Writing

Fiction

Hunger Makes the Wolf – my debut novel from Angry Robot (written under the pen name Alex Wells)–and now shortlisted for the Kitschies 2017 Golden Tentacle Award!

The strange planet known as Tanegawa’s World is owned by TransRift Inc, the company with the absolute monopoly on interstellar travel. Hob landed there ten years ago, a penniless orphan left behind by a rift ship. She was taken in by Nick Ravani and quickly became a member of his mercenary biker troop, the Ghost Wolves.

Ten years later, she discovers that the body of Nick’s brother out in the dunes. Worse, his daughter is missing, taken by shady beings called the Weathermen. But there are greater mysteries to be discovered – both about Hob and the strange planet she calls home.

“Reading Hunger Makes the Wolf, I found myself wistfully contemplating how visually amazing it could be translated to either the big or the small screen. It’s a science fiction Western thriller, and it is great, and I’m really, intensely, eagerly looking forward to the sequel.” – Tor.com

“Tanegawa’s World may be a desolate and uninviting terrain, but it provides fertile ground for the characters,who truly blossom on the page. I am more than ready to ride sidecar for Hob Ravini’s next adventure.” – B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog

“Let’s just get this out there — this is a very cool novel.” – The Irresponsible Reader

Order now from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo. You can get DRM-free ebooks at Angry Robot Books. And you can check out the Goodreads page for more reviews! Click here for a brief FAQ and more reviews!

Get the sequel, Blood Binds the Pack, now!

War is coming to Hob Ravani’s world. The company that holds it in monopoly, TransRift Inc, has at last found what they’re looking for–the source of the power that enables their Weathermen to rip holes in space and time, allowing the interstellar travel all of human society now takes for granted. And they will mine every last grain of it from Tanegawa’s World no matter the cost.

Since Hob Ravani used her witchy powers to pull a massive train job and destroy TransRift Inc’s control on this part of the planet, the Ghost Wolves aren’t just outlaws, they’re the resistance. Mag’s miner collective grows restless as TransRift pushes them ever harder to strip the world of its strange, blue mineral. Now Shige Rollins has returned with a new charge–Mr Yellow, the most advanced model of Weatherman, infused with the recovered mineral samples and made into something stranger, stronger, and deadlier than before. And Mr Yellow is very, very hungry.

Order from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo. If you’d like to read a little interview with me and see a higher resolution version of the awesome cover, the BN blog has you covered!

And if you have found yourself wanting some silly fluff that’s basically me writing fanfiction of my own work, I’ve got chapters of a “Coffee Shop AU” (actually “Coffee Shop in a Grocery Store AU”) over at my Patreon. A buck of month gets you silly things like Hob steaming milk and Coyote going on a taco truck run!

Novellas

From Queen of Swords Press–the triumphant return of Captain Ramos, infamous pirate, detective, and all around pain-in-the-ass. Order Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures now! Finalist for the 2019 Colorado Book Awards in the Science Fiction/Fantasy category!

Captain Marta Ramos, the most notorious pirate in the Duchy of Denver, has her hands full, what between fascinating murder mysteries, the delectable and devious Deliah Nimowitz, Colonel Geoffrey Douglas (the Duke of Denver’s new head of security) and her usual activities: piracy, banditry and burglary. Not to mention the horrors of high society tea parties. In contrast, Simms, her second in command, longs only for a quiet life, filled with tasty sausages and fewer explosions. Or does he? Join Captain Ramos, Simms and their crew as they negotiate the perils of air, land and drawing room in a series of fast-paced adventures in a North America that never was.

Captain Ramos and her crew return in Wireless and More Steam-Powered Adventures!

“Mashing together the flavors of steampunk, Sherlock Holmes, Weird West and zombies is just too delicious to ignore.” — John DeNardo, Kirkus

Free to read on my website, I’ve got a couple of side stories for you: Sniff, Sniff Adventure! and INFECTION

Anthology

No Sh!t, There I Was (kindle edition here) is an anthology I edited of speculative fiction stories, from the sublime to ridiculous to horrifying, all with one sentence in common. If you want to know more about the project, I wrote a series of blog posts while I was putting it together!

Short Stories/Novelettes

(as Alex Acks)

(as Alex Wells)

(as Rachael Acks)

Other Media

Fun Blog Nonsense 

Non-Fiction

All movie-related personal blog nonsense can be found under the Movie category, but here are some highlights:

Book Reviews

Other Articles

16 replies on “Writing”

Wow. I’m astounded- you’re really talented!
And you’ve studied geology? Wow. It’s a path I never took, though now I think I would have loved it.
I’m dropping a comment here- I’ve read a few of your fanfics, and there’s one that’s a bit… incomplete? “The Law of Unintended Consequences”, on AO3. Can we readers expect it to be updated and completed, pretty please?

Thank you very much!

Yes, that one is currently incomplete. I can’t say I’ve completely abandoned it, but honestly I haven’t really had much time to write fanfiction because I have to prioritize my original work over it. I’m very sorry that I’m keeping everyone hanging, but when it’s a question of if I’m going to allocate my writing time to fanfic or paid work, well…I hope you don’t blame me. :/

Randomly scoped out your LJ and saw the Scarabaeus Sacer prologue, back in 06. Wow..Talk about a walk down memory lane.

When I first started reading Anita Blake, some years after reading Acherontia Atropos. Needless to say, it was a trip.

Is there any chance, of one day, finishing the arc? This is one of stories that’s stuck with me over the years, hehe.

Enjoyed “Significant Figures”, and left a note at BuzzyMag. With a xref to a Dave Barry classic:

…. Brickman turned to the General Electric LS-MFT-53800000 ‘HellFrost’ Naval Combat Mini-Fridge and punched in his Food Access Security code. Silently the door swung open. ….

The “Tactical Field Burrito” cracks me up every time!

33 year old pandemic me started watching GW for the first time since Middle School, and had a memory of a fanfic I used to adore. I searched Heero x Duo Vampire on Google and scrolled through dozens of 20 year old fanfic websites and stories. I nearly gave up hope when BAM! Found that first memorable paragraph of Acherontia. It felt like I was a young kid again when I use to print out all the pages into a binder as you released chapters so I could joyously re-read them in bed. Finally read your third installment from 2005 and have to say Im bummed I wont see what becomes of the characters- just left on Duo’s eternal scream. But had to leave a note to let you know how grateful I am that your domain is still up with those stories so I could relive some serious nostaligia. Havent been able to focus on any book since lockdown began, but whizzed through those chapters in 24 hours :D

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