Stephanie and Ann burst into laughter, and Ann smacks my arm. “You are so funny, girl.” She wiggles her eyebrows. “We were thinking more along the lines of Twister.”
“Now you’re talking my language,” I say. I used to love playing Twister as a kid. “How about, ummmm, Wednesday night? I’m in the groove with my writing right now, so I’m rewarding myself.” I hold up my Dr Pepper in a salute. “I’m going to stretch my legs for a few minutes and then get back to it. And I need to write a few chapters tomorrow too.”
“Sounds great,” Stephanie gushes. “We’ll see you about nine at cottage twenty. It’s one of the deluxe ones.”
“I’ll be there,” I promise.
Deciding to do my leg stretching at the beach, I meander down one of the sandy paths leading to the water. Slipping out of my sandals, I walk in the surf, loving the feel of the cool, blue water against my feet.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out and check the display. It’s from Eden Osbourne, one of my beta readers.
Eden and Holly are what I like to call my first line of beta readers. I send them chapters as I finish them, and they critique them, letting me know of any problems or potential plot holes. Then, once the book is finished, I send it to the rest of my beta team. After everyone has read it and given their opinions, I’m ready to send the manuscript to my editor.
I smile at the email from Eden on my phone.
From: Eden Osbourne
To: Juli Mack
Re: What the hell did I just read?
Seriously, woman. Those were the hottest chapters I’ve ever read. I had to call my husband and tell him to come home early from work. He said to thank you profusely from him, BTW.
You know I adore everything you’ve ever written, but you have leveled up with this book, and I can’t wait to read more. Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it! Hopefully, it’s firsthand experience giving you all this inspiration. *wink wink*
I’m soproud of you.
Hugs,
Eden
Her last sentence makes my heart happy. I’ve never met Eden—never even seen her face—and yet I feel like she’s a close friend. She’s been an ARC reader for me since my very first book over a decade ago, and a few years back, I asked her to start beta reading for me.Best decision ever.
Eden is incisive and sharp as tack, and she’s become a voice I can count on to tell me if something isn’t working. She’s also got a wicked sense of humor, just like me.
While I’m reading the email again, a notification for a FaceTime call from Holly appears. Besides being my other first-line beta reader, Holly is also married to the older of my two brothers. Plopping down onto the sand with the Caribbean ocean at my back, I answer.
“Hey, sis!”
“You’re a dirty, dirty bitch,” she says immediately, and I burst into laughter.
“Why, thank you, madam.”
“Who’s the guy?”
“What guy?” I ask, feigning innocence, though I know exactly what she’s getting at.
“Who did you bang to bring out beast-mode Juli? And is he as foiiiine as you describe him in those chapters?”
“I didn’t bang anyone,” I hedge, but the skeptical look on her pretty brown face tells me she’s not buying it. “Okay, I had aflirtationwith a guy at lunch.”
She squeals in utter delight, wiggling like a hyperactive puppy as she stirs something in a saucepan on their spaceship of a stovetop. “I knew it!” Holly turns her head and calls, “Babe! Juliette’s getting laid!”
“I’m not getting—”
I stop talking when my brother’s handsome face appears, fighting for screen position with his wife. “Who is he? Is he being nice or do I need to kill someone?”
Sigh.
