Science fiction

  • Only Bad Options, Galactic Bonds #1, to be released Sept. 20 …

    I’m thrilled to announce that I will be publishing Only Bad Options on Sept. 20. Woot! This is my sci-fi romance book that I have been talking about for more than a year (!).

    This is book #1 in my Galactic Bonds series. Basically, the series is science fiction fantasy — magic/powers mixed with spaceships, planets, technology, etc.

    Yes, there are blasters, and yes, I put a “Pew! Pew! Pew!” line in the book. 😎 

    Only Bad Options also features:

    • Space opera
    • Soul mates
    • Enemies to lovers
    • Pew! Pew! Pew! action scenes
    • A boiling lava planet of doom
    Here is a look at the cover art by Tony Mauro. Isn’t it gorgeous? I love the colors, the evil eye, and the kick-butt couple.

    If Only Bad Options sells well, then I will keep going with the series. Right now, I would like to make it a trilogy, but it does depend on the sales of book #1. So if you are interested in the book, please pre-order it, share with your friends, etc.

    This is very much a book of my heart, so I hope y’all buy/read/enjoy it. Thanks!

    PRE-ORDER THE EBOOK:

    Amazon Kindle Barnes & Noble Apple Books Google Play Kobo Smashwords

    ABOUT THE PRINT BOOKS:

    I will be doing a print version of Only Bad Options, and I will share those links when they go online later this summer. I am also hoping to do an audiobook version, but it depends on several factors. Too soon to tell yet.

    ONLY BAD OPTIONS DESCRIPTION:

    New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Estep blasts off with an exciting new science-fiction fantasy adventure with a dash of Regency romance. This action-packed space opera features a mix of magic and technology, along with a soul mates and enemies-to-lovers story. Perfect for fans of Star Wars, Bridgerton, and Pride and Prejudice.

    A WOMAN WHO SEES EVERYTHING . . .

    Few people know the name Vesper Quill. To most folks, I’m just a lowly lab rat who designs brewmakers and other household appliances in the research and development lab at the powerful Kent Corp. But when I point out a design flaw and a safety hazard in the new line of Kent Corp spaceships, everyone knows who I am—and wants to eliminate me.

    I might be a seer with a photographic memory, but I don’t see the trouble headed my way until it’s too late. Suddenly, I’m surrounded by enemies and fighting for my life.

    I don’t think things can get any worse until I meet Kyrion Caldaren, an arrogant Regal lord who insists that we have a connection, one that could be the death of us both.

    A MAN WHO CAN’T FORGET HIS PAST . . .

    The name Kyrion Caldaren strikes fear in the hearts of people across the Archipelago Galaxy. As the leader of the Arrows, the Imperium’s elite fighting force, I’m used to being a villain, as well as the personal assassin of Lord Callus Holloway. Even the wealthy Regals who live on the planet of Corios are afraid of me.

    But everything changes when I meet Vesper Quill. I might be a powerful psion with telepathic, telekinetic, and other abilities, but Vesper sees far too many of my secrets.

    Thanks to an arcane, unwanted quirk of psionic magic, the two of us are forced to work together to unravel a dangerous conspiracy and outwit the dangerous enemies who want to bend us to their will.

  • ·

    Fantasy and sci-fi books to add to the TBR pile …

    Hey! It’s time to add some more fantasy and sci-fi books to your TBR pile. You know you want to … 😉 

    Note: The descriptions are from Amazon.

    Chaos Reigning by Jessie Mihalik

    Available now

    Interplanetary intrigue and romance combine in this electrifying finale to the Consortium Rebellion series.

    As the youngest member of her High House, Catarina von Hasenberg is used to being underestimated, but her youth and flighty, bubbly personality mask a clever mind and stubborn determination. Her enemies, blind to her true strength, do not suspect that Cat is a spy—which makes her the perfect candidate to go undercover at a rival House’s summer retreat to gather intelligence on their recent treachery.

    Cat’s overprotective older sister reluctantly agrees, but on one condition: Cat cannot go alone. Alexander Sterling, a quiet, gorgeous bodyguard, will accompany her, posing as her lover. After Cat tries, and fails, to ditch Alex, she grudgingly agrees, confident in her ability to manage him. After all, she’s never found a person she can’t manipulate.

    But Alex proves more difficult—and more desirable—than Cat anticipated. When she’s attacked and nearly killed, she and Alex are forced to work together to figure out how deep the treason goes. With rumors of widespread assaults on Serenity raging, communications down, and the rest of her family trapped off-planet, Catarina must persuade Alex to return to Earth to expose the truth and finish this deadly battle once and for all.

