Poison My Anti-Hero?

LustGreed (Cardinal Sins) 

Poison Water Hole copyright Caroline Gerardo July 2011

Second revision is near completion. I have three different endings for the novel. I would like to find three beta readers who will each read the pdf. of the book and decide with me - Does Seth have a happy ending and Rebirth? Does his daughter that he disallowed, and claimed was not his (although there is a DNA match just as in real life) come back and take his life? Does he make peace with his own soul fulfill a need for connection?

I am inclined to have him live in apathy but for story telling purposes that seems rather dull. It is not one of the endings I have put in chapters. The vengeance ending is my last choice.

The novel has some structural problems I need to toy around with. I think I will make three sections with chapters as the voice changes. First is voice of daughter in a brief prologue introduction, then the body of the narrative is in second person, and the ending chapter might be first person or daughter depending on the ending I select.

I continue to struggle with an anti-hero who wants love and connection. He takes the journey with willing heart but lacks the right map. Can we as humans really change that much? Or are our souls, our destiny filled with liquid of a certain DNA, a pre-planned God mapquest and if doused in violence the water is forever poisoned?

A couple of my short stories are up in the Kindle 1000 range

 Lust Vanity (Cardinal Sins)

Anti-hero Burning

My first reader has returned the manuscript fortunately without a red pen.
She is analytical about some of the details, and wants me to make the main
character turn for good about halfway through the story. I am not going to
make him into a nice guy. This is not the point. She says it is not mainstream
enough without the turn.

I can think of a few anti-heros who readers like but they do not find redemption,
but yes, there are not many. He will find change.

I miss my old first reader, need to find a new one who I trust the same. With eyes
that hear and a way of making me build a skyscraper, not burn down the house.
 I miss the most -
          and  the brainstorming. (gap intended).

So on to the next revision, marching.

P.S. to writers friends - a brilliant idea from J. A. Konrath - put the copyright legal mumbo at the end of the book, as ereaders will be more tempted by your work.
I just changed a couple books to add a clause that I do not allow lending ( a silly girlish idea that if I write it they will feel arrows of guilt) now with Konrath's idea, I perhaps am going a different route- to put the copyright disclosure at the end and some note in the front that if you want my work for free, all you have to do is ...ask ?

Pallets of wood to burn all my paper books ? ...#amwriting
Today is Sunday, this is my ROW80 check in- I finished ahead of schedule,
my deadline was July 5th. I go round three on the book- read aloud.