Getting to Know Ali Cross!

Wow, it's my turn to introduce myself to you and I'm kind of nervous! Bear with me, while I clear my throat, shuffle my notes and say "um," and "uh," a lot.

So, I'm Ali Cross. I've published seven young adult/adult sci fi/fantasy books since December 2011. I've also published one sci fi adventure book for middle grade readers under the pen name Alex Banks.

I've tried a lot of things with my life from human resource management to professional opera performance to photography. Bless my husband's heart, he's always supported me in my adventures. But this one--this writing gig--has been the only one to stick.

I'm grateful for all that risk-taking and adventuring I did. My mom taught me that to truly live you had to take some risks and I know first-hand that had I not given myself permission to try new things I never would have found the work that has brought me the most happiness.

I've been writing since 2002 and I. Love. It. It brings me immeasurably joy--and I hope you can feel that in the stories I write.

The first books I published were in the Desolation series--a story about Desolation Black, the devil's  (aka Loki) daughter and her journey to find her own way.

In 2013 I released my first middle grade book, Jump Boys: SOS. I decided to publish it under the name Alex Banks because I wanted a safe and easy way for young readers to identify those books without confusing them with the darker, more grown up story lines of my ali cross books. (Oh, and when I write "ali cross", it's not a typo--I have a thing for the serif "a" and have built my brand on the lower case "ali cross".)

I've kind of farted around as an author and it's taken me a bit of time to get my act together. I'm not going to say I've figured it all out (I'm bound to have a spaz attack any second now!) but I expect to have an awesome 2014!

In January, I released my first audiobook--Become (Desolation Trilogy #1), narrated by the amazing actress Kelli Shane.

In February I released my first non-Desolation book, Blood Crown. I can't tell you how excited I am about that!

And there's so much more to come! You can expect more Desolation audiobooks, at least two new middle grade stories (I'm dying to tell you about these! But . . . not yet!), a new YA dystopian serial called Children of the Gods, and my first YA contemporary romance. I'm trying it all (remember what I said about taking risks?) and working very hard!

But March is all about Blood Crown,
a sci fi romance--with a Cinderella twist!

Androids have claimed power over what remains of the human race. They rule without remorse. They are the Mind and humans exist only to serve them.

But it wasn't always so.

 

Before the android uprising, select droids, called Servants, were pivotal in engineering a new human race with nanotechnology enhanced DNA. The Blood Crown theorem was to be humanity's crowning glory and the key to their survival in deep space.

 

But Serantha, Daughter of the West, was the last female to receive Gifts from her Servant and when the Mind mutinied, she was hidden away, and presumed dead.

 

Without Serantha there is no hope of the Blood Crown being realized so Nicolai, Son of the East, abandons his crown to join the rebel forces. He might not provide the future for his people he had once dreamed of, but he will not go down without a fight.

 

When Nicolai discovers Sera among a small compliment of kitchen staff, everything changes--but Sera's Gifts were never completed and she is ill-equipped to face a legion of androids determined to wipe her, and every other human, out of existence.

 

Their only hope is the Blood Crown--but even if Serantha and Nicolai can realize their potential it may be too late to save mankind.

I am pretty much in love with this book, and with the series as I envision it--I hope you will enjoy it, too!

You can buy Blood Crown at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and iTunes. And if you want to save it for later, you can add it to your Goodreads list here.

I've chatted your ear off! If I haven't lost you yet, I hope you'll consider signing up for my newsletter. I promise not to spam you and only email you when I have real news to share. Also, to thank you, I'd like to give you any one of my Desolation books for free. Just sign up for my newsletter and choose which book you'd like to read--for free!

<3 ali
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