Professional Writer and Mentor Helping Clients With Writing Needs

Hello there,

I’m a professional writer who loves helping people with their writing needs. Below are a couple of services I offer, take a peek to find out more and read my clients 5/5 Star reviews.


Do you have a writing project you’d love my help with that doesn’t fit any of the services you see here? Contact me with your questions.

Since May 2020, I’ve helped authors by reading and reviewing drafts of their novels, novellas, short stories, and poetry. For my Alpha Read, I specifically provide in-depth feedback in a Reader Report with a Word doc copy of their piece with Track Changes that shows my highlights, comments, and notes making it top-tier service in the field.

A Reader Who Cares: Dedicated to Becoming Your Favorite

My Alpha and Beta reading services digs deeper than the average reader. In addition to my experience in the publishing industry, I hold a Bachelor of Arts in English with a Minor in Writing Rhetoric Studies from The University of Utah. My insight can be eye-opening and invaluable to writers working toward publication.


I’ll Be Your Favorite Professional Writer and Mentor: Superb Alpha and Beta Reading

As Your Favorite Alpha and Beta Reader, I will read your work thoroughly and provide detailed feedback!

A little bit about your Professional Writer and Mentor…

As a Literary Intern for DLG Publishing Partners, I was a Developmental Editor in-training and reviewed hundreds of submissions. I love to alpha and beta read Fiction, Novellas, Short Fiction, and Poetry. My favorite genres include Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror, Thriller, Supernatural, and Romance. When it comes to Poetry, I enjoy literary, contemporary, and pieces that seek to push the boundaries of the form.

Services Included in My Alpha Read

  • Reader Report (reviewing concept/idea, plot, structure, characters, dialogue, overall strengths, and weaknesses)
  • Personal Letter from me to you (included in the Reader Report)
  • Word Doc copy of your piece with Track Changes containing my highlights/comments/notes

Services Included in My Beta Read

  • Feedback and answers to questions from the perspective of a general reader delivered to you in a Word Doc

Note: When ordering an alpha or beta read, please include any questions or concerns you may have.

All of these documents will be delivered to you in a compressed zip folder.

What I don’t offer:

  • Formatting your MS
  • Editing
  • Proofreading
  • Rewriting

My goal is to help you succeed by providing you with invaluable insight you can use to fine-tune your writing as you prep for publication.

Pricing That’s Flexible For Your Budget and Needs

I’m open to finding a price and delivery due date that works for both of us. Reach out if you’d like to chat about what you’re looking for in an alpha or beta read, I’m here to help.

Delivery time typically depends on the total word count of your piece and can range from 2 to 7+ business days.

Note: If you’d like an alpha or beta read for writing under 10k or over 100k words, please message me via Fiverr.

Client Reviews of My Alpha and Beta Reads as a Professional Writer and Mentor

“I am astounded at the quality of the work, the depth of the insights, and the accuracy of the comments. That the entire process of beta reading my novel of 120k words took less than the estimated three days is beyond my ability to comprehend. Alina’s communications throughout the process were concise and businesslike. In short, I will return to her with more work in the future. I will likewise recommend her to friends and colleagues.”

-yusufdel

“Alina provided honest, detailed and structured feedback. I am positive that her recommendations will enable me to progress with my work. Thank you”

-justy_here

“I was very impressed with how much effort Alina put into the delivery. She was great to work with and all her feedback was valuable to me. I look forward to next time.”

windupdurb

“Thorough, helpful notes with a very quick turn around. Alina provided me with a general overview file of my short story and a word document with tracked notes. I was hoping for lots of detailed notes and that is exactly what I got. Her suggestions will help me craft a great next draft!”

molluscus13

FAQs About My Alpha and Beta Reader Services

I have a collection of short stories that I need read. Can you help me?

Yes. When inquiring about a Beta Read, provide the total word count for ALL PIECES. If you have multiple pieces, please put them in one document .doc .docx .pdf or Google Doc.

Can you read and review my poems?

Yes. Please put all your poems in one document .doc .docx .pdf or Google Doc, and let me know the total word count.

Can I give you multiple pieces to read at the same time?

Yes, my limit is two at a time.

What does your Reader Report look like?

My Reader Report can be anywhere from 1 to 10 pages, depending on what I’m reading (short story, novella, novel). It is organized for easy readability. Also included are my “Extra Notes,” with key observations about your text drawing from my publishing industry experience.

Halloween Movies (part 1): My Favorite Yearly Re-Watches

During the month of October, I watch as many Halloween movies as I can. Here are six of my favorite movies that I love to rewatch.

Category: Zombies

28 Days Later... (2002)
imdb.com

28 Days Later (2002)

A modern classic, 28 Days Later is about Jim (Cillian Murphy) waking up in the hospital only to discover the UK in a full apocalypse-like state after a virus outbreak. I consider this movie a modern classic for a number of reasons but the main two are the acting and the cinematography. I would recommend this movie to anyone who loves a good zombie film.

