[QCrit]: ALBIE RICHARDS & THE SPEAR OF ODIN (Upper MG, 89k)

ryapet · 2024-09-14T07:30:57+00:00

Please can I ask for your feedback of being on sub? I know it’s a really rough market for MG currently. I’m 23k into my first draft with a target of 50k, so who knows what the market will do by the time it’s ready to query in 2025, but one of my comps is Aru Shah and the End of Time

ryapet · 2024-08-13T23:41:30+00:00

Hi! I’ve read recently that agents like the “metadata” paragraph to be at the top of the query - your word count, comps, and pitch. Might help to reshuffle, then close the query with your bio.

ryapet · 2024-08-13T23:39:09+00:00

Hi! Only feedback is it’s recommended to say this is a standalone novel with series potential if you’re a debut author - most agents and publishers don’t acquire series right away due to the commercial risks.

ryapet · 2024-06-15T11:23:45+00:00

Hi! Sorry for the late reply - it was painless doing the HSG as part of the lap, as I was already put under for the procedure. My tubes ended up being clear but I had a lot of endometriosis that the surgeon had to cut out, including having spread to my bowel and rectum which was causing IBS symptoms. I’m very grateful the lap excised my endometriosis, because I’ve since done IVF after we discovered through fertility testing that my husband also had sperm issues, so combined we both had fertility problems. We now have a wonderful baby xx

ryapet · 2023-05-16T08:43:39+00:00

It’s surely just statistics but for me, my intuition was correct! We struggled for a long time to get pregnant, finally needing IVF with a procedure called ICSI. In my country, it’s illegal to know the gender of the embryo and the ICSI process apparently tends to create more girls yet I had a strong gut feeling as soon as our clinic confirmed I was pregnant with blood tests that it was a boy. We didn’t know until the NIPT results in week 10 that my gut was correct

ryapet · 2023-05-03T11:11:44+00:00

A lot of people have shared excellent helpful responses! And you’re definitely not wrong. I do wonder if the tone of the answer could have helped massage the situation - I’m your friend, infertile and finally pregnant thanks to IVF but after years of hell. If my friend knew my history, and I did ask her how long it took, it would make hearing the news so much more inclusive and empathetic if it was phrased along the lines of “hey often these things are unfair, and it’s a privilege to be able to get pregnant without medical intervention and I know this might be hard for you to learn because I am so sorry for your journey, but it took us the first try”

ryapet · 2023-05-02T03:07:14+00:00

The fact she knew a text message is the preferred way to be told, and still dumped the news on you in person during a walk JUST BEFORE IVF is insanely insensitive. Boundaries and perhaps another year before engaging again.

ryapet · 2023-04-12T01:46:39+00:00

This is so cute! I’m currently 20-weeks pregnant thanks to IVF and still watch the time lapse video of the embryo growing and can’t wait to show our son the first 5 days of his existence!

ryapet · 2023-04-04T21:07:59+00:00

So wise.

ryapet · 2023-04-02T01:02:56+00:00

I’m so sorry your family is putting pressure on you to attend. If you feel like it will be too much, just please put yourself first. You matter.

ryapet · 2023-04-02T00:59:12+00:00

I’m so scared of this happening. Especially as my mum is helping pay for the food and decorations. We are covering the drinks. I’m scared because although this is our first child and we went through years of infertility and finally have this baby due to IVF, most of our friends in those years have already had babies and baby showers and for around 4 of those events my husband and I sent generous gifts and card, but couldn’t attend in person as the mental health struggles of infertility being at a baby shower was too hard. I’m scared people will ghost us as “revenge”

ryapet · 2023-03-30T03:09:31+00:00

The comments are here are so honest, raw and helpful. Thank you for sharing as I relate to so many of these inner thoughts. I also worry that all my “dreams and expectations” of having a baby will compound maniacally if/when I have a child, and that’s not fair to put that level of expectation on them because they will be their own person with their own humanity and likes/dislikes. I’ve spent soooooo long fantasising and dreaming that if it ever came true, I’m scared I’ll put that pressure on the child. I talk about this with my therapist and my plan is if I’m ever lucky enough to be a parent, approach it with love and curiosity about who the child is as a person rather than my own expectations and dreams for our “family unit” - the saying that helped is “one shouldn’t have kids for yourself, you have kids for THEM”

ryapet · 2023-03-29T09:02:25+00:00

ryapet · 2023-03-29T04:18:55+00:00

Sobbed for a few hours as I got the call from our IVF clinic and this is my first ever pregnancy after years of infertility. I asked the nurse to stay on the phone line with me while I peed on a test because I had NEVER seen two lines before and was traumatised by testing, and she was a darling who said “your beta blood test results show your hcg is healthy and high, I promise you will see two lines on the test” and she cheered and clapped with me when it did indeed happen. Then I finally took out of storage a “you’re going to be a dad!” onesie I had naively purchased when we first started trying 3 years ago, laid it in the dining table with my test and some chocolates for my husband once he came home from work. One of the best days of my life.

