Reader Spotlight: Mia the Happy Homesteader

In the Reader Spotlight series we ask our smart, diverse, and multi-talented readers what makes them tick and what they're seeing in Spun Yarn manuscripts. Our readers span the gamut of literary taste, so expect to see a little bit of everything! 

Hi Mia, thanks for chatting with us today! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a middle aged mom of many, who lives on a small homestead in the Midwest. I raise poultry and waterfowl and am a prolific gardener, all of which helps me stock a “pay what you can” farm stand in the warmer months. I’ve been a voracious reader for nearly my entire life - I started reading before I was three and have never slowed down. Because I’m autistic and hyperlexic, books have not only been a form of escape when I’m overwhelmed, but also a way to connect with the world in a way that makes sense to me. I form a deep bond with characters in books, and think of them fondly when I’ve finished reading.

Storytelling is an ancient skill, and there’s a lot of oral tradition valued by my Mexican and Mexican-American family, and I think that reading is a natural extension of that important part of my identity. I had a background in ambulatory care and hospitality, before choosing to stay home full time when my youngest child was born, but the true love of my life has always been the printed word.

What are your favorite hobbies?

I have a lot of hobbies, and while reading is a significant one, I also love fiber arts. I knitgarments - sweaters, socks, hats, and once even a pair of merino wool shorts - and I love sewing. I started sewing when I was six and never stopped - it started with a dress for my favorite doll and evolved into clothing for myself and my children. I’ve been quilting for about a year now and find it highly meditative and relaxing. I also love to do anything outdoors when the weather is warm. I can happily spend an entire day puttering around in my 1080sq ft vegetable garden or picking berries in the fields behind my house. I love hiking, and the Great Lakes, and just being in nature.

You've been a reader with us for a while now, when giving feedback for the Spun Yarn, what part do you find most challenging?

I think the most challenging thing about being a reader is knowing that an author is trusting me with the creation they’ve put their sweat, tears, and whole heart into and trying to give the most useful feedback possible to help them see a perspective that could take their work to the next level. I want to be able to utilize their trust in me to the fullest extent by imagining what will elevate their work to a new stage. I really believe that authors are capable of impacting the way entire generations of people see the world, and I want to help them do so. It’s actually a huge responsibility, because I really believe in the power of books to make this world a much better place where everyone can see life from another point of view.

What is your favorite part about being a reader for The Spun Yarn?

I genuinely get excited by each and every manuscript that comes into my inbox, because there’s always the potential for sitting down for a few hours and escaping into a world that changes the way I see things for the rest of my life. I can say with absolute honesty that I’ve read a number of manuscripts submitted by our authors that have stuck with me for months or - at this point, for years. Every manuscript I open is the purest form of hope, because when someone gives me the gift of allowing me to enter a world of their creation, I have the chance to see through their eyes, and that’s often a really beautiful thing.

Is there a genre you haven't been chosen for yet and would like to be? Why or why not?

I would love to read some books about the supernatural, ghost stories or witchy stories, maybe even horror. I tend to read a lot of mystery and thriller, women’s fiction, and memoirs, which are my usual fare when I read for pleasure, but there’s also something really fun about being scared silly!

Reader Spotlight: Frank the Author, Golf Player and Family Man

Hi Frank, we're so glad to connect with you and have you tell everyone a bit about yourself. What interested you about reading for The Spun Yarn?

First, I love to read, but more importantly, I enjoy helping other authors achieve the best results for their hard work. Writing and eventually publishing two books myself, I wished I had this service before I published the first book. Fortunately, it was available to me for my second book. The beta readers at Spun Yarn helped me see things that really helped me so, I thought it would be cool to return the help.

You've been a reader with us for a while now, when giving feedback for the Spun Yarn, what part do you find most challenging?

Honest feedback is critical in helping an author craft their best work. Sometimes the stories are brilliantly written and other times, they need a lot of work. The most challenging part for me is delivering this honest feedback without discouraging the author or, in contrast, overly applauding the work. Writing is hard, but everyone has a story in them and bringing out the story should be encouraged either critically or strategically. This is more difficult than it sounds.

What is your favorite part about being a reader for The Spun Yarn?

My favorite part of being a Spun Yarn reader besides reading some very cool stories is knowing that I get to help an author improve their storytelling while, at the same time, improve my writing. I believe that critiquing others helps me see where I can improve my own skills.

As an author yourself, can you tell us why this type of feedback is so important to writers?

As story tellers, the plot, the characters, the visuals and the smells are all in our head. This sometimes blinds us to thinking the reader is in there as well, and when we write our stories, we take it for granted that they understand the picture we are trying to paint, which character is speaking, the looks, feels and smells of a scene or the expression that is prominent of a characters face. Having beta readers review the work not only helps me catch this before it gets to the reader but also lets me know when it's too much detail, repetition, or the scene makes little sense. For me, this type of feedback is critical. Not only does it help me improve my storytelling, but also helps me know when it's ready for editing. 

