Monday, August 30, 2010

I'm Not Bragging....But I Was A Beta Reader On This One...

 I have some exciting news to share with you!  One of my critique buddies is launching her first book!  Amy Allgeyer Cook (of The Wad) released THE IRON BODKIN today at Createspace.  Amy has been sharing her ups and downs  (from winning a contest with her manuscript until publication) on her blog.   Heidi  Schmidt (also of The Wad) did the gorgeous cover!  If you look carefully you can see a child hidden in the cover. 

If you are a Harry Potter fan or like magical worlds with surprising twists you will love this mid grade novel....and I should know.  I was lucky enough to be one of Amy's Beta Readers.  :)  It's available right now on Createspace  and will be available on amazon soon.  Amy is going to have a "blog" launch party on Wednesday at 9 a.m. Make sure you hop over and join in on the celebration....

27 comments:

  1. Sharon, you're so sweet. Thanks so much for posting this, and for being my beta! And my friend. :) xo

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  2. Oh how exciting!! Well done Ms Allgeyer Cook!! And it's a lovely cover too! I wish her all the very best with this book!! Yay!

    Take care
    x

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  3. Wow, that is really cool, and magic and cats seem to be a good fit!

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  4. hi miss sharon! thats soooo exciting for miss amy and you to cause of being her beta. i think being a beta is a pretty important job. it sounds like a cool book and maybe one i could want to read.
    ...hugs from lenny

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  5. Wow!!! You'r popular by association!!! Wait a minute... that means I'm popular by association!!! How fantastic!!!

    Congrats to your fabulous friend! Looks like I'm heading over to investigate this fabulous book! Thanks for sharing the super fun news!

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  6. Well done, Amy. So happy for you! :o)

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  7. So cool! Your beta-ing skills must be quite awesome.

    Shelley

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  8. Old Kitty, thank you!! I have to give credit for the cover to Heidi. She did a fantastic job.

    Brian, magic and cats make a GREAT mix. In fact, I don't think it's advisable to do magic without a cat. It might even be illegal!

    Lenny, you're so right. Beta readers are very important. They're wonderful people and Sharon is one of the best!!

    Jen, you're so funny! I guess we're all popular by association! :)

    Thanks Jemi & Beth! Beth I hope your book is doing well! I see it all over the internet! :)

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  9. Amy--I'm so excited for you! I can't wait to get some copied of THE IRON BODKIN for my neices and nephews for Christmas...Thanks for stopping in to chat with us tonight. :)

    Jennifer--It's a super read! It'll be available on amazon soon and kindle in a few weeks I think. :)

    Brian--Maybe you can get your humans to read it to you. You'd like it...

    Jemi--I'm just excited to know Amy now...I hope she'll remember me when she's a big shot!

    Lenny--I think it's a perfect book for you! It's a mid grade novel with a boy as the main character....

    Hopefully, when I get published you'll feel as proud as I feel right now...since you are one of my Beta readers. :)

    Jen--I figure if I rub shoulders with enough talented people eventually I'll catch some. :)

    Beth--Isn't Amy the best! She's soooo creative and talented!

    Shelley--Hit me with something...I really do enjoy critiquing... (Love the new picture!)

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  10. How exciting! I CAN see the child in the center (I thought for a minute you were making it up to drive us crazy).

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  11. Isn't it a great thing to have books you beta'd get into print? My good crit partner just got picked up by an agent,. and I'm so happy for her. And hoping some of it rubs off on me;)

    Congrats to your friend!

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  12. Oo, Shelley, I missed your comment. It must have come in while I was posting. Sharon's Beta-skills are awesome! She's a really good pole dancer too. (I'm totally kidding!!)

    Vicki -- I'm glad you could see the girl! It's kinda hard to pick her out online.

    Kelly, Congrats to your friend! I hope her agent finds good homes for her books. :)

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  13. Congratulations to your friend...the road to publishing is never easy!

    C x

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  14. CONGRATS going out to Amy!

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  15. Great pitch. It looks like a cool book.

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  16. Congrats to Amy! How fun for you to be a part of it, too!! Cool cover!

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  17. Carol, you have that right. Someday, I'll have to post the REAL reason this book ended up being self-published.

    Thanks Susanne & Angela!

    Kelly, I'm really lucky to count Sharon as a friend. And she is, really, a great Maypole dancer. :)

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  18. I read an unedited beta book recently. It was a priviledge to be asked to read one and give a review that will hopefully appear on the book. Hope the book launch is a huge success. I'm sending big thoughts over right now.

    Stephen Tremp

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  19. Isn't it the greatest feeling when one of your writer-friend's work is about to be released and you've been a part of it? Congratulations to you both!

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  20. Congrats to your friend!! I love it when I have been part of the process and see a book come out:)

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  21. Congrats to you and your friend... I'll do my best to make it over.

    Thx

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  22. Vicki--Pretty cool, huh! Heidi does great work! She had a piece called Sorrow, that I've been trying to buy from her for ages....

    Kelly B--That's what I keep hoping...I have some amazing critique partners...I'm always learning from them. :)

    Amy--I can't believe you found time to drop in three times in one day...I'm really looking forward to your launch party on Wednesday!

    Carol--Amy has worked really hard to get here...she's going to be a speaker at a conference and talk about her journey....

    Susanne D.--Thanks. :)

    Kelly--I came in on the end of this book...Her next book I had more input on (not that she needed it, but I feel like I was there for more of it....You know what I mean?)

    Angela--I think it's a great mg novel and if you have a mg boy...quick go online and order a copy. :) (How was that for pitching? LOL)

    Amy--Thanks for clearing up he Maypole Dancing thing. :)

    Stephen--I don't think I really am qualified to give a review (yet), but someday when I have a book (like you do) maybe someone will ask me to write a blurb for them. :)

    Suzanne C.--I am so proud of and excited for Amy. I wish all of you guys knew her as well as I do. She is soooo funny and has this amazing creative mind....

    Terri--Thanks. :) I do feel like I helped a little. I may not have my own book, but I've been a part of a couple of books. :)

    Jeff--I hope you do make over to Amy's. She's sooo much fun!

    Thanks for stopping in everyone! Have a safe and fun week...

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  23. Hi Sharon .. that's great & wonderful that you can both go through the process together.

    Amy - congratulations and enjoy the promotion .. today - I believe ..

    The title and book cover look really interesting - lots could be woven with that bodkin ..

    All the very best and lots of success .. Hilary

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  24. Woot! Woot! Let's get our party on :D

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  25. And what's wrong with bragging?? Brag all you want!! :)

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  26. Hilary M-B--I'm just glad I get to learn from Amy! It's a lovely story. I can't wait to see the final copy. :)

    Tess--We are going to have to have a WAD party some time soon...

    DL--Umm, I was bragging, but in a very polite way. :)

    Thanks for stopping in everyone!

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