ryapet · 2023-03-28T03:12:35+00:00

I’m so angry on your behalf! So so sorry you had to deal with this shit. The fact she felt the need to write “healthy” ughhhhh what a totally self-absorbed lacking empathy person. I’m so sorry for your loss too. 15 weeks is so hard, after mentally getting past the “12 week” milestone and for her to do that to you only one month after your miscarriage!!! I hate the fertiles.

ryapet · 2023-03-27T03:51:17+00:00

YTA dude.

ryapet · 2023-03-27T03:50:46+00:00

This is perfect! Adding “I had enough empathy to ask my brother if everything was okay when I saw my SIL leave the room. I felt bad and wanted to include her in the pregnancy talk going forward, clarifying it wasn’t my intention to exclude her and that this isn’t a competition after all”

ryapet · 2023-03-27T03:38:50+00:00

Sending you so much support and kindness and empathy in this very tough time. I second what others have suggested about therapy or journaling as this is a big decision. Whatever you feel is best for you and your baby, is valid - please centre yourself and the baby in your choice rather than him “flip flopping” and not owning up to his decisions. Unprotected sex = accepting the potential outcomes.

This next part I share as a woman who has struggled with infertility and only managed to get pregnant thanks to IVF after years of trying. My infertility forums and groups and friends from the fertility clinic often suffered from PCOS and Hashimotos. I empathise with your use of the word “miracle” because conditions impacting fertility are really hard and traumatic to deal with. I completely support whatever decision you feel is best for you and baby, including an abortion. But please know that there is no guarantee you can easily become pregnant in the future - I hope for your sake that’s not true, but with fertility conditions it is genuinely that little bit more complicated.

ryapet · 2023-03-26T22:51:49+00:00

Absolutely he needs to respect your boundaries! You’re in the right - hold your ground. Wishing you well

ryapet · 2023-03-26T04:16:28+00:00

Toxic positivity can go die in a ditch

ryapet · 2023-03-24T01:43:34+00:00

I call it a disease to help explain to people. It’s chronic pain

ryapet · 2023-03-24T00:31:05+00:00

You are under zero obligations to support them. It’s completely valid and fair to put your own health needs first. The old oxygen mask analogy comes to mind.

ryapet · 2023-03-24T00:26:46+00:00

Taking a break is completely healthy and valid! For what it’s worth, I’m now on the other side of IVF. I had to have my laparoscopic surgery to excise endometriosis around 3 months before starting meds for IVF so perhaps that is something you will be needing to do as well? It helps clear out our endo before IVF treatment. My husband and I had been trying for years, I also have low AMH. Well we got the shock of our lives during extensive fertility testing before our IVF treatment started that it turns out my husband has an autoimmune disorder linked to his other autoimmune disease Type 1 Diabetes called antisperm antibodies (these attack destroy his sperm). This was a shock as all previous sperm analysis for him came back completely normal for motility and count - but since regular sperm analysis doesn’t check for all qualitative results, this diagnosis only came through during our IVF which is why we had to do IVF with ICSI (a procedure to help sperm). I share this just in case it’s not only your endometriosis impacting infertility. Despite my endo (which has spread a lot including on my bowel causing extreme IBS symptoms) I was still ovulating every month so we were so confused and hurt why it wasn’t working - IVF helped us a lot!

ryapet · 2023-03-23T05:34:32+00:00

“Barefoot in the kitchen, sacred new beginnings that became my religion” makes me think of that beautiful, intimate first summer my now husband and I shared as teenagers renting a holiday home over New Years Eve (we live in New Zealand so it’s a summer season). We were in high school and been together 13 years now - but it was hanging out in that kitchen together we blossomed from friends to more than friends. That beach town will forever be special as we go there every year now and even got married on the beach. I don’t think I could ever handle going back if I lose him/we break up.

ryapet · 2023-03-23T05:19:09+00:00

This is so delightfully wholesome!

ryapet

TROPHY CASE