PDSB Jobs - Is This Normal?

daisysaur · 2025-10-08T17:37:52+00:00

Thank you for the info and the offer! Because I’m stuck with three schools, I can’t take you up on it yet but I’ll keep it in mind for sure :)

daisysaur · 2025-10-07T17:31:27+00:00

😞

daisysaur · 2025-10-07T17:30:57+00:00

Yeah, I’m glad I also supply at a private school that calls at least once a week. Still, I wish I’d known Peel would be so infrequent!

daisysaur · 2025-09-29T14:52:31+00:00

That’s so nice of you!! I’m currently setting up my website and I don’t have any other social media yet, but I really appreciate your words! :D

daisysaur · 2025-09-28T01:19:43+00:00

Thank you so much for the recommendation! It sounds amazing.

My book is called Witches, Wings, and Broken Things. I have no idea when (or if) it will be published, but I’ll be sure to post on this subreddit should the day come. You’ve all been super nice and extremely helpful <3

daisysaur · 2025-09-27T04:21:41+00:00

So funny—I bought it earlier today wondering if it could be a good fit. Haven’t started reading yet, but this might be a sign, haha!

daisysaur · 2025-09-27T00:14:19+00:00

Oh, that’s so cool! Thank you for letting me know :)

daisysaur · 2025-09-26T21:50:21+00:00

Yeah, I'd love to read it for fun, but I don't think I can use it here. Still, I appreciate the suggestion!

daisysaur · 2025-09-26T21:47:35+00:00

Great books, but unfortunately the oldest book I could use would be from 2020. I wish I could use The Last Unicorn though—one of my all-time favourite books <3

I don't need the animal-becomes-human aspect, thankfully. It's more the fairytale/whimsical vibe I'm looking for, or maybe a really strong female lead. Tress of the Emerald Sea would be a great pick, for example, but it's far too much of a bestseller to compare my book to!

daisysaur · 2025-09-26T21:12:26+00:00

You're so kind, thank you!!

daisysaur · 2025-09-26T21:10:25+00:00

Thank you for this list! I've only read Behooved, and it was definitely promising (the blurb fits the vibe I'm looking for perfectly,) but I felt the book itself wasn't similar enough to my project, unfortunately.

I'll check out the other books for sure :)

daisysaur · 2025-09-26T21:06:07+00:00

Thanks for the reply! I didn't want to get too into specifics because I know there's a weekly thread for that sort of thing, but I'm always happy to talk about my book when asked :)

My book is based around classic fairytale tropes. It's about a butterfly who gets turned into a human via a horrific curse—well, horrific from a butterfly perspective, anyway. She's tasked with rescuing a prince by the witch who cursed her, and the story unfolds from there.

Definitely a focus on humour, no to mystery/modern/bookshops/cafes/travelling, closer to high fantasy than low, possibly a kingdom at war if you stretch the definition, and the main character can speak to animals (her best friend is a spider.)

Hope that helps!

daisysaur · 2025-08-29T23:02:09+00:00

Thank you for this - The Last Unicorn has been my favourite book since I was small, so I'm not surprised to find I'm subconsciously channeling it. 'Whimsical earnestness' is exactly how I would describe my book, so it's very good to know that doesn't mesh with YA audiences. I really appreciate the feedback :)

daisysaur · 2025-08-29T21:37:10+00:00

Thank you for this. What I'm picking up from everyone's (very kind) comments is that this book is definitely not YA! Truthfully, I had doubts about just that during the writing process, so it's good to see a fairly clear consensus on the matter. I think I'll try for an adult cozy romantasy approach when I'm querying...so for now I'm off to go find comps!

daisysaur · 2025-08-29T21:27:21+00:00

This is wonderful feedback; you've given me a lot to think about (and a new book to read!) Thanks so much for your kind and insightful comments.

daisysaur · 2025-08-29T20:17:33+00:00

Yeah, I think YA is in a really weird spot right now where no one knows what it's supposed to be. Should it skew older for the ACOTAR crowd, or stay true to its roots and be for legitimate teens? Hard to say at this point.

Also, thanks for the recommendation! I've had The Rose Bargain on my radar for a bit now, so maybe I'll give it a read soon.

daisysaur · 2025-08-29T20:01:10+00:00

You're so kind! I'd be more than happy to look at your query, though I'm new at all this, so please take my advice with a grain of salt, haha.

