Goddess in the Machine

As an only child, Lora Beth Johnson grew up telling herself stories and reading past her bedtime. She spent her adulthood collecting degrees, careers, and stamps in her passport before realizing her passion for creating fictional worlds. When she's not writing, she's teaching college English and learning new languages. She lives in Davidson, NC with her little roommate, Colocataire the Yorki-poo. Goddess in the Machine is her first book.

Find Lora Beth on Twitter @LoraBethWrites

A smart, thrilling sci-fi adventure, perfect for fans of Renegades and Aurora Rising.

When Andra wakes up, she's drowning.

Not only that, but she's in a hot, dirty cave, it's the year 3102, and everyone keeps calling her Goddess. When Andra went into a cryonic sleep for a trip across the galaxy, she expected to wake up in a hundred years, not a thousand. Worst of all, the rest of the colonists--including her family and friends--are dead. They died centuries ago, and for some reason, their descendants think Andra's a deity. She knows she's nothing special, but she'll play along if it means she can figure out why she was left in stasis and how to get back to Earth.

Zhade, the exiled bastard prince of Eerensed, has other plans. Four years ago, the sleeping Goddess's glass coffin disappeared from the palace, and Zhade devoted himself to finding it. Now he's hoping the Goddess will be the key to taking his rightful place on the throne--if he can get her to play her part, that is. Because if his people realize she doesn't actually have the power to save their dying planet, they'll kill her.

With a vicious monarch on the throne and a city tearing apart at the seams, Zhade and Andra might never be able to unlock the mystery of her fate, let alone find a way to unseat the king, especially since Zhade hasn't exactly been forthcoming with Andra. And a thousand years from home, is there any way of knowing that Earth is better than the planet she's woken to?

EVOCATIVE WORLDBUILDING: This book has a rich and exciting world full of distinctive details like 'implants that allow people to wordlessly interact with tech, a metallic wand that heals wounds, and colorful, unique palace architecture.LANGUAGE PLAY: The author is a linguistics expert, and she has created a dialect specific to Holymyth for the book, reflecting how the English language has evolved over time.SMART, ACCESSIBLE SCI-FI: The humorous voice, character-driven narrative, and fraught romance between Andra and Zhade, as well as the epic palace intrigue and exciting action sequences found in popular fantasies make this book is a great fit for readers outside of the classic sci-fi genre.SHOCKING TWISTS: This book has perfectly plotted twists right up until the last page, with an ending that has left readers desperate for the sequel.TALENTED, PROMOTABLE AUTHOR: Lora Beth is personable, enthusiastic, and committed to promoting this book. She is also very savvy and has already made great contacts in the YA community during her debut's release.