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Thursday, May 22, 2014

Alpha Readers Wanted

I'm looking for Alpha Readers for Luck of the Irish. Don't know what an alpha reader does? No problem. I'll give you the big picture. An alpha reader's job is to help the author during the writing process, describing their reactions to the text. No specifics, just their own thoughts and feelings as they read a chapter.
Sounds interesting? There's more.
The most puncual and helpful alpha readers will get a paperback copy of Luck of the Irish. How does that sound? Still interested?
GREAT! Drop me a line at
lizgavin@elessarbooks.com - subject line 'Alpha Reader' - saying you're up to that and I'll send you the detailed guidelines.
Bear in mind, though, alpha readers get a draft version of the text, in PDF, as I progress. It will contain typos, grammar mistakes, etc. I don't need you to concentrate on that. I need your feelings and reactions to the story and the characters. :-) Proofreading is for the beta readers.
(wink, wink)

Sunday, May 18, 2014


REVIEW OF THE REUNION by A.A. PENCIL - RAVE REVIEW BOOK CLUB

"The Reunion: Book 1 of the Beneath the Trap Door Series"

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have to say I’m not a big fan of mystery books but I was intrigued by the raving reviews this one got and by the book’s blurb.

The start of the story seemed a little slow for me and I agree with other reviewers who said there were too many characters. I did get a little lost and was tempted to skip some descriptions but I didn’t do it because I guessed they would be important later on in the story. Otherwise, why would they be there, right?

I also agree with fellow readers who said the book needs editing. As a writer myself, I know how hard it is to read the same text over and over without becoming blind to its possible flaws. I’ve done so many times. That’s why I encourage readers to ignore whatever typos they find and keep reading it because the plot and the story are worth their time and effort.

Like I said before, not being a huge fan of mysteries gave me the necessary distance to approach the story from a different perspective. I got scared and got surprised countless times. If I were a fan of the genre I might saw some of the twists in the plot coming but, as it was, I was completely clueless (pun intended). That’s why I advise other readers to navigate carefully through the published reviews as some did spoil the end.

Some scenes were a bit too gory. But, again, this is my fault, not the book’s since I don’t particularly appreciate this kind of scene. Actually, I would say the fact that I kept reading The Reunion until its very end, in spite of my own hesitations towards the genre and parts of the narrative, is proof enough that the story is powerful. It drew me in regardless of my qualms and kept me going.

As for the astounding end, don’t let anyone spoil it for you. You won’t see it coming and it will blow up your mind.

Fans of Agatha Christie everywhere – keep tabs on Ms. Atoyia A. Pencil because this new author is going places!

Liz Gavin

Thursday, May 1, 2014


 # 1 IN THE U.K. 

LUCK OF THE IRISH HAS JUST BECOME THE 
# 1 BOOK IN AMAZON'S U.K. SHORT-STORIES STORE 
AND # 61 IN THE WHOLE KINDLE STORE U.K.

THAT IS AWESOME! 
THANK YOU, GUYS!!!
I'M BUSTING MY REAR END OFF TO FINISH IT AND PUBLISH IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.