When you aren't reading for TSY or writing fantasy novels, what do you like to do?

In my downtime, I love to be with family, reading stories to my grandchildren, or going out to play a round of golf.

Anything else you'd like to tell us?

I would like to commend TSY for providing a much-needed resource to authors like myself. Feedback is critical to learning regardless of if you're a plumber, teacher, politician, or a storyteller. Seek it out, and you'll be better for it.

Reader Spotlight: Shareca the Californian Comic Connoisseur and Consumer of all Mediums Under the Sun

 

In the Reader Spotlight series we ask our smart, diverse and multi-talented readers what makes them tick, and what they're seeing in Spun Yarn manuscripts. Our readers span the gamut of literary taste, so expect to see a little bit of everything! 

By day, Shareca is an English teacher and tutor, and is about to begin her MFA in film studies. Because that’s not enough, she also runs a Comic Book and Gaming Aficionado website at The Daily Fandom and is a longtime reader for us here at The Spun Yarn! She reads everything, but especially Young Adult, Poetry, and Mystery/Thriller.

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The Spun Yarn: Shareca, you have been with us since 2017. Why do you do it, and what about reading for us do you find rewarding?

Shareca:   My favorite aspect of the reading experience is getting to partake in the editing process. I love being able to help writers, as I am one myself. I love the fact that I can help shape a story or at the very least, give advice from my perspective as a totally new reader. It makes me feel wonderful knowing that I was a part of someone’s process. 

The Spun Yarn: You've seen a lot of manuscripts come through. In your experience, what is one thing that's hard for authors to get right?

Shareca: Can I choose two? Endings and beginnings. It’s like an essay: you either love to write introductions and hate to write conclusions or vice versa. It is astonishingly hard to grip a reader at the beginning of the story and to leave the reader with a hard-hitting life analysis at the end. You know, the stories that really make you consider your mortality. I think that’s the most troublesome part of writing. There’s never a definite way to do beginnings or endings, but I wish there were! 

The Spun Yarn: You are a passionate gamer and comic book fan, and have turned these passions into a business, is that right? Tell us about it!

Shareca: Yes! I run The Daily Fandom, I do a lot more comic book reading than gaming these days (adult life, sadly). It has been a wondrous experience to teach myself a ton of development quirks over the past two years. It was something I didn’t foresee myself doing, but one thing led to another and the former owner couldn’t take on the website anymore and I just said, “let’s do it.” Since then, I have been “doing it.” 

The Spun Yarn: Where do you live, and what do you love about living there?

Shareca: I live in Fresno, CA. I love the weather here — that’s my favorite aspect. Also, it’s a small town in California so I don’t have to deal with the traffic as much (thank goodness!) The weather, however, is my ultimate favorite reason to be here. I live about 3-4 hours max from everything in California and it’s nice to be able to drive anywhere in under 5 hours!

The Spun Yarn: You love to read, and like other passionate readers are probably on the lookout for your next favorite book. What are you in the mood to read right now, or what kind of book would you love to read that you haven't found yet?

Shareca: A healthy, romantic, dreamy, sort of detective story. I love detective stories and I feel like we don’t get much in the genre of Sherlock and Drew. I am always missing detective love stories. I haven’t found one that has gripped me yet, one day I will.

The Spun Yarn: You’re right, we could really use more classic detective narratives. Stick around, and maybe someone reading this will send us one for you!

Reader Spotlight: Stephen the fantasy loving hiker and his business savvy alter ego

 

In the Reader Spotlight series we ask our smart, diverse and multi-talented readers what makes them tick, and what they're seeing in Spun Yarn manuscripts. Our readers span the gamut of literary taste, so expect to see a little bit of everything! 

By day Stephen is a program manager for a national bank. Outside of work, his creative passions take the reigns. Stephen is a prolific writer, a voracious reader of Action, Fantasy, and Young Adult manuscripts for The Spun Yarn, and a frequent traveler. When he’s not teaching business courses at the local community college, Stephen and his wife visit friends all over the country in between hiking trips.  

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The Spun Yarn: Stephen, we know you’re pretty involved in your local writing community. Can you tell us a little bit about that community and how you got involved? 

Stephen:  A high school friend and I had been talking books for years, then one day we met up for coffee and found out we were both planning to write a book. It was fate. We spent the next year working on a book, and continued to talk shop even after our writing interests diverged. He writes high fantasy and I write action / thrillers. Locally, I participate in events and conferences put on by the Sisters in Crime chapter. Even though I’m not a “sister,” they welcome me with open arms and put on killer events. Last year I got to listen to Clive Cussler! 

The Spun Yarn: What do you admire about your favorite books? What do you think is one of the hardest things for authors to do well?

Stephen: I’ve always been impressed by authors who can drop a piece of information into Chapter 1 and make it pay off many chapters (or even books) later. That “aha!” moment is thrilling. It’s a sign that the author is fully in control of the story.