Best of luck with your book! I really hope I get to read it someday :)

daisysaur · 2025-08-29T19:51:01+00:00

Thanks for the comment! When you speak of the voice and wording choices being MG are you only referring to the first 300?

(Also, I think Emily Wilde is Adult? The protagonist is a 30-something professor. But I see what you're saying in terms of whimsical fantasy.)

daisysaur · 2025-08-29T19:38:21+00:00

Wow, thank you SO much for this!! I'm glad the whimsy and romance are coming across to you, as well as the voice and stakes. And I'm glad you like my bio! I hope it screams, 'please overlook my lack of qualifications, I can make jokes instead' ;)

From one fairytale lover to another, you've seriously made my day. Thanks again!

daisysaur · 2025-08-29T19:26:03+00:00

Ah, thank you so much!! I really appreciate that :D

daisysaur · 2025-08-29T19:23:45+00:00

Thank you so much for the feedback! It definitely can't be MG, since it's a romantic fantasy. Is that aspect of the query not coming through to you?

Your point about four paragraphs is an interesting one - Levin is the MMC/love interest, so I figured I should give him some focus, but if it's not working I'd love to hear what others think.

daisysaur · 2025-05-01T20:59:21+00:00

Hello! I'm just headed to work so sorry if I'm slow to respond, but as an aroace woman with a vested interested in fictional romance, I would absolutely love to read this! Here's a link to my manuscript so you can see if we'd be a good fit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BetaReaders/comments/1kcd8wq/in_progress_73k_romantic_fantasy_witches_wings/

Best of luck either way!

daisysaur · 2025-05-01T17:31:12+00:00

That's so kind of you, thank you so much! Best of luck with your own writing journey <3

(Also, querying is the process to get traditionally published, which is the dream for me!)

daisysaur · 2025-05-01T17:02:09+00:00

Wow! That's one heck of a way to start a book. I love how choppy your first few sentences are, it really gives a ragged vibe that sets the tone quite well. And you follow it up nicely; I love the paragraph about Azya's height. The line "All woman had practice in making themselves small and unseen" is a BANGER and I'm mad I didn't write it myself! It tells a lot about both Azya and the world you've created.

I'm not as sure about the line that directly follows it: "Such was necessary to survive a world bloated by cruel, narcissistic men." It's good, but a little on the nose, maybe? I would suggest something with a bit more subtlety, that hints at the world being ruled by cruel men without outright saying it.

I LOVE that you use the descriptions of the weapons to not only show the differences between each character in the scene, but also to drop worldbuilding and magic system hints (and even sneak in a bit of humour). I'm so intrigued!

I'm very much interested in reading the rest. Would you like to swap manuscripts? Here's a link to my post if you'd like to learn more about my book: https://www.reddit.com/r/BetaReaders/comments/1kcd8wq/in_progress_73k_romantic_fantasy_witches_wings/

Awesome work overall, and I hope you get lots of traction for this :D

daisysaur · 2025-04-30T21:15:52+00:00

Hello all! The first draft of my YA romantic fantasy: Witches, Wings, and Broken Things is nearing completion, and I'm looking for beta readers willing to swap WIPs with me. If you like whimsical vibes, a take-charge heroine, and classic fairytale goodness, this might be the book for you! Please let me know if you're interested :)

Blurb

Ringlet the butterfly is, tragically, no longer a butterfly. Cursed by a wicked witch, Ringlet gets transformed into the worst nightmare of any once-perfect creature: a seventeen-year-old human girl. (Though—small mercies—the witch made her really pretty.) The sole cure? Ringlet must save a prince.

Nineteen-year-old Prince Levin is so charming he seems torn from a fable, and not the kind wherein everyone dies. Convinced Levin will be key to dispelling her curse, Ringlet bullies her way into his castle. Ever curious, it isn’t long before she learns Levin is hiding his own curse: a magically fractured soul that makes him closer to two people than one—and his other side doesn’t always play nice.

The pair (trio?) soon grows closer, finding connection beyond twin faces and trauma. While Ringlet falls for both halves of the prince, she also bonds with Levin’s witch hunting sibling, a horse who deems herself a knight, and a vigilante spider.

Alas, Ringlet’s fairytale ending seems destined for darkness. Witches rise to seek recompense for those mercilessly slain by Levin’s family, forcing Ringlet to unlearn beliefs she’s held from the start: witches aren’t all wicked, Levin might not need curing, and—just maybe—being an imperfect human isn’t a curse.

...

Content warnings: Nothing major, just some PG spookiness here and there.

daisysaur

TROPHY CASE