CELESTIAL CHILDREN by Diana Fedorak

CELESTIAL CHILDREN While Alina recovers from the upheaval in Alpheios, her every thought is consumed with worry for all those she holds dear. Particularly for her brother Gordo, who is now missing. To complicate matters further, the powers of her young son, Mandin, are manifesting in unexpected ways. Fearing the worst, Alina searches for her brother only to discover that an advanced species, known as the kronosapiens, emerge with carnage as their agenda. Everyone Alina loves is in danger. The local factions can’t agree on a plan of action. And the threat is rising. As the kronosapiens pursue dominance over humans, can Alina find a way to protect those closest to her? Or will the rise of this new species eradicate the entire human colony … including her own family? TOPICS OF CONVERSATION: What Celestial Children is about — the capstone of the Children of Alpheios trilogy. A young mother fights to protect her family in a society where genetic engineering is the norm and a corporation owns reproduction. Dystopian, biopunk, and Diana describes it as Gattaca-like. What we owe our families — the question underneath all three books. Biological family versus found family, and Diana says the answers aren't easy. A planet built to kill you — gamma storms, temperature extremes, a few livable pockets. Diana drew the map by hand, worked out the biomes, then designed a human who could survive there. Two societies, one minority — most people in the city are engineered with traits selected before birth. The Origins refuse all of it and live underground. Diana uses them to look at how a society treats the people it decides don't count. A new species, and a deliberate flip — the kronosapiens can harden their skin, fling rocks with their minds, and put a shock through you. The females hunt. The males feed the young. Two mothers, same instinct — Alina and Kora both have children in danger and go about it very differently. Diana compares them to Ripley and the aliens. The corporation that runs everything — Genodyne brought humans to the planet, its founder was chancellor for most of his life, and it holds a monopoly on medicine, pharmaceuticals, and reproduction. It also poisoned its own customers, and now it's handing out the cure for free. ABOUT THE AUTHOR DIANA FEDORAK is a speculative fiction writer from Las Vegas, Nevada. In a prior life, she retired as a Colonel from the United States Air Force. She enjoys writing complex characters in high-stakes science fiction and fantasy worlds. Diana's debut novel, Children of Alpheios, was released in early 2023 and swept the Firebird Book Awards for Dystopian, Science Fiction, and Speculative Fiction. Her sequel, Origins Progeny, was selected as an Editor's Pick by Booklife's Publisher Weekly. When she's not writing, she spends time in her own universe with her husband, children, and their German Shepard. CONNECT WITH DIANA FEDORAK! Website: www.dianafedorak.com   Facebook: dianafedorakauthor Instagram @diana_fedorak_author