    But Cat can’t explain why she’s the perfect person to infiltrate hostile territory without revealing secrets she’d rather keep buried. . . .

    My thoughts: I really enjoyed Polaris Rising and Aurora Blazing, the first two books in this series, and I’m looking forward to reading this one.

    House of Dragons by Jessica Cluess

    Available now

    Five royal houses will hear the call to compete in the Trial for the dragon throne. A liar, a soldier, a servant, a thief, and a murderer will answer it. Who will win? Three Dark Crowns meets The Breakfast Club with DRAGONS.
    .

    When the Emperor dies, the five royal houses of Etrusia attend the Call, where one of their own will be selected to compete for the throne. It is always the oldest child, the one who has been preparing for years to compete in the Trial. But this year is different. This year these five outcasts will answer the call. . . .

    THE LIAR: Emilia must hide her dark magic or be put to death.

    THE SOLDIER: Lucian is a warrior who has sworn to never lift a sword again.

    THE SERVANT: Vespir is a dragon trainer whose skills alone will keep her in the game.

    THE THIEF: Ajax knows that nothing is free–he must take what he wants.

    THE MURDERER: Hyperia was born to rule and will stop at nothing to take her throne.

    My thoughts: I really like the idea of all these characters competing for one throne.

    The Princess Will Save You by Sarah Henning

    Available July 7

    The Princess Will Save You is a YA fantasy adventure inspired by The Princess Bride, in which a princess must rescue her stable boy true love, from the acclaimed author of Sea Witch, Sarah Henning.

    When a princess’s commoner true love is kidnapped to coerce her into a political marriage, she doesn’t give in—she goes to rescue him.

    When her warrior father, King Sendoa, mysteriously dies, Princess Amarande of Ardenia is given what would hardly be considered a choice: Marry a stranger at sixteen or lose control of her family’s crown.

    But Amarande was raised to be a warrior—not a sacrifice.

    In an attempt to force her choice, a neighboring kingdom kidnaps her true love, stable boy Luca. With her kingdom on the brink of civil war and no one to trust, she’ll need all her skill to save him, her future, and her kingdom.

    “Full of inconceivable wit, daring adventure, and cunning political machinations…It’s as if Sarah Henning looked into my soul that yearned for a book like The Princess Bride and said—as you wish. And yes, this is a kissing book.” —Ashley Poston, author of Heart of Iron

    “The Princess Will Save You is everything we love about YA fantasy, complete with first love, sweeping adventure, and a fierce heroine who holds her own. There’s something for everyone in this book.” —Adrienne Young, New York Times bestselling author of The Sky in the Deep

    “An action-packed adventure with a fierce heroine that is sure to enthrall! Sarah Henning has created a fantasy narrative that weaves together love and betrayal, pirates and swordplay. Sure to please anyone who grew up loving tales of princesses.” —Emily Lloyd-Jones, author of The Bone Houses

    At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

    My thoughts: I love the title and The Princess Bride inspiration, and this book sounds really fun.

    The Sin in the Steel by Ryan Van Loan

    Available July 21

    Ryan Van Loan’s The Sin in the Steel is a sparkling debut fantasy set in a diverse world, featuring dead gods, a pirate queen, shapeshifting mages, and a Sherlockian teenager determined to upend her society.

    Heroes for hire. If you can pay.

    Buc:
    Brilliant street-rat
    Her mind leaps from clues to conclusions in the blink of an eye.

    Eld:
    Ex-soldier
    Buc’s partner-in-crime.

    No. Not in crime—in crime-solving.

    They’ve been hired for their biggest job yet—one that will set them up for a life of ease.

    If they survive.

    Buc and Eld are the first private detectives in a world where pirates roam the seas, mages speak to each other across oceans, mechanical devices change the tide of battle, and earthly wealth is concentrated in the hands of a powerful few.

    It’s been weeks since ships last returned to the magnificent city of Servenza with bounty from the Shattered Coast. Disaster threatens not just the city’s trading companies but the empire itself. When Buc and Eld are hired to investigate, Buc swiftly discovers that the trade routes have become the domain of a sharp-eyed pirate queen who sinks all who defy her.

    Now all Buc and Eld have to do is sink the Widowmaker’s ship….

    Unfortunately for Buc, the gods have other plans.

    Unfortunately for the gods, so does Buc.

    At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

    My thoughts: Epic fantasy private detectives? Yes, please!

