Beth Miller is all over my series and she isn’t even the main character in my first book. She came on the scene in book one when Julie applied for a job at a California bookstore.
If you haven’t read book one and two, you will misunderstand Beth. Many have.
I did struggle with the fact that Beth thought she was fat when she wasn’t really fat at all if you ask me.
Longtime AC
In book one, Beth had a good figure and a good life, but the reviewer didn’t read any of my previous books. She saw Beth as skinny and she probably based it according to her own weight. Many people do. They look at someone who weighs less (even though they are not skinny) and think they are not fat. In book 2, Beth shocks Julie when she shows up overweight, with signs of abuse. Beth no longer had the figure she had in book 1. Beth tells Julie that her boyfriend Nate broke up with her and she met a man who seemed like a real deal only to find out he was a member of an cult and also an abuser. Beth eats to feel good and that’s why she gained weight.
Beth has her own story and this is where the reader struggles. The reader hates Beth’s mother. The reader is a friend of mine and has her own issues so I don’t want to put her down. I apologize if the mother comes across as overbearing and I would like to make it right not just for this person, but for anyone else who may find my storyline unrealistic or that according to another reviewer, “needs editing.” And by the way, if she had read where I credited an editor, she would have known the truth. Maybe the reader is just critical.
People say, “reviews don’t influence my decision to buy a book,” so I try not to focus on the reviews. It is nice to get them though. Many authors wants their fifty so Amazon will feature them. I want to sell and get up on the rankings. Maybe a good old fashion rewrite would help.
Would it help if Beth lived on her own?
Would it help if her mom was there to encourage her?
I paid four beta readers and they all told me different things. One said in this way: “You don’t just go up to a man or woman you like, and ask, “do you want to be friends?” How do you get that going? You see a man that catches your eye, but you don’t want another relationship. Or the man likes a woman, but he doesn’t want anything more than friendship?
And as for that reviewer who says I should have beta readers look at my ms? Does that reader know how hard it is to get the feedback you ask for? I am still waiting to hear from them! I have two stories and they are taking their time.
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Author Ruthie Madison 