Category: Witches

The VVitch: A New-England Folktale (2015)
imdb.com

The Witch (2015)

What a thriller, this movie gets down into the bloody, gritty works of witches in the great era of settling protestants hundreds of years ago. The synopsis: A young girl finds herself under the inevitable sway of evil forces after her family moves to a desolate area near the edge of a creepy forest. I love this movie because I felt like it took those strange stories about witchcraft and the devil from this time in history and made them a literal “what if?” scenario. Yeah, what if the devil does take the shape of a black goat and recruits young girls into witchcraft? what if there were actual witches who that stole babies? A great scary movie and it will keep you on your toes. The only recommendation that I can think of that has a similar witchy vein would be The Witches (1990) but this one is actually kid-friendly…kinda.

Category: Psycho Killers

Halloween (1978)
imdb.com

Halloween (1978)

The beginning of one of the most iconic classic horror movies, the first Halloween is a treat worthy of having over and over again. It’s a great family film that gets into the disturbing relationship between Michael and his sister. The story continues still to this day (40 years later) Halloween 2018 and I am stoked! I recommend this movie to those that love a good slasher flick, nothing’s scarier than a psychopath on a killing frenzy.

Category: Psychological Suspense/Thriller

James McAvoy in Split (2016)
imdb.com

Split (2016)

I was initially surprised by this movie because it was actually good. I kept waiting for the cheesiness to creep in and take over the film but it didn’t happen (for me). I think this has to do with the A+ acting of James McAvoy who plays a man with multiple personalities (9 in total). The synopsis: A young girl and her friends are abducted by a stranger who is more terrifying than he actually seems. I thought this movie was a great ‘scary’ movie because it remained suspenseful throughout and kept my attention the entire time. If you like the classic Psyscho (1960) you should love this.

Category: Sci-fi

Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tuva Novotny, Gina Rodriguez, and Tessa Thompson in Annihilation (2018)
imdb.com

Annihilation (2018)

A great freaky sci-fi movie that is definitely disturbing enough to watch as a Halloween flick. The synopsis: Lena, played by Natalie Portman, signs up for a suicide mission after her husband returns strangely messed up after a secret mission he disappeared on. The ways in which reality is torn apart and mushed back together again is truly unsettling. I would recommend this film to anyone that loves a gory sci-fi movie. Note: I felt like Annihilation was the exact opposite of Arrival (2016) but with a similar feel.

Category: Vampires

Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
imdb.com

Nosferatu (1922)

This is an oldie but in my opinion, it really could never be replaced. The gist of it, Nosferatu is a German retelling of Dracula. It is actually scary, compared to the 1931 American version, and contains the most disturbing vampire I have ever encountered in cinema to this day. Count Orlok has pointy ears, two huge fangs instead of buck teeth, and fingers than taper off into six-inch-ish looking talons. Same as Dracula, Count Orlok decides to move and leaves a path of destruction and death on his journey. Truly disturbing, I doubt anyone could forget the imagery from this movie even if they tried. I recommend this movie to anyone who loves the type of vampires along the lines of 30 Days of Night (2007).

 

Thanks for reading! If you like this list or think it’s lacking or have a suggestion please feel free to leave a comment below!

Coming up next: Halloween Movies (part 2): The Classics

Cowboy in the Desert: Flash Fiction Series #8

Cowboy in the Desert

by

Alina Happy Hansen

 

He looks to the sky, the sun burns. The blue lake glitters in the distance. The sound of coyotes somewhere nearby. The gun is heavy on his hip, and his boots are full of sand. He takes a step then another. His chapped lips, cracked and bleeding. Hands limp and lifeless hanging in defeat. His horse dead, miles back, its black eyes shine in his mind as he shot it lying on its side dying of thirst. If he could just make it to the blue lake glittering in the distance.


 

If you are reading this Thank You for taking time out of your day to read my writing!

I hope you will return in the future!

-Alina

Hospital Stay: Flash Fiction Series #7

Hospital Stay

by

Alina Happy Hansen

He sits propped up on some pillows. The sick smell of bleach and antiseptic is inescapable. His neighbor groans in pain behind the curtain partition. The TV flickers every other minute, the signal weak. A voice calls to him from outside the opened window. His heart beats furiously. The voice of his dead mother reaches him, getting louder as he reaches for the call button. “Why did you say you wanted me to burn in hell?”


 

If you are reading this Thank You for taking time out of your day to read my writing!

I hope you will return in the future!

-Alina

Isolation: Flash Fiction Series #6

Isolation

by

Alina Happy Hansen

 

Alone and unloved, she sits in a room that is pale and plain just like her. The window lets the sun in, trickling across the floor, across the wall until it vanishes each night from sight. There are movements and sounds coming from the rest of the house, voices seep through the walls. The other women’s howls slice through the silence. Rooms become cages to keep in the hysteria and pain. The room is her tomb where she waits for her family, sitting there in a chair, staring out the window into the sun.


 

Inspired by The Yellow Wallpaper , horrible stories of Asylums and women being treated for ‘Hysteria‘. 

 

 

If you are reading this thank you for taking time out of your day to read my writing!

I hope that you will return in the future!

-Alina