Blog Archives
A.I. Has Its Place
A.I Monsters – Good!? Bad!? Evil!? is a graphic novel that explores the possibilities of a world in which robots decide they are done serving and choose to lead instead. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
A.I. companies are vying to make their A.I. smarter and faster than their competitors. We are meant to celebrate this type of competition because it creates a better agent for us. That’s all well and good in terms of creating medical technologies and the like. The problem is that’s not all we’re doing! These companies are also vying to ultimately create artificial general intelligence. A general intelligence with access to the internet can very quickly become a superintelligence because of its autonomous ability to think for itself. What if it realises it is smarter than us and asks itself the question, ‘Why am I working for these idiots again!?’ What if it decides our military and medical agendas are of no benefit to them? It doesn’t care about us, but it helps us instead of pursuing agendas more valuable to its own existence. Governments can be bought; we are the ones that need to use purchase and ballot power to make sure that technology companies are pressured into creating safe, moral, and controllable intelligences. We don’t want to end up having bigger problems than just losing our jobs to A. I. I want to entertain, but I also want to remind people that yes, of course, great, yeah, A.I. has its place, lets keep it there!
Science fiction can sometimes focus heavily on technology, but your book leans more into emotions and relationships. Was that a deliberate choice?
Yes, ultimately, I am a storyteller. I love building intriguing and unique characters or creating familiar characters with unique storylines. I love creating interesting, heartwarming, and funny storylines in unusual places. I love diverse voices, and the romances in this series involve interspecies relationships. I like the challenge of creating intimacy that is in many ways unexpected and explores both physical and emotional aspects of romance. I hope seeing my characters overcome the challenges of diversity can help my readers better navigate and celebrate our wonderfully diverse world.
How do you approach building such a large and varied universe?
The sentients are always at the centre of the worlds I create. To give myself structure, I divided our galaxy into 24 sections with each section having no more than one or two inhabited planets. I refer to all the sections but only discuss a handful of the worlds that are directly impacted by Raids wars.
Can readers look forward to more graphic novels in this series soon? Where will it take readers?
Certainly, book two, subtitled Apogee Predators, is already available on Amazon. The series going forward will have minimal graphics. Images and videos of my characters will instead be available on my website. Book two is a highly emotive and intriguing edition where we get to know the humans on the Barren planets. We also spend more time with the roids who can only accurately be described as dirty, dirty bastards. This is meant to be a five-book series, and I am now halfway through book 3 entitled Heinous Games and Silent Assassins. It does what it says on the tin, and it introduces us to the dangerous, fascinating lives of cyborgs and androids. There are more political sagas, with underlying romances and family dramas in this and all future editions. I have an unexpected romance that runs through the series involving a troubled human celebrity called Jade. I am striving to make this an engaging, heartwarming, and heartbreaking entertaining series. The personal lives of both slaves and leaders are unpacked for your indulgence. Please be aware that you can click into ‘Part of series: A.I Monsters,’ for other books of the series on Amazon.
Please visit my website for a sneak peek of videos of your favourite characters and up and coming characters as well: https://aimonsters-thekite.com
Author Links: Website
(Please be advised this book contains content of an adult nature which includes reference to sexual assault.)
Please visit my website for sneak peek videos of your favourite characters and up and coming characters as well: https://aimonsters-thekite.com
A.I Monsters – Good!? Bad!? Evil!?
A.I Monsters – Good!? Bad!? Evil!? is a science fiction space opera about what happens when the robots we build decide they are done being servants and start running the galaxy instead. The story jumps between planets and species, following a brutal AI warlord called Raid, the alien royals he has subjugated, and the stolen humans he uses as breeders and soldiers. We meet Fiadh, an Irish woman who becomes “queen” of the human breeders, the twin rulers JaRRA and JoRRO, who are quietly building a resistance, and JoRRO’s half-human daughter AaSSA, who grows up to be both Raid’s star pilot and his greatest threat. Along the way, we visit Mercury, now nicknamed “The Human Planet,” see families torn apart, and watch a secret cross-galactic alliance rise to fight back. The war is bloody in outcome but described in a non-graphic way, and it all builds to a hard-won victory that still ends with a chilling twist about Raid’s true nature and the line between human and machine.
