For the last couple of weeks Camera Girl has been asking me to send her a copy of my book. And I kept forgetting. Now, she’s not the most tech savvy individual. So, reading a book from her laptop isn’t ideal for her. But a few days ago she finally figured out how to open the file I e-mailed her and began reading it. Somehow yesterday she informed me that the last twenty pages of the book were missing. This panicked me because I had sent her the same file I sent to all of the other readers and I was afraid everyone would think I was losing my mind and forgot to finish the book. But on examining her copy I could see those last twenty pages. Somehow, she had a second copy open and something screwy happened to it.
Well, the good news is she likes the book. And this cheered me up quite a bit. Firstly, because I think she really means it. She is a very honest woman and even taking into account her bias in my favor, her positive comments were recognizable facets of the story. Secondly, I’m encouraged because this gives me my first test sample for women readers. And Camera Girl is a voracious reader of thrillers. She’s always reading a Lee Child book or some other big author in the genre. And she’s not a science fiction reader so if the other aspects of the book appeal to her it makes me think my story will have general appeal, possibly even with women!
And I’ll have to say that shocks me. I would say that my reading and writing preferences are definitely pre-feminist. The world at large currently is immersed in fiction that is geared for women readers almost exclusively. Even male authors take into account the sensibilities and preferences of a female audience. And to such an extent that men must notice that something has changed in these books. So, I’m surprised that my writing style hasn’t triggered some alarm bells in Camera Girl’s fiction reading programming. So, I think that’s interesting.
Of course, this has made me want to get some more female beta readers, but they’re hard to find in my circle of associates. If any of you know of any women who are interested in this branch of fiction please let me know and I’ll send along a copy for her. The trick is to find women who wouldn’t be politically triggered by the right-wing nature of the plot and characters.
Of course, Camera Girl still has twenty pages to go so there’s no guarantee that she won’t hate the ending. But one positive sign is that a scene in the book sparked her desire to bake a crumb cake today. And as much as I’m on a diet I saw it as a positive sign for her ultimate seal of approval on the book. So far, she says her favorite scene in the book is when Chastain is being pressured to accept becoming the next President of the United States by the remaining upper echelons of the federal government (Supreme Court Justices, highest ranking military officers, etc.) and he tells them he has to call his wife first to get her advice.
Well, I hope she likes it. I’m depending on getting her recommendation on the back cover.