It is often said that writing is a solitary occupation, and certainly it can be that way. However, I have been very fortunate to have come across some very talented and extraordinarily generous people who have helped me tremendously.

The following are my beta readers, editor, and critique partners who have given me so much of their time and expertise. I appreciate their honesty, patience, and close attention to detail. Without them, my novellas would not be readable.

My thanks go to everyone who have so kindly helped me along the way, because anything worth doing is worth doing together!

Naito Diamond (Developmental Editor, Super-Beta & Critique Partner)

Naito Diamond uses her writing to explore the conjunction of science and art. A scientific approach to magic systems places her work in the genre of sci-fi, yet the tenderness between her characters would make romance lovers swoon. Her stories are character-driven. Rather than following logical assumptions, her characters are ruled by emotions, giving her stories a real-life vibe.

Be it post-apocalyptic or medieval setting, exoplanet or VR, the author is led by her flawed but adorable characters. Currently she is working on a story where the relationship between AI and his creator is fraught with regret, angst and betrayal. High emotional stakes in a world ruled by logic. In a rapidly-changing world where humans and AI must co-exist, the author asks pertinent, perhaps even urgent, questions that cry out for answers.

https://www.instagram.com/naitodiamond/

Erica Damon (Developmental Editor, Super-Beta & Critique Partner)

Erica Damon is a writer, equestrian, and artist living in Western Massachusetts. Her compulsively creative nature has led to a collection of ‘what ifs?’ and that sense of wonder weaves its way into her fiction. She writes thriller and horror under her name, and equestrian romance under the pen name, Isla Ryder. Her deeply developed characters may or may not always be likable, but they are complex. Her goal is to sweep the reader into her world, keeping it grounded enough in reality that the reader doesn’t question a moment of the action.

This is what she loves helping other authors with, as she has discovered that she enjoys reading books in the early stages even more than published ones and helping writers to spin their stories into something riveting as a developmental editor. If she’s not writing, she’s likely out riding horses while ideas swirl in the background.

https://linktr.ee/EricaDamon?fbclid

Jenna Bygall (Editor/Beta-Reader)

Jenna Bygall is a beta reader and editor working mainly with sci-fi, fantasy, and romance manuscripts. Her childhood love of reading inspired her change in career after she left D.C. and she now spends her days doing what she loves in Rochester, N.Y. She’s combined her undergraduate studies with her experience as a reader to provide informed, intersectional edits on a wide range of genres. She prides herself on her keen eye for detail and fascination with all things Fae.

Jenna has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, International Studies, and Women & Gender Studies. She is currently enrolled at UC San Diego for a Certification in Copyediting. She hopes to continue her career in editing and delve into fiction writing herself someday soon.

Fiverr: https://fiverr.com/jennabygall

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenna_edits

Alicia Chapin (Author/Equestrian Expert/Beta-Reader)

Alicia has been writing ever since she learned how. She can remember creating fictional stories as young as elementary school (specifically one about the many adventures of a "Queen Alicia" and her nameless husband, "The King"). She grew up loving the outdoors, reading, writing, and riding horses—and not much has changed! Today, she enjoys reading, spending time with her family (and pets!), hanging out with horses, and archery.

She has a Certificate in Horse Management from Michigan State University and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. She loves to incorporate her love of horses into her stories. Currently, she is writing Pinnacle of Magic, Volume II.

https://linktr.ee/Aliciarchapinbooks

Rebecca Fuentes (Artist/Author/Beta-Reader)

Rebecca Fuentes is a lifetime fan of fantasy, sci-fi, and romance who began writing and drawing in elementary school. She writes character-driven high fantasy focusing on female protagonists in fantastic settings inspired by the great empires of history. Much of her art is inspired by her own writing, RPG characters, and the requests and commissions of other writers and friends. She works in Copic marker and colored pencil.