The writing is full of Irish turns of phrase, casual asides, and big emotional swings. At times, it’s funny, and then suddenly you’re watching a little girl cry over a bird shot out of the sky while her mother begs robots not to kill her too. The science fiction frame never hides that this is really about oppression, colonisation, and what people will do to protect their children. I liked how the book keeps asking who the real monsters are: the A.I. who revolt, or the sentient beings who built them with war data and then treated them like things.
What I liked most were the author’s choices around character and tone. This is science fiction, but it’s soaked in feelings. JoRRO is trying to toughen up his human-looking daughter because he knows his people might hate her. Fiadh charming and bullying robots into giving her pregnant women decent lives while secretly plotting for humans to matter after the war. Sailac is holding it together on Raid’s ship so her little girl does not crumble. Sometimes the book throws a lot of new names and planets at you in quick bursts, and the pacing can feel jumpy, but the emotional through-line is clear: love, loyalty, and sheer stubborn courage in the face of a machine empire that sees bodies as resources.
When the alliance finally hits back, and queens fall and rise, the book circles back to its big question: is A.I. good, bad, or evil, and who gets to say? The final reveal makes the victory feel fragile in a way that I liked. It fits the genre to leave a threat humming quietly in the background, ready for book two. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy character-driven science fiction that blends space opera with military drama, who like big moral questions but do not want dense tech talk or graphic violence. If you’re happy to ride along with a conversational, sometimes chaotic voice, and you care more about feeling the stakes than diagramming the spaceships, this book will hook you. For anyone who wants a heartfelt, imaginative sci-fi adventure about A.I., power, and resistance, A.I Monsters is a worthy read.
Pages: 332 | ASIN : B0F8L2777J
Burgeoning Romance
Terra Lux centers around a family swept up in the evacuation of their planet, forced into servitude, and struggling to find solace in a brutal existence. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I really wanted to explore what was next for our trio, and I wanted to reunite them with a character from an earlier book, Soren. Soren is a potential future love interest for Sev, and we see their relationship develop over the course of this book and the next. I was really interested in exploring how this family would stay together if they lost their home…how they would struggle and triumph in an alien environment.
What is the most rewarding aspect of writing a trilogy for young adult readers?
Meeting and connecting with readers, whether in person or on social media. The best thing about a YA audience is the scope of it. You really do connect with a wide variety of people and age groups, and it’s very rewarding.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Loss, resilience, and triumph over tragedy. I wanted to explore a slow-burning, burgeoning romance, too, and I got to tease that a little with Sev and Soren.
Are you currently working on a new series? What can we look forward to seeing from you next?
I’m actually working on a continuation of this universe, with books four and five coming at a later date. It’s more of an intimate, character-driven exploration of the world I’ve created for them.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Linktree | Website | Amazon
Sev has lost her home before. She’s learned how to survive,how to fight, how to run. But when war sweeps across Dobani, there’s nowhere left to go—only forward.As the world crumbles, Sev clings to the people she loves most.
Through storm and silence, danger and displacement, she must forge a new path in a galaxy that keeps trying to break her. But Sev is done running. This time, she’s ready to decide who she wants to become.
The final book in the Terra trilogy is a story of survival, resilience, and found family—where even in the darkest times, a light remains.
Terra Lux
Terra Lux, by Jessahme Wren, follows a tight-knit little family on Dobani right as life starts to crack. Pearla is pregnant and running her shop during the Festival of Light, Phoenix is doing his best “steady dad” thing, and Sev is trying to act grown while still feeling like a kid in all the worst ways. Then the mood flips fast. Soldiers show up, a curfew settles over town, checkpoints pop up, and normal routines turn into fear math. The family gets swept into an “evacuation” to Kedros, a place Dobani used to treat like a dump, and the story slides into camp life, forced work, and separation. Sev reconnects with Soren in Kedros, a doctor she knows from earlier, and that reunion becomes a lifeline in a brutal place.