    Spells for the Dead by Faith Hunter

    Available July 28

    Nell Ingram faces a dark magic with no known origin in the newest pulse-pounding paranormal procedural in the New York Times bestselling Soulwood series.
     
    Nell is a rookie PsyLED agent, using the powers she can channel from deep within the earth to solve paranormal crimes. Together with her team, she’s taken on the direst magic and the most twisted foes. But she’ll need to tap into every ounce of power she has for her newest case.
     
    Nell is called to the Tennessee mansion of a country music star and finds a disturbing scene—dead bodies rapidly decaying before everyone’s eyes. The witch on her team, T. Laine, has never seen magic that can steal life forces like this. PsyLED needs to find this lethal killer fast. But when a paranormal-hating FBI agent tries to derail the investigation, and the dark magics begin to spiral out of control, they find themselves under attack from all sides.

    My thoughts: I know many folks love Faith’s books, and I think the covers for this series are particularly dreamy and gorgeous.

    What fantasy and sci-fi books are you all looking forward to reading this summer?

  • Fantasy and sci-fi books to add to the TBR pile …

    So far, this has been another great year for fantasy and sci-fi books. Here are some of the many books that I’m looking forward to checking out. Note that the descriptions are from Amazon:

    A Queen in Hiding by Sarah Kozloff

    Available now

    Debut author Sarah Kozloff offers a breathtaking and cinematic epic fantasy of a ruler coming of age in A Queen in Hiding first in the quartet of The Nine Realms series.

    Four books. Four months. Nine Realms.

    Readers will be able to binge this amazing fantasy series with beautiful interlocking art across the spines of all four books.

    Orphaned, exiled and hunted, Cerulia, Princess of Weirandale, must master the magic that is her birthright, become a ruthless guerilla fighter, and transform into the queen she is destined to be.

    But to do it she must win the favor of the spirits who play in mortal affairs, assemble an unlikely group of rebels, and wrest the throne from a corrupt aristocracy whose rot has spread throughout her kingdom.

    The Nine Realms Series
    #1 A Queen in Hiding January 2020
    #2 The Queen of Raiders February 2020
    #3 A Broken Queen March 2020
    #4 The Cerulean Queen April 2020

    At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

    My thoughts: I think it’s great that the books in this series are being released in consecutive months. 

    Cast in Wisdom by Michelle Sagara

    Available now

    SOMETHING IS WAKING

    The fiefs that exist at the heart of the city of Elantra are home to sentient Towers that guard the world against the incursion of Shadow. But between the fiefs exists the gray world of the border zone. In it, geography changes between one passage across a border and the next. The rules of magic are different there—and yet somehow familiar to Kaylin Neya.

    When a Shadow escapes, Kaylin must find out how…and why. If Shadows can breach the barrier erected by the Towers, the whole of Elantra will be devoured. It’s happened on other worlds. Bellusdeo, Kaylin’s Dragon companion, absolutely believes it can happen on theirs.

    The border zone holds secrets and ancient histories, and people are gathering there in search of its power. Without even understanding what that power is, or why it exists, Kaylin is in a desperate race against time to find those secrets first. She doesn’t know who her enemies are. She doesn’t know how many she’ll face. But she won’t face them alone.

    My thoughts: I know a lot of folks love this series, and it’s yet another series that I’ve been meaning to check out.

    The Queen’s Assassin by Melissa de La Cruz

    Available now

    Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Red Queen, this is the first novel in a sweeping YA fantasy-romance duet about a deadly assassin, his mysterious apprentice, and the country they are sworn to protect from #1 NYT bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz.

    Caledon Holt is the kingdom’s deadliest weapon. No one alive can best him in speed, strength, or brains, which is why he’s the Hearthstone Guild’s most dangerous member. Cal is also the Queen’s Assassin, bound to her by magic and unable to leave her service until the task she’s set for him is fulfilled.

    Shadow of the Honey Glade has been training all her life to join the Guild, hoping that one day she’ll become an assassin as feared and revered as Cal. But Shadow’s mother and aunts expect her to serve the crown as a lady of the Renovian Court.

    When a surprise attack brings Shadow and Cal together, they’re forced to team up as assassin and apprentice. Even though Shadow’s life belongs to the court and Cal’s belongs to the queen, they cannot deny their attraction to each other. But now, with war on the horizon and true love at risk, Shadow and Cal will uncover a shocking web of lies that will change their paths forever.

    My thoughts: Y’all know that I love stories about assassins, and this book sounds all kinds of awesome.