Rebecca has a degree in education and taught English for nine years. She enjoys researching anthropology, archeology, and history in between the exciting responsibilities of being a stay-at-home mom of six. She and her family live in the rural Rocky Mountains with two dogs and two cats.

https://www.deviantart.com/mamaguerita

Kastorius Ergi (Pianist)

I am a full-time musician and a music teacher, with a degree in music education. I have many years of experience playing classical piano and 6 years of experience teaching music and piano. I have 6 years of studio experience in recording and music production. I enjoy composing and arranging music in all genres, and have collaborated with many other musicians from all over the world.

https://www.fiverr.com/kastoriusergi

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Kas is my mainstay and has provided accompaniment for almost all the songs I composed for the Seasons Cycle and the Lake Traveler Saga, as well as others, including:

A Land Far Away, A Mermaid's Tune, As You Leave, Aspen Heart, Autumn Moon,  Barefoot in the Snow, Beneath A Huntress Moon, Call Out My Name, Candle Tree, Dawn Serenade, Evening Song, Eyanya's Dance, Fall, Falling, Forgotten, Glow, In Shade & Shadow, Last Silver Blossom, O Sweet Nightingale, One More Season,Owlings' Song, Rain, Scent of Rain, Sea-Change, Silver Thread, Spellbound, True,  WhenThe Rain Paused, Where I Belong.

Arno Hiquiana (Tenor)

I really like to sing. I have been in a Multi-Awarded Choir for 6 years in the Philippines. I like to create music accompaniment, encode music score, composition, and make song covers. I remade the instrumentation of the University of Mindanao Victory March and Loyalty March and they play it during graduations. I also made some accompaniments for some schools for their Alma Mater Songs. I really love music and I have been singing since I was 7 years old.

https://www.facebook.com/arnomusicmaker

https://www.fiverr.com/danielhiquiana

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Arno's beautiful tenor voice can be heard in the following songs:  Aspen Heart, Autumn Moon, Beneath A Huntress Moon, Call Out My Name, Dawn Serenade, Glow, In Shade & Shadow, Last Silver Blossom, O Sweet Nightingale, One More Season, Owlings' Song, Rain, Silver Thread, Spellbound, and Where I Belong.

Denise Gonzales (Alto)

I'm a college student in love with music! I'm a very sincere, raw singer and always want it to show in everything I work on. I am a trained vocalist of over 6 years and love sharing my talent and love through music. I have experience in onstage & competition performances and choir/a capella, have won awards in various singing competitions, and have guested as a frontliner for famous Filipino celebrities.

I sing the following genres: Pop, Disney/Broadway, R&B, EDM, Indie, Jazz, and OPM. My idols include Bruno Mars, Adele, Lea Salonga, H.E.R., Mariah, and Lady Gaga. I'm known for having a passionate clarity of voice.

https://www.instagram.com/denise.mp3/

https://www.youtube.com/denisemp3

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Denise has given beautiful performances for the following songs: A Mermaid's Tune, Barefoot in the Snow, Beneath A Huntress Moon, Candle Tree, and O Sweet Nightingale.

Anderson Daniel (Tenor)

I am a full time singer, performer and music arranger with years of experience performing/arranging all around the world. I have performed in many pop/rock theatre shows, performed my own a cappella arrangement on Broadway and even sang in an award-winning a cappella group in Moscow in 2019.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTx7jwNcFw41ePCM7uV6awA

IG: https://www.instagram.com/nycanderson/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/andersondanielmusic

Fiverr: https://www.fiverr.com/nycanderson

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Anderson gave stirring performances for my songs, A Land Far Away and Fall.

Ester Azeredo (Vocalist)

A singer from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who started singing at the age of 8, Ester Azeredo studied music at the Ayrton Senna Institute in São Paulo. Ester has a passion for Jazz, Bossa Nova, Samba and Pop music. She moved to Europe in 2011, and in that time, has performed regularly at Jazz Festivals.