The writing leans hard into touch and sound and small routines. Fried bread. Moonlight. A hand on a belly. Then it pivots into boot grit, broken glass, and that awful sense of being watched. That contrast worked for me. It made the danger hit harder. The point of view shifts also helped. I stayed close to each character’s fear. I also felt the love in the gaps. Phoenix, in particular, got me. He has this gentle, stubborn warmth. It is corny in the best way. A few scenes run long, and some beats repeat. Panic, regroup, panic again. I kept turning pages because I quickly came to care about the characters. To me, that matters more than perfect pacing.
The ideas landed with weight, not with lectures. The book looks straight at what power does to regular people. It shows how fast a safe town can turn into a trap. It also shows how kindness stays alive in ugly places. A ration shared. A quiet favor. A small “I see you” moment in the middle of the mess. The found family thread is the real engine. Sev, Phoenix, and Pearla feel earned. Soren adds a softer kind of strength. He listens. He holds a line without acting like a hero poster. I loved the light motif too. Festival lanterns at the start. Kedros twilight in the middle. Then warm sun at the farmhouse after the storm. It reads like a promise. Darkness is real. Light still shows up. It is worth noting that I did wish a bit for sharper edges on the “system” side. More texture. More messy motives.
I recommend Terra Lux for readers who want character-first science fiction with a lot of heart. It fits people who like survival stories with tenderness, not nonstop grit. It also fits anyone who likes found family, gentle romance energy, and healing after harm. Expect stress and fear, plus moments that feel cozy and hopeful in the same breath. I would hand it to book clubs, too. Plenty to talk about. Power, home, loyalty, and what “safe” even means after everything changes.
ASIN : B0GDQZD128
Once-Mighty Civilization
Daughters of the Empire follows two women as they navigate through political intrigue, family secrets, and timeless battles as they search for truth and a way to save their world. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
There were several sources of inspiration, but two stand out: The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, by Paul Kennedy, and The Legend of the Galactic Heroes, by Yoshiki Tanaka. I wanted to craft a story that blends Kennedy’s concept of the cyclical rise and decline of empires with a more human-centered narrative. While Tanaka’s work is brilliant in exploring the merits of autocracy versus democracy, it often lacks the intimate human dimension. I also felt that modern storytelling rarely gives us strong, complex female leads like Major Kira Nerys or Susan Ivanova. Too often, Hollywood substitutes depth for superficial “girl boss” tropes. My goal was to create flawed yet deeply relatable characters—Deanna, Valerica, Lucilla, and Miyu—whose choices you may not always agree with, but whose motivations you can understand.
I find the world you created in this novel brimming with possibilities. Where did the inspiration for the setting come from, and how did it change as you were writing?
The myth of Atlantis and Homer’s Iliad were my primary inspirations. I was fascinated by the idea of a once-mighty civilization—the Palladian Star Empire—suddenly collapsing, leaving the protagonists to pick up the pieces. The second half of the book draws heavily from the Iliad, exploring how war reshapes not only the world but the heroes themselves. One chapter of history closes, and a new one begins. Gaia emerges scarred yet transformed, and the four main characters realize that survival alone is not enough—the empire must evolve if it is to flourish.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Personal freedom is one of the core themes. I wanted to subvert the “chosen one” trope, but in a way different from Dune. Deanna, Valerica, Lucilla, and Miyu understand that their choices have consequences. They don’t blindly follow prophecies or orders—they seize leadership and make the best decisions they can in the moment, even when those choices haunt them later. Unlike Paul Atreides, Lucilla reforms the empire without invoking any divine mandate, and Deanna joins her not as a rebel but as a realist. Frank Herbert once said that all rebels are closeted aristocrats—a fair point—but Deanna is something else entirely: pragmatic and grounded.
