First to Turn the Page — An Invitation to My ARC Readers

There’s a particular kind of magic in being the first to read a story.

There’s a moment when a book is still warm from the writing desk, still carrying the pulse of its creation, the final initial edits and someone else gets to hold it for the very first time. That moment, the first reader, is the heartbeat of my ARC team.

Helen Taylor ARC Team Logo - First to Turn the Page

As I step into this next chapter of my writing life, something extraordinary is happening. Two books will be going out to my ARC readers this March. One fiction. One non-fiction. Two very different worlds, both built with the same intention — to entertain, to move, to educate, to inspire and to resonate.

And I want the people who read them first to feel like they’re part of something meaningful.

Why an ARC team matters to me

An ARC team isn’t just a mailing list. It’s a circle. A community. A group of readers who get to experience the work before anyone else and help shape how it enters the world.

You’re the ones who see the story before it’s polished by public opinion. You’re the ones who feel the emotional beats before they’re discussed in book clubs. You’re the ones who get to say, “I read it first.”

And that matters to me more than I can say.

Because writing is intimate. Vulnerable. Brave. And sharing that early version of a book requires trust — the kind of trust that grows between a writer and the readers who choose to step closer.

What it means to be “First to turn the page”

This isn’t just a tagline. It’s a promise.

It means you’re not just reading early — you’re part of the book’s journey. It means your reactions, your insights, your instincts help me understand how the story lands. It means you get to be part of the creative heartbeat, not just the finished product.

And it means you’re here at the beginning, not the end.

Why now? Why this?

Because this year marks a shift for me. A deepening. A widening. A sense that the stories I’m writing — both the imagined and the lived — deserve to be shared with people who care about the process as much as the outcome.

Launching two books at once is bold. Inviting readers into both worlds at the same time is even bolder. But it feels right.

It feels like the start of something bigger.

If you’re thinking about joining…

This is your invitation.

If you love stories — the crafted ones and the true ones — and you want to be part of the earliest circle, the first to turn the page, the ones who get to say “I was there at the beginning,” then I’d love to have you.

The ARC team is growing. The books are coming. And the next page is waiting.

Sign up here if you want to be first to turn the page.

Enjoy your week,

Love Helen