Would you like to be a Beta Reader?

I've been thinking. I'd like to have a small group of Beta Readers.

What is a Beta Reader?

It's a person who reads your book, much like you're reading this. They give honest feedback about your book and where they felt it was weak.

I often have family read my books while I'm editing them, but too often they just tell me it's great.

If you, your reading club, or anyone you know might be interested, please email me. I'd love to hear from you. I want to be the best storyteller I can be. But no matter how hard I try, I still have blind spots.

If you're new to this, start atThe Beginning. And thanks for sharing my stories with all your friends.
Installment #22 of:Sing Low: The Hangman of the WoodsBy B.C. Crow (Chapter 21There is the world in whole and then there’s the smaller world in which we live. The little overlap we find between the two may seem small, but it’s larger that we know. Sometimes we think we’re helplessly bound to our own sphere and can’t imagine reaching out to the larger realm. In those times, all we can do is focus on our own place as best we know how. The truth is that our little world greatly overlaps many other people’s little realities. As we influence all of them, we exert a greater influence over the grand world in a way we may never realize or even think possible.December 27 was a Saturday. My mother left for work and I too went in search of any odd job for the day. I ended up cleaning gutters at the local market. That was a job I hope never to do again. I don’t know when the last time those narrow concrete foot traps had been cleaned, but they seemed to have more than just debris flowing through them. They smelled of sewage and pig guts. There was close to a half kilometer of the zigzagging trench snaking through the grounds of the market. All of it contained at least three centimeters of sludge. In some spots the crud dammed the system and water spilled over the top of the drainage trench.I made an honest day’s wage. By honest, I mean that if you had no other work, and your employer knew you were desperate, they could pay you the bare minimum required to keep you working for a day. Another day of this and I could donate the money to my mother for bus fare to New Tum. The only problem, as far as I could see, was that I wouldn’t be around long enough to work that much. I had a bit of money saved up from my normal job, but that was dedicated to paying for my next semester of school and rent. I wondered if anyone we knew could loan us the money to get my mother to New Tum. She was tough, but I was pretty sure she couldn't handle an extended hike through the woods.I got home about the same time as my mother. She was going to make dinner for us, but I insisted that she rest and I prepare the meal. My body ached from the manual labor, but I could only imagine how worn down she must have felt. In the back of my mind, I wondered if my hands still smelled of guts and rot. If they did, they better not infect dinner with their unique flavor.“If I can find a place to rent over by my school, do you have enough saved up to get a bus ticket to New Tum District?”My mother’s drooping head shot up. “Why would you want me to come live with you?”“You’ve hidden it pretty well, but even I can see that you’re not doing well.” I hated being so blunt with her, but I didn’t know how else to broach the topic.“Iddo, I have a good job here. My boss understands my situation. There’s no way I’d be able to find work again.”“Maybe it’s your work that’s running you down. I’ll find a way to support both of us. If you had a chance to rest, you might get over whatever is bothering you. Plus, there's a lot of doctors at the college. Maybe-”“No. I can’t do that. You have too much going on. I’m fine, really I am. I may have my moments, but I’m doing okay. Besides, there’s no way you can support both of us, go to school, and eventually support your bride. While you’re at school, focus and work hard. I’m not going anywhere. Just, when you find Midnight, bring her here so I can attend your marriage. Besides, Iddo”—she smiled in amusement—“you can’t even take care of dinner without burning the beans.”I raised an eyebrow, wondering what she meant by that. The acrid smoke woke my nose. Looking down, I realized I’d been so wrapped up in my concern that I was burning our dinner. I quickly stirred the food, trying to salvage the meal. Luckily I hadn’t completely ruined it, but it would be a little more charred than either of us preferred.My mother laughed heartily. I couldn’t help but laugh, too, until a coughing spell quieted her. My eyes bored into her while I pulled the pan away from the heat.“Don’t give me that look, Iddo. You can’t afford to take care of us and go to school.”“Then I’ll quit school and stay here to help you.” For a second, I considered threatening her with her ladle. But I left it alone.Her eyes sharpened and her face hardened. “No! We have all sacrificed too much to get you where you are now.”I wanted to argue that currently I was here at home, but I held my tongue. Maybe I really should give her a whack on the head with that ladle.“You are going to become a doctor, Iddo. You’ve always had a bigger heart than you’ve had brains to hold. Don’t let that heart talk you out of the right choice for you. You have a good future ahead of you, but you have to stick to it. Stay in school. If this Midnight really is good enough to deserve you, then find and marry her. I’ve had a good life. I found a man I was able to share it with. He was a hard man, but a good man. I loved your father. Together we raised you. I am so proud of you. You are better than either of us ever was. What more could I ask from my own son?”How could I respond to that? “But if I can make it all work out, would you come?”She thought hard for a long moment. I almost thought she’d concede. “No, Iddo. I wouldn’t. My life if here. Yours is over there. I have family and neighbors who can help me if I need it. Really, don’t worry about me.”That night I lay awake, searching for a fix to all our problems. My mother, once so meek, had turned into a stubborn woman. I couldn’t just leave her alone. She truly did need help. I decided to consult with her brother—my uncle.Sunday morning, I fried an egg to put over rice for breakfast and left it for my mother. She would sleep later today. Sunday for her was not a day of worship. Sure, she spent an hour or two on her knees. But unless worship is kneeling by a tub of water, scrubbing clothes, she had an empty day ahead of her. For a sick woman who worked six long days each week, she needed her one true day of rest.I walked the two kilometers to my uncle’s home. He was married to a cranky lady. I doubt my aunt had always been such a shrew. Someone as good natured as Uncle Kim wouldn’t have chosen his wife if she'd been such a nag when they’d first met. Though I rarely saw him, especially now that I was going to school so far away, I always felt welcome around Kim, even if his wife tempered that welcome. They never had a kid, and while they seemed content with that, I think Uncle Kim always wished he had.Being Sunday, Kim and his wife were home when I showed up.