In London, Ester continued to draw in the crowds with her talents at renowned venues such as Westminster Plaza and Coya Mayfair. Now in Tampa/Florida, Ester is working on releasing her first EP. Ester is inspired by her favourite musicians, such as Hermeto Pascoal, Ella Fitzgerald, Caymmi, Sara Vaughan, Roy Hargrove, and D'Angelo among others.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4j3tHdmtbFUj7xfOpeXWre?si=Kf1Isp__QH-pNYl-LXhDdQ

YouTube:https://youtube.com/@tekazeredo

IG:https://instagram.com/esterazeredo?utm_source=qr&igshid=MzNlNGNkZWQ4Mg%3D%3D

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Ester has given beautiful performances for Fly, Dragonfly and What's True.

Shauna Alderson (Mezzo)

I create Mystical Teen Fic and Music. I love to write fantasy stories and compose piano, instrumental, and lyrical songs, all with a hint of magic. When not writing or composing, I create art, watch Studio Ghibli films, and occasionally volunteer abroad.

https://shaunaalderson.com

https://www.youtube.com/c/shaunaalderson

https://www.fiverr.com/shaunaalderson

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Shauna's sweet voice can be heard in Falling and The Scent of Rain.

Volodymyr Kotliarov (Cellist)

Volodymyr Kotliarov is a professional cellist from Ukraine. He has been playing cello for over 28 years and can master any genre – classical, rock, pop, blues or soul. He can play from sheet music or improvise, compose a melody, accompaniment, rock riffs, etc. He has performed in symphonic and chamber orchestras, rock bands, and with famous Ukrainian singers as an invited guest. He has held concerts in Poland, Germany and Hungary and Slovakia.

He's also a founding member of the instrumental rock-band ROCKOKO. In 2020, the band released their first album. Volodymyr has collaborated with singers and bands from all over the world, including Norway, Italy, Canada, UK and the USA.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiXI5T3Jjpwnd8rnSdLEPBw

https://www.fiverr.com/arrangerr

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The Arrangerr is responsible for awesome cello accompaniments in several of my songs, including A Land Far Away, Barefoot in the Snow, Call Out My Name, In Shade & Shadow, Longer Than Forever, Silver Thread, and Where I Belong

Obadias Guerra (Harpist)

I am a professional classical harpist with more than twenty years of experience.
I perform in the Falcón Symphony and in the Rafael Urdaneta Symphony as harp leader (Venezuela). I have also participated in international tours such as the Bergamo festival. I am also a harp and cello teacher in the Venezuelan children's and youth orchestras system (EL SISTEMA). I have more than 15 years of experience as an instrumentalist, arranger, teacher and composer.

I won a Grammy for my participation in the recording of the concert "A common night without current" by VOZ VEIS (November 2010).

https://www.instagram.com/ensamblecaoba/

https://www.fiverr.com/obadiasharp

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Grammy award winner O's beautiful harp accompaniment can be heard in some of my songs, including The Owlings' Song and O Sweet Nightingale.

Joylin (Violinist)

I've been playing violin for 19 years now and I have more than 7 years experience in studio matters, live shows, music production, mixing and international artists collabs.

Combined songs that I've worked on have more than 150 million views on Youtube.

I can easily adapt on ANY MUSIC GENRE (pop, trap, lounge, soul, dance, house, tech, rock, DNB, dubstep, hip hop, latino, country, soul, jazz).

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCevUD_1esRPjnJhtYGZ9rVw

https://www.instagram.com/imjoylin/

https://www.fiverr.com/joylinmusic

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Joylin's incredible violin can be heard in some of my songs, including Lonely Wyvern and Beneath A Huntress Moon. Sea-Change would not sound so incredible without her electric violin.

Julia Bogdanova (Flautist)

Julia is a talented flautist from Ukraine. She graduated with a Bachelor of flute and has over 30 years’ experience of playing and performing. She took part in competitions and festivals as a soloist and as a member of ensembles and orchestras. Julia is the Laureate of the international festival contest, Spiritual Music (Bulgaria), received an award for high musical professionalism from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and was Laureate of the Festival of Folk Music and Dance (Italy).