    Starbreaker by Amanda Bouchet

    Available now

    THEY NEVER WANTED TO BE HEROES
    Captain Tess Bailey and Shade Ganavan are still the galaxy’s Most Wanted, and with revolution in the wind and the universe on the brink of catastrophic war, the situation couldn’t be more desperate. Despite the Dark Watch scouring the known sectors for them, rebel leaders have handed the crew of the Endeavor a delicate and dangerous mission: break into Starbase 12 and free renowned scientist Reena Ahern. She’s the only one who stands a chance of tipping the odds in their favor for the first time in decades.

    BUT PULLING OFF THE IMPOSSIBLE IS WHAT THEY DO BEST
    The clock is ticking. But as their attraction builds and secrets are revealed, Tess and Shade must decide if they trust each other enough to execute this impossible prison break. They could change the course of history, but they’ll be risking everything… They’ll just have to tackle one crisis at a time.

    Nightchaser Series:
    Nightchaser (Book 1)
    Starbreaker (Book 2)
    Dawnmaker (Book 3)

    My thoughts: Amanda is a friend of mine, and I was lucky enough to read an early copy of this book. I really like the Robin Hood-meets-Star Wars vibe of the series, and I think folks will enjoy the second book as much as they did the first one. 

    The Fiery Crown by Jeffe Kennedy

    May 26

    A desperate alliance. A struggle for survival. And a marriage of convenience with an epic twist of fate. . .

    WILL THEIR LOVE STAND THE TEST OF TIME
    Queen Euthalia has reigned over her island kingdom of Calanthe with determination, grace, and her magical, undying orchid ring. After she defied an empire to wed Conrí, the former Crown Prince of Oriel—a man of disgraced origins with vengeance in his heart—Lia expected the wizard’s prophecy to come true: Claim the hand that wears the ring and the empire falls. But Lia’s dangerous bid to save her realm doesn’t lead to immediate victory. Instead, destiny hurls her and Conrí towards a future neither could predict…

    OR TEAR THEIR WHOLE WORLD APART?
    Con has never healed after the death of his family and destruction of his kingdom—he’s been carefully plotting his revenge against his greatest enemy, Emperor Anure, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. When Lia’s spies gather intelligence suggesting that Anure is planning an attack against Calanthe, Con faces an agonizing choice: Can he sacrifice Lia and all she holds dear to destroy the empire? Or does his true loyalty exist in the arms of his beguiling, passionate wife—’til death do they part?

    My thoughts: Jeffe is another friend of mine, and I’m looking forward to reading this second book in her Forgotten Empires series. 

    Dragon Unleashed by Grace Draven

    June 9

    A dragon shapeshifter and a healer with power over the earth fight a corrupt empire in this thrilling and deeply emotional romantic fantasy from the USA Today bestselling author of Radiance.

    Magic is outlawed in the Krael Empire and punishable by death. Born with the gift of earth magic, the free trader Halani keeps her dangerous secret closely guarded. When her uncle buys a mysterious artifact, a piece of bone belonging to a long-dead draga, Halani knows it’s far more than what it seems.

    Dragas haven’t been seen for more than a century, and most believe them extinct. They’re wrong. Dragas still walk among the denizens of the Empire, disguised as humans. Malachus is a draga living on borrowed time. The magic that has protected him will soon turn on him–unless he finds a key part of his heritage. He has tracked it to a group of free traders, among them a grave-robbing earth witch who fascinates him as much as she frustrates him with her many secrets.

    Unbeknownst to both, the Empire’s twisted empress searches for a draga of her own, to capture and kill as a trophy. As Malachus the hunter becomes the hunted, Halani must risk herself and all she loves to save him from the Empire’s machinations and his own lethal birthright.

    My thoughts: Grace is another friend of mine, and I’m looking forward to reading this second book in her Fallen Empire series. 

    What about you guys? What fantasy and sci-fi books are you looking forward to reading?

  • Books in my TBR pile …

    Can you guys believe that it’s April already? That means that summer (and all its excessive heat) is right around the corner. Sigh. Summer is not my favorite season.

    But in the meantime, there are always more books to read. 🙂 Here are some books that are in my TBR pile right now. Note that the descriptions are from Amazon.

