know how, when you’re looking at a book for the first time to see if it’s something that you’d like to read, you go through a mental checklist of book elements, from the cover, to the synopsis on the back? And if these elements aren’t quite right, you might not even consider taking the book home with you? I do this all the time. And when it comes to my process, I have quite a defined checklist to help me sort through the mountains of possibilities. Of course, not every element has to be absolutely right for me to read the book, but there are quite a few elements that influence whether or not I’m going to take that book home with me. Today I thought I’d share some of the elements on the cover that can put me off a book.

The Spine

Is there actually a title on this spine? If I can’t see at a glance what a book is called then I’m not likely to make the extra effort to pick up a book I may not even like just to see what the title is. Instant rejection. Sorry book. I be a lazy little bookworm.

Author’s name or title? Seriously, does it bother anyone else when the author’s name is larger than the title so you think that the book is actually called Mary Smith? This is only made worse when the book title is also a person’s name, so you’re left guessing which is the title?

What is that word anyway? Fancy fonts that look great on the front cover don’t always work when you shrink them down. I get eyestrain just trying to work these titles out. If I can’t tell whether the word is ‘Conspiracy’ or ‘Corruption’ then Houston, we’ve got a problem.

The Front Cover

Solid colours aren’t a solid bet. Unless you’re doing something special with the book, having a monochrome colour for your cover is probably not the best decision. The sad truth is, I judge books by their covers. The prettier the cover, the more likely I’m going to pick it up and stroke it for a while. Books are artworks, so cover them properly!

Give that cover some spice, girl. Bland designs are an instant turn off. Single pattern covers aren’t always a safe way to go. Sure, a checked background like a gingham dress can be effective, but if there’s nothing else to make this cover pop then I’m going pop off and leave you to yourself, sorry book.

What is that picture?! If the cover has been reasonably well designed, then the picture is likely to give me a good idea of what’s on the inside. And if I don’t like what that picture is suggesting, like shirtless romantic men or blood dripping down a darkened building that screams vampire at me, then you’re going back where you came from. This isn’t a design issue so much as a warning that the book isn’t going to be something I like. 

The Title

What is that word (again)? I can sometimes forgive unreadable text on the spine. I mean, it is a teeny weeny space to write in. But if I can’t read your title when it’s blown up huge on the front cover, boy, we’ve got issues. Are you really going to make me flip to the title page on the inside to find out what you called this book? I be a lazy reader. I’m not doing that.

Fussy fonts aren’t fabulous. I love a good font, I really do. And there are some great fancy fonts out there that work really well on covers. But if you’ve got a beautifully simple cover and have slapped a curly wiggly font on top of that, then we have issues. Or those really tacky handwritten ones that look like they were written by a five year old with a crayon. Let’s keep this professional, shall we?

Can we talk colour? Colour is eye catching. Colour is awesome. Colour can make or break a cover. But if you’re going to put a pink title on an orange background like one of those colour-blindness tests then forgive me if I’m not going to take the time to squint sideways and work out what this thing says.

Back Cover Text

Colour me confused. As an honourable mention, one pet peeve about back cover text, without even getting into what the text actually says. Like front cover titles, what’s with the colour? Colour can work really well. But if you’re going to give me a handwritten font in illegible pink on patterned paper then excuse me if I can’t be bothered to work out what this book is about. Return to the shelf from whence you came!

These are some of the things on a cover that can make me want to put a book back. I have loads of ideas for one about back cover copy. Let me know if you’d like to see a second part to this post! And tell me, what kind of cover design issues make you put a book back on the shelf? Agree with any of these? What is your pet peeve?

Today was one of those red letter days where we took a massive trip to the library, returned most of their catalogue of books, and borrowed the other half off their shelves. These are somewhat epic journeys involving careful deliberation, towering book stacks, and much staggering home under the weight of a ton of books at the end. This week’s haul was particularly juicy, and today I thought I’d share a quick list of the five I am most looking forward to reading.

Devil Bones

Kathy Reichs

This is from my brief forays into the adult section of the library (usually characterised by snatch and grab missions. One does not simply browse the adult section). It’s part of a series of thrillers about a forensic anthropologist helping solve unusual crimes. I love the craft of forensics, and these books are amazingly gripping. The author has actually worked in forensics as well, so she really knows what she’s talking about, which is cool. 

Life In Outer Space

Melissa Keil

This book has nerds and Star Wars and sounds cute and epic at the same time. I’ve heard it is quite worth reading, so I’ve been trying hard to find the time to fit it in. Alas, this is probably my third time of borrowing with the intention of actually starting it. But I persist because A) the cover, and B) it just generally sounds like a fun book.

The Dead I Know

Scott Gardener

Sleepwalking? Lost memories? A job in a funeral directors? These all sound like excellent things to be in a book. I know exactly nothing else about this book, but the fact that it appears to be about dead people is a positive point in its favour. I do love me a good corpse of a morning.