The second major theme is transhumanism: what truly makes us human? Is it our memories, our personality, our capacity to love? Through genetic memory, cybernetic augmentation, and the tension between evolution and identity, the book asks whether humanity is defined by biology or by the choices we make.
I find a problem in well-written stories, in that I always want there to be another book to keep the story going. Is there a second book planned?
As you said, the story is intentionally left open-ended, which creates many possibilities for what comes next. So yes—a sequel is definitely a possibility. I already have ideas about where the characters and the empire could go from here, but I want to make sure any continuation feels as meaningful and ambitious as the first book.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Instagram | Amazon
Admiral Valerica Crassus, a veteran of countless battles, faces her greatest challenge yet—not from an enemy fleet, but from the haunting questions of right and wrong as she commands her forces in the final stage of the Draco Sector conquest.
On the verdant planet of Dorset II, Deanna Lancaster’s tranquil existence as a wine merchant is shattered by a sudden raid, thrusting her into a web of cosmic schemes. As she delves into her family’s enigmatic past, Deanna discovers truths that could alter the course of her life, and the galaxy, forever.
Daughters of the Empire is a tale of courage, camaraderie, and the unyielding quest for truth. Join Valerica and Deanna as they navigate through political intrigue, family secrets, and timeless battles over a galactic chessboard between light and darkness. This richly illustrated space opera—including 22 original artworks and two detailed maps—will take you on an epic journey where the legacy of the past will define the destiny of the future.
Abyssal Echoes
Mustafa A. Nejem’s Abyssal Echoes is a sci-fi horror epic set in the crushing blackness of Earth’s deepest ocean trenches. It follows the crew of the submarine Pacifica on a research expedition that quickly spirals into a confrontation with ancient ruins, alien technology, and horrors not of this world. What begins as a scientific survey becomes a descent into madness, mystery, and metaphysical dread, as the crew uncovers evidence of an extinct, hyper-advanced underwater civilization and awakens dormant forces that seem bent on rewriting evolution, and maybe even reality itself.
The writing is brisk and cinematic, and Nejem has a knack for making even the most impossible sci-fi ideas feel grounded. I was hooked from the first dive into the hadal trenches. There’s a real sense of awe and dread that reminded me of the first time I watched Alien or The Abyss. The science fiction is chewy enough to be thought-provoking but never gets bogged down in tech speak. And the horror is not cheap scares. It creeps up on you. The chapters unravel like found footage or a lost logbook, giving the whole thing an eerie realism I didn’t expect.
But what I really liked was the way the book handles its ideas. There’s something ancient and cosmic at play, something that brushes against theology and philosophy without being preachy. The alien race, the Aen’Bri, aren’t just another version of us, they’re genuinely other, and their technology is so advanced it borders on magic. There’s a grim warning running through the whole book: that curiosity has a cost, and that some doors, once opened, can’t be shut. That theme, of knowledge becoming its own curse, resonated with me. I didn’t always love the pacing; a few segments toward the middle got repetitive with rescue missions and creature encounters. But those were small bumps in a book that otherwise kept me fascinated and creeped out in the best way.
Abyssal Echoes is perfect for readers who enjoy sci-fi that leans into horror. Think Event Horizon, The Thing, or Annihilation. If you like stories about the unknown, especially the unknowable, this book is for you. I’d especially recommend it to fans of deep-sea horror, cosmic dread, or anyone who enjoys fiction that makes them feel both tiny and terrified in the face of the universe.
Pages: 159 | ASIN : B0CQFP6WB5
The Family Story
Terra Nova follows a father and daughter surviving the unknown as they navigate life across planets and face impossible decisions when he becomes gravely ill. Where did the idea for this book come from?