    Good Guys by Steven Brust

    Available now

    A snarky, irreverent tale of secret magic in the modern world, the first solo standalone novel in two decades from Steven Brust, the New York Times bestselling author of the Vlad Taltos series

    “Delightful, exciting, and sometimes brilliant.” —Neil Gaiman on Steven Brust

    Donovan was shot by a cop. For jaywalking, supposedly. Actually, for arguing with a cop while black. Four of the nine shots were lethal—or would have been, if their target had been anybody else. The Foundation picked him up, brought him back, and trained him further. “Lethal” turns out to be a relative term when magic is involved.

    When Marci was fifteen, she levitated a paperweight and threw it at a guy she didn’t like. The Foundation scooped her up for training too.

    “Hippie chick” Susan got well into her Foundation training before they told her about the magic, but she’s as powerful as Donovan and Marci now.

    They can teleport themselves thousands of miles, conjure shields that will stop bullets, and read information from the remnants of spells cast by others days before.

    They all work for the secretive Foundation…for minimum wage.

    Which is okay, because the Foundation are the good guys. Aren’t they?

    At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

    My thoughts: I haven’t read Brust before, but his books have good reviews, and this one sounds really fun.

    Gunpowder Moon by David Pedreira

    Available now

    “Interesting quirks and divided loyalties flesh out this first novel in which sf and mystery intersect in a well-crafted plot…Pedreira’s science thriller powerfully highlights the human politics and economics from the seemingly desolate expanse of the moon. It will attract readers who enjoyed Andy Weir’s lunar crime caper Artemis.” — Library Journal, starred review

    A realistic and chilling vision of life on the Moon, where dust kills as easily as the vacuum of space…but murder is even quicker—a fast-paced, cinematic science fiction thriller, this debut novel combines the inventiveness of The Martian, the intrigue of The Expanse, and the thrills of Red Rising.

    The Moon smells like gunpowder. Every lunar walker since Apollo 11 has noticed it: a burnt-metal scent that reminds them of war. Caden Dechert, the chief of the U.S. mining operation on the edge of the Sea of Serenity, thinks the smell is just a trick of the mind—a reminder of his harrowing days as a Marine in the war-torn Middle East back on Earth.

    It’s 2072, and lunar helium-3 mining is powering the fusion reactors that are bringing Earth back from environmental disaster. But competing for the richest prize in the history of the world has destroyed the oldest rule in space: Safety for All. When a bomb kills one of Dechert’s diggers on Mare Serenitatis, the haunted veteran goes on the hunt to expose the culprit before more blood is spilled.

    But as Dechert races to solve the first murder in the history of the Moon, he gets caught in the crosshairs of two global powers spoiling for a fight. Reluctant to be the match that lights this powder-keg, Dechert knows his life and those of his crew are meaningless to the politicians. Even worse, he knows the killer is still out there, hunting.

    In his desperate attempts to save his crew and prevent the catastrophe he sees coming, the former Marine uncovers a dangerous conspiracy that, with one spark, can ignite a full lunar war, wipe out his team . . . and perhaps plunge the Earth back into darkness.

    My thoughts: I bought this one for Wheezley (he likes scifi and Andy Weir’s books), but I want to read it too. It’s murder … on the moon! Okay, I like saying that in a dramatic voice, but the book does sound really good.

    Punisher Max: The Complete Collection Vol. 2 by Garth Ennis and others

    Available now

    Collects Punisher (2004) #13-30.

    Nick Fury has a dangerous mission for the Punisher: break into a Siberian nuclear missile silo and steal a lethal retrovirus. But Castle soon sets off a chain reaction that will bring him into conflict with a ruthless Russian general — and take the world to the brink of war. Then, mobster Nicky Cavella returns to plague the Punisher. But when his scheme unleashes a wave of violence that rocks New York to its core, other predators emerge from the darkness. Finally, the Punisher targets a human-trafficking operation that supplies kidnapped girls to brothels. Veterans of Eastern Europe’s ethnic genocide, the cruel slavers are a quarry unlike any Castle has hunted before. They’re ready to go to war to protect what’s theirs — but they’ll soon find out exactly what war with the Punisher means.

    My thoughts: Wheezley is a big Punisher fan, and he gave me this collection to read, since it contains “The Slavers” storyline. Supposedly, the Marvel TV show is adapting that storyline for season two, so I wanted to check it out.

    What about you guys? What books are on your TBR pile right now?

  • · ·

    Alex Hughes on science fiction and more …

    11 Comments

    Alex HughesToday, I’m pleased to welcome Alex Hughes to my blog. Alex is the author of the Mindspace Investigations series, which includes Clean, Payoff, and Sharp. Take it away, Alex:

    ALEX HUGHES ON SCIENCE FICTION AND MORE

    Jennifer: Welcome, Alex! Please tell readers about your Mindspace Investigations series.

