On Friday, March 29, I met with my beta readers from the local middle school to get their thoughts on The Portal’s Choice. We had a lively and honest discussion about what they saw to be the strengths and weaknesses of the book. I am so glad that I sought input from my target audience and that I have an opportunity to do a little tweaking before publication. Overall, the kids liked the book, which was positive for me as the author. They did, however, suggest a few places that I could up the suspense and move the story along at a faster pace. They also pointed out a couple of spots where I hadn’t made character ages and/or relationships clear. I’ve been at work making some minor changes to address the  issues that they mentioned.

Aside from the constructive comments the kids made, I enjoyed hearing about what they thought of my characters. Many of them felt connected to my protagonist, Tallis Challinor, especially by the end of the book as she grew into herself and courageously undertook new challenges. Each of them had other characters that made an impression. There were a few times that I was surprised by the response to a character. Many times, however, the teens responded to the characters in a way that I anticipated.

I’m sending a big ‘thank you’ to all the eighth graders who read the book and took the time to make comments. Your input is invaluable. Now I’m waiting for the last of my beta reader reviews to come in and then I will make the final edits to The Portal’s Choice before it is released on May 6, 2013.

Picture courtesy of Youth and Popular Culture,  http://whatishotandwhatisnot.edublogs.org/2012/10/09/texts-and-teens/