I will beta read your dark, gothic, or queer fiction manuscript

Your manuscript deserves a reader who genuinely knows the territory.

I'm April Yates a published author of gothic and horror fiction (Ashthorne, Ghost Orchid Press; City of Snares, Brigids Gate Press) and co-editor of Scissor Sisters, which placed on the Bram Stoker Award preliminary ballot for Best Anthology in 2024. I don't just read dark fiction I write it, research it, and live inside it.

As a beta reader I bring both a writer's instinct and an editor's eye. I'm interested in what your story is doing, not just whether it follows convention. You'll get detailed, honest feedback that takes your work seriously the kind of notes that make you think "yes, of course, why didn't I see that."

I specialise in gothic fiction, horror, queer fiction, and dark speculative work. I have particular depth in historical fiction period authenticity, material culture, and the texture of lives that mainstream history tends to overlook. If your manuscript sits between categories or resists easy classification, that's exactly where I'm most at home.