A Thousand Pieces Of You

Claudia Grey

I swear half the reason I picked this book is because of the cover. It is so gorgeous. Also the story apparently involves murder and interdimensional travel, which combined sound like the premise of a very interesting book. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this one recommended around as well, so I’m hopeful that it’s going to be good. 

The Demi-Monde

Rod Rees

This is from the same snatch and grab mission to the adult session and is rather a monster of a book, which fills my little YA soul with fear (am I just reading the wrong books, or are adult books noticeably slower paced than most YA books?). However, it’s about virtual realities, which is always such a cool concept, and it also has a younger protagonist, so I’m hoping it’s going to be good.

What books are you excited about reading in the future? Have you read any of these books? Would you recommend any of them? And tell me, am I the only one who feels a bit awkward lingering in the adult’s section (even though I am technically an adult)?

Also, a quick shout out to my talented sister Sophie@The Techno Maid, who took these pictures for me. I can't photograph anything (nor can I edit photos, as you can probably tell), so it's nice to be able to have personalised pictures for this post. You should definitely check out her amazing Instagram account.

Occasionally people tag me for a blog tag, and very occasionally I remember that I have been tagged and decide to write a post in which I do said tag (and then contemplate how many times I can get away with saying the word ‘tag’ in one sentence). This is one of those rare occasions. The lovely Liz@Out Of Coffee Out Of Mind nominated me for the Get To Know You tag. And, seeing as I rarely talk about myself outside of what I’m writing, I thought, well, why not? Somebody might be interested in knowing a little about the person behind the blog. So, here I am, in a veritable feast of questions and answers. These are not all the questions mind you. I never play by the rules with tags, and I have taken the liberty of cutting out a few. However, you can see the full list on Liz’s blog.

Vital Stats

Name: Imogen Elvis

Nicknames: Nothing much of note. I go by Immy occasionally, usually called that by family, but I’m not really a person who gets nicknamed much.

Birthday: November. I shan’t disclose what day. You can all guess that in the comments. But, being born in this particular month, it should be no surprise that I love NaNoWriMo so much. You could almost say that I was born to it.

Occupation: Full time writer, blogger, and musician. So far unpaid at all. And so far completely undaunted by this fact.

Appearance

For a writer, I am terrible as describing myself, so here, have a handy picture to guide you through my somewhat lacklustre answers to these very basic questions.

Hair color: Golden brown. I sometimes wanted red hair, or black hair, or even blond hair, because all the book heroines seem to have any colour but brown. However, for brown, it’s not a bad shade.

Hair length: Long. You can’t see that from my handy dandy picture, so you’ll have to take my word for it. It currently comes down to the middle of my back, and appears to want to keep creeping down. Maybe there’s a Rapunzel shaped role in my future?

Eye color: Blue. Don’t ask me what shade. They’re…blue? I got nothing.

Best feature: I have a best feature? Ok, how about the dimple in my left cheek? They’re supposed to be nice, right? (Someone help me out here)

Braces: Once. Also plates, because I had a tiny mouth. The result was worth it but the process was vastly less than comfortable.

Righty or lefty: Right handed.

Firsts

Award: First official award that I can remember was an award from a first aid group I used to belong to. I got it when I was 10-11, for being the best all-round first aider in the junior division of the group. I was so proud of it, because it actually looked like a trophy and I always wanted to have one of those. And the best bit was I got to keep it forever instead of handing it back the next year. It’s still lurking in my cupboard somewhere, gathering a mountain of dust I suppose.

Sport: That would be swimming. One has to learn the fine art of drowning properly, avoiding sharks, and rescuing damsels in distress from an early age. M sporting history isn’t a very long or varied one I’m afraid.

Concert: I can remember going to a student piano concert when I was small, does that count? My piano teacher always used to hold an end of year concert and all her students would play something and then we’d have a Christmas party after that. I thought I was fabulous. Then again, I was only around six, so I very definitely wasn’t.

Favorites

Film: No contest. Beauty and the Beast. I can watch that movie for a week straight and still love it to bits. My family has literally taken to banning me from watching it when they get sick of seeing it. Alas, I can no longer take it on family holidays. But Belle loves books. And the Beast is cute and childish. And the songs. I love everything about this movie. (Except the last five minutes. I refuse to believe they ever happened. One does not simply turn a magnificent beast into a wimpy little man with a big nose.)

TV show: Probably Dr Who. I’m not really one for picking favourite TV shows. I usually end up watching older ones that have already finished. I think Dr Who is pretty much the only one I actually keep up with currently.

Color: Blue.

Song: Don’t ask me that. I like all the songs. I just like music in general. You can’t make me choose that. I refuse!

Shop: Officeworks. It’s a show full of stationary and office supplies. It has pens and notebooks and Post-It Notes. What’s not to love? I could die happy in a shop like that.

