Alex HughesToday we welcome Alex Hughes, author of the MINDSPACE INVESTIGATIONS series. The second novel, Sharp, was one of my favorite reads last year. I’ve just finished the excellent third volume, Marked, which will be released on April 1. In Marked, Adam is investigating a case at the Telepath’s Guild. Adam continues to be one of my favorite urban fantasy heroes because his struggles feel so viscerally real. The emotional agony and practical physical pain he combats as he struggles to maintain his sobriety in the face of difficult life transitions are poetically beautiful.

Here’s your chance to try MINDSPACE INVESTIGATIONS. One commenter will win a copy of either Clean or Sharp (your choice). If you’re in the US, you can choose a print or ebook. If you’re in Canada, UK, South Africa, or Australia, we can send an ebook.

And now, here’s Alex Hughes, talking about being Half in Love…

fantasy and science fiction book reviewsAt the beginning of Marked, our hero Adam has been working with his partner, homicide detective Isabella Cherabino, for years. He knows the way she takes her coffee. He knows the way her forehead crinkles when she’s mad. He knows her workaholic ways, and he admires her greatly. In fact, he’s half in love with her, and has been for a very long time. The trouble is, that according to the Twelve Steps Program and his sponsor, he can’t have a relationship until he can keep a plant alive. Adam has killed probably three dozen plants at this point, and he has another three up in his windowsill now. Two are turning yellow, one brown.

fantasy and science fiction book reviewsCherabino is still angry with him over the Link he accidentally formed between them. The only thing she’d ever asked of him was for him to keep his hands and mind to himself. The Link was the opposite of that, and while she was learning to tolerate it, every time she gets a thought from Adam, it’s one more reminder that he hadn’t respected that line.

fantasy and science fiction book reviews

So Adam goes home to his empty apartment with the Tech tuned into the walls, and waters his plants. Again. Maybe one of them will survive this time. Maybe.

And then, in Marked, Swartz says something that will change the game forever. “You should ask her out,” he says.

What about you, dear reader? What project, idea, or situation have you been in love with but haven’t been willing to act on? Why haven’t you acted? What would happen if you did?

Author

  • John Hulet

    JOHN HULET is a member of the Utah Army National Guard. John’s experiences have often left a great void that has been filled by countless hours spent between the pages of a book lost in the words and images of the authors he admires. During a 12 month tour of Iraq, he spent well over $1000 on books and found sanity in the process. John lives in Utah and works slavishly to prepare soldiers to serve their country with the honor and distinction that Sturm Brightblade or Arithon s’Ffalenn would be proud of. John retired from FanLit in March 2015 after being with us for nearly 8 years. We still hear from him every once in a while.