Radiant Exception Now Available
Radiant Exception might be the longest I’ve ever spent writing a book from start to finish since I began writing novel-length stories. I worked on it for over a year, and for a long time I couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t clicking. I loved the world, the atmosphere, the mystery, the tension, and for sure the rest of the crew. I knew exactly how I wanted certain scenes to look and feel, but I kept struggling to connect with Lark in the way I needed to if she was going to be the only voice telling her story. She’s capable but guarded, confident but grieving, she’s a badass in every way and felt deeply strong in ways that felt very far away from who I am as a person. Every time I sat down to write from her perspective, it felt like there was something missing from the emotional core of the story.
And then Vaughn showed up.
Or more accurately, his point of view did. I haven’t written dual-POV in over fifteen years, but the second I started writing from Vaughn’s perspective, everything finally made sense. He became the lens through which I understood Lark, and through his love, loyalty, vulnerability, frustration, and fascination with her, I finally got to know who she really was beneath all her armor.
This story itself actually began with a dream about the rescue scene, and from there it slowly became a love letter to a long standing love for sci-fi movies and television, using the claustrophobic tension of a spaceship, a dangerous clandestine mission, and sci-fi romance, which is one of my favorite romance subgenres. After watching and reading so many out of this world stories from a very young age, getting to tell one of my own has meant more to me than I can really put into words.
❤️AJ
