Hey snork. I’m a professional writer. More technical writing.
To be blunt Laz is better than me with fiction and character development. If he thinks your writing is good, it is good.
And Laz doesn’t hold back if he thinks something is not good.
BTW *I* think your start is good too. I’ve seen dozens of manuscripts. Shot down probably 95% of them. I don’t hold back either.
Fair warning: getting a book to marker is not easy. Takes time and persistence.