“It’s Soportevy’s son,” my aunt called over to Kim, a hint of irritation peppering her abnormally low voice. I don’t think she was upset, but she was so used to being ornery, the tone had become a permanent landmark of her personality.Kim appeared more quickly than I expected. His wife’s bellow apparently wasn’t meant to call him from a distance. I think that if divorces were more common around here, she'd be a lonely woman.“Iddo! Welcome. It’s nice to see you. How's your schooling?”“It’s hard work, but I really like it.”“You’ll be a great doctor someday, I know it. So what brings you here? I haven’t seen you for a long time.”“It’s my mother.”Kim’s wife snorted and mumbled something under her breath. Kim ignored her, his smile never wavering.“I’m just worried about her. I wanted to see if you could give me some advice.”He put an arm around me and we stepped outside. A cheap wooden bench was fixed in front of his home, and we settled onto it. The hot morning sun was slightly tempered by the shade of a large tree and a cooler breeze. I felt relaxed as I explained my mother’s condition.“You’re right to worry,” Kim said after solemn hesitation. He was thinking. “I don’t think I can tell you what to do, but I can offer you a little advice. If you quit your schooling now, not only will your mother still be sick, but she’ll also have a broken heart. You’d never get back to school, either. You should see how proudly she boasts of you when you’re not here.”“Boasts? Of me?”“You're being a man, Iddo. You have an honorable dream and you’re working hard to realize it. Your father may not've liked the choice, but your mother couldn’t be more pleased. If you throw that away because of her, how do you think she’ll feel?”I thought long and hard. “But her health. What if I go back to school, and she doesn’t live long enough for me to see her again?” I choked up a little at this question. Thinking it was one thing, admitting it out loud was much more difficult.“I think she’ll be fine. She has good months and bad ones. She’s probably just doing poorly this month, but next month, she’ll be feeling much better.”I wasn’t so sure. My face must have said as much.“Listen, Iddo, even if she doesn’t make it, which I’m sure won’t happen, do you want her unhappy?”“Maybe, if it’s better than being lonely.”“You really think she’s that bad off?”I shrugged. I didn’t know. The thought threatened to break me down into sobs.My aunt, who’d been listening from the doorway, stalked up to me. With a loud harrumph, she planted her fists on her ample hips. “You listen here, boy. Whatever happens to your mother, I guarantee, she won’t be alone.”My reddened eyes looked up to her in surprise.“You do your part by going to school. It will lift her spirits to know you’re where you ought to be. We’ll visit her weekly, won’t we, Kim.”Kim just smiled and nodded his head. I wasn’t sure, but for a second I almost got a feel for how my aunt and uncle’s odd relationship worked. He was the face, and she was the driving force. But that didn’t really matter. “Would you really do that?”“Iddo, when my wife sets her mind to something, don’t ever second-guess her.”I studied her face for a moment and almost saw the tinge of a smile. She stifled it before it could show. No doubt she had to keep up appearances. She would visit my mother weekly. I could tell that she would likely visit daily, except when it was truly inconvenient.They gave me more reassurances that all would be well, then changed the subject to school, work, and girls. I elaborated plenty on school and work and my roommates. I kept vague, though, when they pressed me about girls. They didn’t need to know about Midnight. However, I did tell them about the girl Duy had set me up with. My aunt’s scowl deepened, my uncle laughed. It was still a painful memory, but gradually I, too, found the humor in it. It’s funny how time can let you laugh.I stayed long enough that they fed me lunch. After eating, I went home. School would start up next week. If I was to go, I needed to leave tomorrow. I made up my mind to spend an extra day or two searching the southeast side of the woods. I still believed that the hangman would've gone northwest, but I wouldn’t have time to travel and search any farther in that direction.When I arrived home, my mother was pleased to hear my decision. I don’t know if her health improved with the news, or if she faked it well, but she did seem better after I told her. I’d like to think she wasn’t just suffering a smile on my behalf.Monday morning, we shared breakfast together then said our good-byes. She seemed to be holding back as many tears as I was. I was tempted to reconsider my decision to leave because I had a sinking dread . . . the kind that hollows out your gut and tells you to soak up the moment, because you’ll never get the chance again.I swallowed my fear and walked toward the woods as my mother walked in the opposite direction. I only turned once, fearing that if I looked twice I’d see her steps waver. If that happened, there was no way I’d ever make it to the tree line again.Click here to read Chapter 21Copyright 2017: While I encourage you to share this link with your friends and family, please keep in mind that this is copyrighted material. Under no circumstances do you have the right to re-publish any or part of this content without specific written permission from BC Crow and Blue House Publishing.