Cliff, I have read literally hundreds of manuscripts, some published eventually, some not.
So yes, I'm interested.
"Naked newborns" are my specialty - your first draft is safe in my hands.
First drafts are almost always flawed and need some trimming and tightening, some development.

I had stopped doing critiques, but a friend recently got me to read her manuscript. She gets irate and defensive and even insulting toward me - sorry, lady, I don't care if you've published half a dozen small-press book and you're a paid editor: you don't get to argue with the reader. I wasn't saying she had to change or revise; I was questioning stuff. "Do you really know people in real life who say/do things like this" - or something as simple as "You say the phone bings, but later it pings" -- I don't know anyone who says it "bings" -

Well, never mind her, and her insults (e.g., "You are aware that people can be bedridden for years, right?" and people can identify trees from acres away (yes, by shape and color, not by the bark)
Sorry
She was ridiculing me again yesterday.
I'm beta reading for her, and sharing my reactions, UNPAID, and she's stomping on me.

But.
Yeah, I'll beta read again, but if it's too graphic in the horror genre, or explicit sex that's badly written, or setting dogs on fire, sorry, I'll say "I can't keep reading."

2germanic at gmail dot com