    Alex: Thanks for having me on the blog, Jennifer. I’m a huge fan of your work and I’m thrilled to be here.

    The Mindspace Investigations series is about a telepath who is also a recovering addict working with the police in future Atlanta to solve a series of crimes. The first book is about a serial killer who kills with the mind. I like to call them telepath police procedurals.

    CleanJennifer: Works in the series are Clean, Payoff, and Sharp. Can you tell us a little about the characters and the story arcs in the series so far?

    Alex: Sure. The major characters are Adam (our hero) and homicide detective Isabella Cherabino. At the start of the series they’ve been working together a few years, but this time she’s brought him in on a particularly puzzling crime scene. When the killer threatens her life, Adam must step up to save her. He’s more than half in love with her but thus far Cherabino is oblivious, which is hard. Adam is struggling with his addiction and slowly working the Twelve Steps program, slowly building confidence and competence. Then (in Book Two) at a crime scene he comes face to face with a murdered former student—someone he owed. And Cherabino must help him solve the case.

    Jennifer: What appeals to you about the fantasy and science fiction genres?

    Alex: I love nearly all types of fiction, with a special love for anything commercial (mystery, scifi, romance, suspense). I love reading about and telling stories about characters with flaws overcoming obstacles in any of those areas. For me, though, the present day real world is a very small sandbox. Sometimes the stories I want to tell fit nicely into that sandbox, but more often I’m playing with things in the grass outside. What could be and might be and wasn’t—well, all of that is very interesting to me. Introducing an impossible element and study how normal people change when dealing with that element, making real world problems metaphorical and exaggerated to make a point, playing at the edges of what is possible now, playing with old stories and might-have-beens, all of those are interesting to me. And, as it happens, they call that approach science fiction and fantasy.

    Jennifer: What inspired you to write the Mindspace Investigations series?

    Alex: I had just re-read this amazing book by Joan D. Vinge called Catspaw, a cyberpunk book about a tortured telepath trying to make his way in the world. I wanted to write something very much like it, but since I was a cop show fan I wanted him to be a detective. One of my good friends at the time was struggling to recover from anorexia, and going through that struggle with her really touched me. I knew I wanted to talk about addiction, about her struggle, but I also knew a physical drug would be easier to understand in the context of what I had already. I did try to write cyberpunk, as well, but it turns out my personal style tends much more towards noir.

    Jennifer: What are some of your favorite fantasy and science fiction books/authors and why?

    Alex: Must I pick a favorite star in the sky? I grew up on (to name a few) authors like Heinlein and McCaffrey, Weber and Lackey and Bujold and Asaro. I love how they’re about the people, the characters, and how they interact with the science or fantastical elements. Strong characters and societies just grab me and don’t let me go.

    Jennifer: Have you always wanted to be a writer? What got you started on your writing journey?

    Alex: When I was a kid (maybe ten? Eleven?), I was a huge, huge reader. I mentioned to my mom briefly that I should write something like one of the novels I was reading, and my mom being my mom said, absolutely, honey. Write it. She set me up on the computer with a document open and said go. I think she was shocked when she came back in an hour and there was a chapter done. Not a very good chapter, mind you, but a chapter. I finished that book a few years later and have been writing ever since.

    SharpJennifer: What’s next for you? Will there be more books in the Mindspace Investigations series?

    Alex: I’m working on Book Four right now; Book Three (Marked) is with the publisher and will be out in April. I’ve got a short story in the same world I’ll be releasing myself in March, and I’ve got nine books planned out in the series. I have a lot to say in that world. But I’m also working on other ideas for other worlds to play in. I love writing, and I love connecting with readers, and I plan to do both for a very long time to come.

    MORE ABOUT ALEX

    Alex Hughes is the author of the Mindspace Investigations series from Roc. She is a Semi-Finalist of the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards, a Finalist in the 2013 Silver Falchion Awards, and a graduate of the pro-level Odyssey Writing Workshop. Over the years, she has lived in many neighborhoods of the sprawling metro Atlanta area, including Decatur during her time at Agnes Scott College. 

    On any given week you can find Alex in the kitchen cooking gourmet Italian food, watching hours of police procedural dramas, and typing madly. Find out more about Alex at her website or follow her Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter.

    GIVEAWAY TIME

    Alex is offering a print copy of Clean, U.S. residents only. To enter, use the form below.

    a Rafflecopter giveaway