Hey yo!

Happy Friday to anyone reading this today (or any other Friday, I s’pose)! I like to share things I find awesome when I have the chance. So, in no particular order:

I don’t know about any of you writers out there, but I like to listen to music when I write. While writing my book Switchers I was introduced to the music of a local (Grand Rapids, MI) band, The Crane Wives. I can’t say enough about how much I like this band. My favorite song of theirs (currently) is High Horse. These guys are on tour right now, mostly in Michigan. If you get the chance to see them, do it. If not, just enjoy them from your home, car, or earbuds.

Now, on the subject of beta readers. If you’re thinking, The f–k is a beta reader?, then I’ll tell you. It’s a term for a person who reads your book and makes suggestions before you send the book off to the professionals. I have a few really good ones. I also had a few that didn’t really jump at the opportunity. I think that’s probably because I didn’t give everyone a great set of Dos and Don’ts. There are more articles about how to work with beta readers than you can imagine. If you want to get good feedback, Google “how to work with beta readers” and read a few of the many many articles that pop up. But most importantly, find someone who LOVES to read AND isn’t worried about hurting your feelings. My friend Mike is the perfect example of a beta reader. He reads constantly anyway, and he wasn’t worried about saying things like, I didn’t understand the significance of ________, or, I thought this part was too long and this part was too short. So find a person who can’t stop reading and is pretty straight forward with you on most things. If you look, you’ll find them. Some might be friends. Others might be coworkers. One of my beta readers is my wife’s coworker. She overheard my wife talking about how her husband is writing a book and she offered her services out of the blue. They are out there.

Since I’m in a good mood but need to make breakfast for my 2 youngest, I’ll make a short list of other things that are awesome for your enjoyment.

1. Short’s Brewing Company, which is where I first saw The Crane Wives.
2. Torch Lake Cellars, which is a great winery not too far from Short’s. They have the best hard ciders I’ve ever had. For real.
3. Lord Huron, a fantastic band. I went to high school with 75% of the members. They were good guys then, as I’m sure they are now. My kids always ask me to play a little L.H. in the car. Their favorite songs are Fool for Love and Time to Run.
4. Bring Dad a Beer Podcast. Two dads. Different beer each week. Guests. Fun conversation. Giveaways.

That’s it for now. Hope everyone has a good weekend!

-CT