The Alpha Reader and Doubt’s Arrival

It really started Saturday. The rocket scientist finished a book and picked up my manuscript.  A few hours later, I noticed he had set it down and crawled between the sheets to watch some TV in bed. I checked his reader, where I had put a copy of Naked Alliances for his convenience. He had only read the first two chapters.

Me: So it wasn’t intriguing enough to make you want to keep reading.

RS: I’ve been reading all day. It is fine. I need a little break from reading.

Me: Okay, I don’t want to rush you. (But really I do.)

Sunday he was reading it again. He pointed out a couple of typos and told me I needed to add back a small scene I had taken out. He liked it better with a little foreshadowing of something that is to come later in the book. I made some notes on the paper manuscript. Later in the evening, as I set supper on the table, I noticed he had quietly read up to chapter ten.

Me: You’re up to chapter ten.

RS: Yeah. It’s moving right along.

Me: So, you wanna talk about the book now or wait until you’re done.

RS: I’ll wait. I’ve highlighted a couple of places where things seem a bit disjointed. We’ll see how it all comes together.

Me: *sigh* (The only word that I really heard was disjointed.)

When he went to bed last night, I saw he had gotten up to chapter sixteen. I followed him to the bedroom.

Me: It’s not ready for publication, is it?

RS: No, but it can get there.

Today, after he left for work, I looked in his reader. Naked Alliances is in there with Tim Baker, Michael Connelly, Jonathan Kellerman, Tim Dorsey, John Sanford, Tony Hillerman, Sue Grafton, and Carl Hiaasen. Dozens and dozens of books by these prolific authors.

About that time, I heard a ruckus outside. The yard cat, Boozer, was going nuts. A package had arrived UPS all the way from Idaho. Yes, Doubt is here. The Raven from Entertaining Stories. Lisa and Craig packed him up and sent him to me because he was pecking up Craig’s left brain. So now he is here to work on mine for a while. I thought it would do Craig and Lisa, the Robot, some good to have a little vacation from Doubt. Craig needs some reviews. He doesn’t need Doubt around right now. If you are looking for a couple of quick, clever reads, look up C.S. Boyack on Amazon, here and here, and give him a try.

I brought Doubt inside and took him out of the bucket. Lisa had packed him in there with some water. He was nestled on a bed of peanut shells. When I lifted the lid, he started flying around the room, dodging the ceiling fan blades. He lit on Sunny’s cage, our little yellow cockatiel. Sunny began to sing. Doubt didn’t seem impressed.

The rocket scientist had to go up to Ocala today, so he’ll have a long drive home from work through rush hour traffic. I hope he is up to company. I knew Doubt was coming, but I don’t think the RS did.

I don’t know what to do with myself right now. Wait to do edits. Start on the next manuscript, Book Two in the series. Or, just hang out with Doubt a while on the back porch. It is screened in. There’s a nice perch out there that once belonged to a parrot we had. I could teach him how to talk southern. Maybe we should just go to the beach for a couple of days. Doubt could hang out with the gulls.

 

* I have to add a note: RS did laugh out loud a couple of times as he was reading. That’s not a bad thing. I had  few attempts at humor in there, so it must have punched him a little, like it was supposed to. At least I am hoping that is why he was laughing 🙂