Lately, I’ve also been drawn to an author’s ability to tackle heavy, potentially depressing topics while maintaining a sense of hope and optimism. It’s a dreadfully tricky balance to strike, and too many authors settle into the bleak, negative outlook on life. 

The Spun Yarn: What do you find yourself commenting on most often when reading a Spun Yarn manuscript?

Stephen: The fastest way to lose me as a reader (and thus something I comment on all the time) is when a character has muddy or inconsistent motivation. I need to know WHY a character is taking an action, especially if that action is dangerous or costly. As human beings, we don’t take dangerous or costly actions unless we have good reason. It violates our innate sense of self-preservation. When a book opens with the main character risking life and limb for no discernible reason, that pulls me right out of the story. “What?! Why did John just do that?!” 

Even more painful is when a main character shifts character for no reason, for example suddenly becoming heroic after a plot full of selfishness. I find myself wondering what changed. If the story doesn’t support the change through real character development, then I struggle to keep reading.

The Spun Yarn: What was your favorite moment while reading a Spun Yarn manuscript?

Stephen: There have been a few. I enjoy providing feedback to burgeoning authors, especially those that show flashes of brilliance. While a story may need fine-tuning, there are passages that makes you sit up in your seat and pay close attention. Whether it’s strong world-building or a moment of deep character, I love encouraging a writer’s progress. 

I’ve also had the privilege of reading some stellar writing with The Spun Yarn, some fascinating stories with complex characters—the kinds of stories that just need some tweaking here or there. Being able to enjoy the story, while also providing some comments that may push it to the next level, is a real treat. And I hope to see these manuscripts on bookshelves soon!

The Spun Yarn: That’s a trait you share with the rest of our diverse cast of readers, and why we appreciate you so much. You’re all truly excited to see these books make it into the world. We love how much your constructive criticisms are driven by a real desire to see authors succeed. Thanks for being such a great reader Stephen!

Reader Spotlight: Haeli the Teenaged World Traveler

 

In the Reader Spotlight series we ask our smart, diverse and multi-talented readers what makes them tick, and what they're seeing in Spun Yarn manuscripts. Our readers span the gamut of literary taste, so expect to see a little bit of everything! 

Haeli grew up and attended school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, but when she turned 15 her parents decided it was time to travel before she grew older and went off on her own. Haeli's family got rid of everything they owned, sold their house, and bought an RV to travel the US and Mexico. Since then they've been to many cities in Mexico, attended a WorldSchooling conference, reunited with Haeli's exchange sister, and are now touring the National Parks. Though Haeli misses her friends, she wouldn't exchange the new Worldschooling perspective she's gained for all the lakes in Michigan. 

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The Spun Yarn: Wow Haeli, you are certainly not the average teen. We're curious – what does a typical day in your life actually look like? 

Haeli:  Lately, I hike all day, then come home to eat dinner and watch a movie. When we're not in the national parks, I usually spend my time reading, editing YouTube videos for my YouTube channel Haeli’s Layne, playing Minecraft with my little sister, and writing the middle grade chapter book I'm currently working on. Of course, I can't go a day without writing to my best friend Faith. We're even better friends now than when I left. 

The Spun Yarn: So this is tough, but we do it to everyone: pick a favorite book and tell us what you love about it.

Haeli: Harry Potter, no question. My Dad started reading the series to me when I was five or six years old, and I was hooked from Chapter 1. I wasn’t a good reader yet, because I didn’t have the patience. The special reading program in school helped a little, but I really started reading when my Dad told me he wouldn't continue the series until I had read the first three by myself. That's all I needed. It was a hard book for a seven-year-old, but I finished the third one by the time I was eight. I'd become one of the best readers in my class, because I found out I loved to read.

The Spun Yarn: You generally read YA manuscripts for us here at The Spun Yarn. What's been your favorite moment as a reader so far?

Haeii: When our editor Sarah emailed me and told me the author of the manuscript I'd just reviewed was inspired by my feedback to keep working on her book after an eight-year hiatus.  I told the author in my feedback how much I truly loved the story, and later the author put a quote from me on her wall! I literally cried when I heard how I had affected someone in such a good way! I can’t wait for that story be published!

The Spun Yarn: So what do you think makes a really fantastic YA novel stand out?

Haeli: Lately I've been into dystopias with complicated but cute romances, such as The Hunger Games, The Selection, and Divergent. I think the thing that makes a good Young Adult book, or at least one that hooks readers, is a couple's ongoing conflict, such as fighting and lying. I get so annoyed that I basically yell at the characters to TALK to each other! I have to admit that it hooks me though, and I can’t stop reading until the end when the characters are finally in a good relationship. I also think character development is very important, but there are many different tastes in YA, which is why I'm glad that my opinion on a manuscript is one of three.

The Spun Yarn: You've hit on one of the most valuable aspects of the three beta reader package. We're excited to have you read more manuscripts for us and discover new authors you love!