Book: Again, difficult choice. However, I shall only cheat mildly, and will restrain myself to a list of three. The criteria being the books I remember first that always make me feel good while reading them, and that I’ve practically warn out. First come, first listed. This is very scientific folks:

Persuasion by Jane Austen

The Seer and the Sword by Victoria Hanley

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

Currently…

Feeling: Tired mostly. But also contented. It’s been a good week so far, if much too busy. I caught up on my editing goal, released a new music video on my channel, shared an excerpt of my book on the blog, and consumed rather a lot of tea. I count this as a success.

Eating: Nothing. I don’t eat and blog at the same time. One cannot fully appreciate the deliciousness of food while trying to be clever.

Listening to: Random music on YouTube. At this very second it’s Jackie Evancho’s cover of Safe and Sound from The Hunger Games.

Thinking about: Lots of things. How to fit 3k of editing into an hour and a half of evening. Is that even possible with my brain going SQUIRREL every thirty seconds. Can I possibly come up with something clever to post on Twitter. How soon will I be fed again.  All the important questions of life.

Watching: Working my way through the TV show Life On Mars. Totally not getting the 70’s but having an excellent time laughing at the fashions.

Future

Careers in mind: That implies that I would want to change my current career of writer/blogger/musician. Which I certainly do not. A career where I get to stay home and explore fictional worlds, share my random writerly musings with other strange people like myself, and create music sounds pretty much perfect to me.

Where do you want to live: Somewhere around where I live now. I’d like to stay near my family if at all possible. 1. Because they’re my support group and cheerleaders, 2. Who else am I going to share random lame puns and odd jokes with, and 3. I introvert enough as it is. I’d miss them greatly and the world would never see me again. I need them to help make me appear sociable.

And now for a quick fire round.

Do you believe in…

God: Yes

Miracles: Yes

Love at first sight: Not really.

Ghosts: Only in books

Aliens: I like the conspiracy theories they create.

Yourself: I do. Some days more than others. But I always work my hardest to hold onto my belief in myself and what I am doing. Because if I don’t believe, how can I hope to succeed?

And that’s probably more than you ever hoped to know about me. I’d love for you to answer one or two of these questions in the comments so I can get to know you better. Tell me an interesting fact about yourself. Or, if you feel daring, do this tag yourself and leave me a link to your post so I can come and learn more about you! 

I am a very goal oriented writer. You may have worked this out already if you’ve ever been around my blog during NaNoWriMo season. Goals awaken the competitive side of my personality and kick me into top motivational gear. So, when I started editing Snow in the last week of January, I set myself the goal of finishing this round of edits by the end of February, which would give me about five weeks to accomplish this task. And having that goal has really spurred me on to edit almost every single day. But I’ve been finding that having a big goal, while useful for my long term vision, doesn’t help me so much with my day to day writing. I can see where I need to be in the end, but it’s hard to measure my progress in what I’m doing on a daily basis.

So one of the things I’ve done in the past week is break my big goal down into lots of little goals, by working out how many words I need to edit a day in order to be finished by the end of February (about 3k a day at this point). Having done that, it’s so much easier now to see how I’m progressing every day, and to work out where I need to be at the end of a session. And if I fall behind, I know just how much I need to make up. Plus having all those little goals pleases my goal oriented soul greatly. I’m in great need of a way to stay on track with all my creative projects, and breaking them down into a timeline of little goals is so helpful at the moment.

One of the other big pieces of progress I made this week was editing my favourite scene. It’s just a silly, fun little scene really. The two POV characters make cookies and just spend some time having fun together and bonding for the first time, but something about it makes me smile every time I read it, work on it, or just think about it. One of my big fears when I started this draft was that it wasn’t going to fit anymore and I was going to have to cut it out. I’ve spent the past couple o weeks psyching myself up for the moment when I would realise it wouldn’t fit. But so far, it’s still needed. The characters need a scene to start bonding and growing a bit of a friendship in order for the rest of the book to happen, so my little scene gets to stay for this draft. Thank goodness.

And, because I just edited my favourite scene and I’m the mood for sharing things, I thought I would share a little excerpt from the famous cookie baking scene. So here you go!

Eric’s POV: The girl still had a hold on his arm, and was dragging him along like his resistance meant nothing. For someone so small, she sure was strong. And the whole time she was talking like it was going out of style. “I love making chocolate chip cookies,” she said. “But someone told me that adding peanut butter makes them better. And then I thought, well, if peanuts and chocolate go so well together, what about fudge? And then I figured, well, if I was going to go that far, I may as well go the whole hog and make it a double chocolate peanut butter fudge cookie. That sounds like a taste explosion, right?” She ploughed on without even waiting for an answer. “I’ve been waiting for the right time to test my recipe though, and I have a feeling that today is the day.”

And before I finish this post I want to know your thoughts. I’ve been posting these weekly writing updates for nearly two months now. What do you think of them? Like them? Don’t like them? Are the weekly updates ok, or would it be better if I posted them less often? I would love to hear what you think.

So, what are you up to in your writing this week? Do you have a favourite scene in your book? If you feel like sharing/it isn’t too spoilery, what is it about? Do you make yourself daily or weekly goals, or are you more of a big picture person?