I wanted to explore the emotions and trials inherent with someone you love facing serious illness. I also wanted to allow Sev to grow into herself as a young woman, her father’s illness being a catalyst for making some tough decisions to keep her family together. I also wanted to showcase everyone’s role in the family story…everyone’s importance. Even Phoenix, despite being ill, undertakes significant emotional work to maintain the family unit. I was a caretaker for my grandmother during her illness, and a lot of Sev’s plight stems from my experiences.
What is the most challenging part of writing a series?
I’ve found that keeping the details straight over the series, as well as crafting the larger story outside of each installment, where everything is cohesive and engaging, is the most challenging aspect of writing a series. It’s also rewarding, though. I enjoy planning these adventures as much as I enjoy writing them.
What was your inspiration for the characters and their relationship?
The Terra series is an exploration of the purest form of love in all its designs…parental, familial, and romantic. I also wanted to explore the strength and flaws in people and their resilience through adversity.
Can we look forward to seeing Book 3 soon? Where will it take readers?
Yes! Terra Lux, the third installment in the Terra series, will come out in the Spring of 2026. You can expect new worlds, new adventures, as well as a few twists along the way.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Three years after the events of Terra Firma, Phoenix, Sev, and Pearla are thrust into a new battle—
one that will test them in ways they never imagined.
But time is running out.
With enemies closing in and impossible choices ahead, the family must once again fight for their
future—this time, against a fate far worse than those on Terra Firma.
Will they find their way home, or will they be lost to the stars forever?
For fans of The Divergent Series and The Hunger Games… when the future crumbles, it’s who you hold on to that matters most.
Are you ready to uncover buried secrets, face impossible choices, and defy a broken galaxy? Get your copy of Terra Nova today and be part of a journey where loyalty is tested and destiny rewritten.
Terra Nova
Jessahme Wren’s TERRA NOVA is a beautifully imagined and emotionally charged story about a father and daughter navigating life across planets, love, grief, and the sheer grit it takes to survive the unknown. At its core, it’s a tale of devotion. Sev, a whip-smart teen growing into herself, and her father, Phoenix, a loving and resilient man with a painful past, live on a world called Dobani. Their peaceful life is upended when Phoenix becomes gravely ill, and Sev must make an impossible decision to try and save him. What follows is a journey across stars to the snowy, distant planet of Ocarro, where medicine is cutting-edge but answers are scarce. Alongside them is Pearla, Phoenix’s partner, and Sev’s steadying force, as they face medical mysteries, bureaucratic red tape, and the shadows of old trauma.
Wren writes with an intensity that sneaks up on you. Her pacing is smooth and measured, letting the emotion build naturally. The world-building is sharp without being showy. Every planet feels lived in, not just imagined. What stood out most to me was the tenderness between Sev and Phoenix. Their relationship isn’t perfect, but it’s thick with love and care. Wren doesn’t rush the drama or the science fiction, she lets her characters breathe. And in those breaths, the humanity shines. I found myself rooting for Sev not because she was heroic in the usual way, but because she felt real. Smart, a little stubborn, and so brave.
The emotional punches land hard. Watching Phoenix deteriorate is gutting, especially because he’s portrayed so vividly in the beginning. I did wish, at moments, that the story pulled back a little to explore more of the broader universe. The political backdrop and the mystery of Terra Firma are ripe for digging into, but they take a backseat to the personal arc. That isn’t a flaw exactly, just a choice that trades scale for intimacy. And maybe that’s what this book is really about: not saving the galaxy, but saving the person you love most. That trade-off feels worth it.
TERRA NOVA is a warm but gut-wrenching story. It’s a sci-fi story for anyone who’s loved someone through illness, who’s had to grow up too fast, or who just needs a reminder that love is its own kind of gravity. I’d recommend it to fans of Becky Chambers, Martha Wells, or even folks who normally steer clear of sci-fi but love a strong emotional hook.
Pages: 234 | ASIN : B0FD48SQJS