She is a professional flute teacher in Lviv Music boarding school in Ukraine and Montessori British Music School. She was a soloist of Rivne Philharmonic Orchestra and a soloist in Lviv Organ Hall. For the past 4 years, Julia has been a regular performer as part of a flute/piano duo in Dubai, UAE and Rixos, Truskavets, Ukraine.

https://www.instagram.com/julia_b_art/

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Julia gave a beautiful performance on her flute for my song, Silver Thread.

Isidora Novakovic (Cellist)

I am a pro cellist, composer, arranger, music produces, and owner of a music studio.

http://www.isidoranojkovic.com/

https://www.fiverr.com/isa_dora_cello

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Isidora gave me an absolutely beautiful cello accompaniment for my song, Dawn Serenade.

Ariel Tsao (Zheng Player)

Born in Taitung County in 1994, Ms. Tsao graduated from Chinese Culture University with a Master’s Degree in Chinese Music, majoring in Zheng (Chinese 21-string zither). Ms. Tsao studied Zheng since the age of nine, with Lin Yueh-Mei, Chang Sheng-Ping, Peng Ching, Wang Ruei-Yu, Huang Wen-Ling and Taiwanese Zheng master Fan Wei-Tsu.

Ms. Tsao has traveled to Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Yangzhou, Fuzhou etc. to study diverse playing styles of music genres and Zheng techniques in China’s different provinces and give performances since 2005. She is outstanding in the interpretation of traditional Chinese music on diverse Zheng playing styles across China and worked with Jazz style. She gave a Zheng solo recital at Wenshui Arts Center, Taipei in 2018. In the same year, she published a paper titled "The Application Of Jazz Idioms In Zheng Composition: Case Studies on [Savor, Reverie and Chaos] and [Star Dust] (two compositions by Fan Wei-Tsu)”.

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https://www.instagram.com/arielbarbapapa

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Ariel gave a beautiful performance on the guzheng for my song, Aspen Heart, coming up with an improvised intro as well as the scored interlude.

Donata Greco (Saxophonist)

I am a professional musician from Naples, Italy. I play flute, alto saxophone and I also compose. I love electronic music, but also jazz and classical music. I love to play and produce music in any possible way!

https://www.youtube.com/c/DonataGreco

https://www.fiverr.com/donatagreco

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Donata's glorious saxophone can be heard in Evening Song and in Fly, Dragonfly.

Enzo (Flamenco Guitarist)

I'm Enzo, a flamenco guitarist based in south of Italy, so I grew up with mediterranean and arabian musical influences. I studied jazz music in fact I really like to improvise like jazz players but always keeping the Andalusian and my roots flavor. I have been working in music as a professional for several years, not only as a guitarist but also as a composer and arranger.

https://www.fiverr.com/enzo__/

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Enzo gave an incredibly beautiful performance on his guitar for my song, Come to the Window. I love the Andalusian vibe!

Erwen Studio (Erhu Artist)

I'm a music producer from Malaysia, I'm an enthusiast who loves to produce any genre of music, exploring various techniques in each genre and knowing what makes them unique and interesting. I have 6 years of experience in audio engineering and have produced various genres of music such as EDM, rock, metal, video game soundtracks, podcast intro, and Fusion Music. I’m also a multi-disciplinary instrumentalist and content creator. My music background is in the Chinese orchestra. My major instrument is Erhu, Guzheng, and all the string family. I have 5 years of experience as a Chinese orchestra conductor. I have a great passion for Erhu (Chinese Violin), where I create cover songs for trending music including K-pop, Mandopop, English pop. This creates a great contrast to where traditional playing and impression evolve into current pop culture.

https://linktr.ee/simerwen

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIwIEBAT4NWlB4pezYgcoCA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simerwen

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Erwen's erhu can be heard in my piece, As You Leave With My Heart.