Amy has always loved science fiction—books, movies, shows, and games. She was born in San Diego, California, and moved with her family to Vancouver, Washington, at the age of seven. After devouring some of the classics like Dune and Ender's Game in her tween years, she began writing science fiction and fantasy short stories.
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In the ensuing years, Amy attended the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, where she continued to study creative writing, visual art and played viola in the school orchestra. During this time, she began the very early sketches of what would eventually evolve into the Cadicle series.
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Amy received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Portland State University, and also pursued minors in Professional Writing and Business Administration. After graduating, she moved to Portland, Oregon, and began working in business development for an energy efficiency consulting firm. Over the next several years, she primarily wrote proposals to prospective utility clients and managed the proposal development process. She then transitioned from energy efficiency into the architectural, engineering and planning industry. However, she eventually succumbed to the writing bug.
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Now a full-time author, Amy currently lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband. When she's not writing, she enjoys travel, wine tasting, binge-watching TV series, and playing epic strategy board games.
BIOGRAPHY
TARAN EMPIRE SAGA
BOOK 2: EMPIRE UPRISING
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ABOUT THE BOOK
Ancient secrets may be the way forward...
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Tarans have reached a tentative peace with the Erebus. While politicians on Tararia address the political ramifications of the new alliance, Jason and the rest of the TSS refocus their efforts on defense.
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The Erebus are after something. It’s unclear what, but Jason is convinced they can’t be trusted. The Aesir’s data archive may hold the key to an effective defense, except keeping anything from the Erebus and their seemingly omnipotent abilities will put the fragile Taran Empire in even greater danger.
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Fearing for the Empire’s security, the TSS implements a covert plan to upgrade the fortifications across the Taran worlds using ancient technology that has long been buried. Only, those secrets were locked away for a reason, and reopening the archives will initiate a conflict no one is prepared to fight.
PLOT SYNOPSIS - Empire Uprising (Taran Empire Book 2)
Everything has been too quiet in the Taran Empire. In the seven months since the Erebus appeared, civil disruption has diminished and the Erebus have barely been in touch. The TSS suspects the Coalition’s planning has gone underground and something big is coming.
Wil Sietinen visits Tararia to meet with Celine Monsari about mass producing the power core design from the Erebus, since it appears MPS is running out of the voydite needed to manufacture their existing power cores. Though the deal seems like an easy sell, Celine declines the offer. On his way to the spaceport, Wil is shot at from behind—seemingly a setup to get him to overstep his authority.
The act squarely sets Monsari as an adversary and leaves the TSS in a tough spot regarding how to proceed with the power core. Wil reaches out to the Aesir, who suggest working with the Lynaedans—the so-called ‘tech heads’ among Tarans. Dahl also indicates disappointment that Wil has not fulfilled his potential to read the cosmic patterns to seek answers, instead focusing his attention on the Erebus power core issue.
After weeks with no updates from the field, Jason Sietinen finally hears from Kira in her undercover work with the Sovereign Peoples Alliance on the planet Duronis. The Alliance, or the larger Coalition organization, has a new research lab on an unknown planet, and her fiancé Leon, a genetics specialist, would be a perfect mole to find out more.
While waiting for Kira to provide further updates, Jason travels to the planet Lynaeda to negotiate a production deal for the Erebus power core. The meeting is successful, and Jason hands over the project to his father to work out the technical details.
Wil speculates about the nature of the Erebus and commonality between the Erebus and Gifted people with wielding aesen to perform incredible feats. It may be possible to fight back against the Erebus by redirecting this energy. This information is supported by a realization that Darin, the survivor of the Erebus attack on the Andvari, has seemingly developed some kind of precognition following his contact with the transdimensional being.
Jason gets a panicked notification from Kira that Duronis has been bombed and the Alliance leadership has disappeared. Leon and several other scientists are missing and conditions on the planet are deteriorating quickly. TSS forces are distracted with responding to simultaneous attacks across twenty-two planets, so Jason goes to extract Kira from the surface.
Lexi and Kira race to get to a safe place on Duronis. While Kira tries to help get civilians to safety, Lexi unsuccessfully attempts to download project data from the Alliance computer system.
Jason takes a shuttle down to Duronis, where he finds Kira and Lexi. Jason experiences an immediate resonance connection with Lexi. The timing is terrible, but they are inexplicably drawn to each other. Given the complex dynamics of the situation, they agree to take things slowly and get to know each other.
Jason and Lexi return with Kira to TSS Headquarters to debrief about what happened on Duronis and figure out next steps related to rescuing Leon and shutting down the Coalition’s research. Wil and Saera are surprised by Jason’s connection with Lexi, but having been through the resonance connection experience themselves, they don’t question it.
Jason is assigned to lead the efforts related to the Coalition. Meanwhile, Lexi is overwhelmed by being in the presence of such well-known people, but the connection between her and Jason is unmistakable and they agree to give a relationship a chance.
Lexi opens up to Jason about her homeworld of Cytera, revealing that the world treated Gifted people like a commodity and her family was killed before she was taken offworld as a baby. Jason realizes that Lexi is exactly the kind of person he needs by his side, but balancing his personal life and professional responsibilities is complicated. He confides in her about his history with Tiff.
Meanwhile, Raena is serving as ambassador to Earth, where she is overseeing the investigation into potential alien tech hidden at historical sites around the planet. The local team uncovers evidence of an ancient alien ship hull and a strange pit that seems to be part of a mysterious planet-wide device. The technology dates back to around the time of the ancient war between the three races, so it’s possible that it’s something that would be useful in the resistance against the Erebus.
With tensions still running high politically, Raena decides to keep the discovery on Earth confidential. However, she and Ryan agree that opening up Morningstar Isle to visitors would be a good way to connect with their people and help dispel the misconceptions about them being self-absorbed nobles.
Armed with the new information about Earth’s history, Wil comes to the realization that Earth was likely an ark, of sorts, for the Taran race. The ancient technology buried on the planet not only might be useful against the Erebus, but the historical record might provide clues to combat other ongoing issues, like the Generation Cycle—the corruption of Gifted abilities. In combination with the lead about the genetic records on Cytera, there’s new hope for a path forward.
Just as it seems like things are under control, Wil comes to a horrible realization about the power core design from the Erebus. While the individual cores passed safety checks, when implemented at a galactic scale, there’s a strange energy field created. They don’t know what it might do, but it appears the Erebus do have ulterior motives after all.
The TSS gets a tip that the Alliance’s lab might be on a remote colony world called Quel. Leon is being held captive and is forced to work on what might be a kind of bioweapon, with transdimensional tethering happening at the cellular level.
Under Jason’s leadership, the rescue team finds Leon and other captives, but a horrible ‘test’ of the new weapon is already underway and can’t be stopped. They quickly evacuate. Jason places a telekinetic shield around the facility to contain the blast, but the energy blast rips through and destroys the nearby colony city. Jason, Lexi, Kira, and Leon look on in horror as all biological life on the planet is destroyed. The experience brings Jason and Lexi closer; they make a good team, and they’ll need that love and support to make it through what’s to come.
More conflict is coming, and the Taran Empire needs to prepare. Wil offers Kira a position under the new Taran United Force umbrella, since she’s stuck in an awkward place between the TSS and Guard. Leon has valuable insights into the new transdimensional, genetically-keyed tech and is offered a post in the research division. Lexi is offered a position as a new civilian training coordinator for the TSS.
Jason and Lexi agree to bond. There will always be complications in life, but they were lucky enough to find each other, and they can face whatever trials are coming together.