Queen Witch in Beta Hands

Hi there. ROWers, quick update for you: The book I’m planning to publish this round is polished and with beta readers. Now you can keep reading if you want to know what sort of mental state that left me in. Ha!

I spent Monday polishing up Queen Witch to get it to my three beta readers. My manuscript is now in their capable hands, and I’m left twiddling my thumbs a bit, with a lot of energy, and wondering what to tackle next. Only it can’t be anything too absorbing, because as soon as I hear from betas…sigh.

This is what it’s like to be a writer who likes multiple projects. I always like to have something to ponder…being in between projects has become an uncomfortable space for me.

Are you a worry wart? I am a definite worry wart. Sometimes I drive my husband nuts. He’ll finally ask me, “What are you worrying about?” And it’ll stop me in my tracks, and I have to admit: I’m worrying about things that aren’t in my control. So I try to do that less. But my brain likes to work on problems. Constantly. I’ve found that worrying about the problems my characters face can absorb some of that energy, and leave me happier and more able to handle the every day stresses that do matter, and that I can control. It’s quite possible that makes sense to no one but me. But there you go. Now I’ve shared. 🙂

I do have some administrative things I could take care of…like I need to learn CreateSpace, and start an account there, and figure out their formatting guidelines so I can publish Queen Witch in paperback later this fall. I also need to write a series of posts for writers that I’ve been thinking about, because there are certain questions I’m hearing a lot, that I actually have answers to. Finally, I want to work on the outline to the fifth and final Children of the Sidhe novella. Once I’m satisfied with the outline, I’ll probably add it to my iPad for moments just like these, when I want to dive into my stories for a while…I hadn’t realized what I stress release writing has become for me. I’ll have to remember that. 🙂

About J.R. Pearse Nelson

J.R. Pearse Nelson is a fantasy and romance writer from Oregon, USA. She lives with her husband and two daughters among the plentiful trees and clouds of the beautiful Willamette Valley. J.R. is always searching for the magic in our world. She weaves tales rooted in mythology, bringing legend to life in modern-day and fantasy settings. J.R. is the author of the Of the Blood fantasy romance series, the Foulweather Twins fantasy series, and the Water Rites fantasy series. You can connect with J.R. and learn more about her fiction at her website. Visit jrpearsenelson.com.

4 comments on “Queen Witch in Beta Hands

  1. Ooo. The waiting game is painful, isn’t it? That’s the key to it all. If you worry about the things you can’t control then you’ll worry yourself silly. For the things you can control, you needed worry there either because you, well, control the outcome. 😉 You could always use the time to catch up on a book you’ve been wanting to read?

  2. Awww… control. Giving it up is nigh on impossible for me. So, good luck with that! hahaha
    I hope your beta readers are a nice cross between devastating and snuggly. (Not too nice or mean, but helpful.)

  3. Stop worrying. LOL. I’m not much of a worry wart anymore. It’s counter-productive. Your beta readers are loving your book, right? 😉

    CreateSpace is easy peasy. The hardest part is getting the page numbers to work in Word. I still struggle with that.

  4. ah page numbers in word ugh! – letting go – waiting – all difficult but before you know it the work will be back in your hands again – all the best for this week don’t tear out too much hair:)

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