Books with author L.A. Johnson

Becky Albertalli meets Jenny Han in a smart, hilarious, black girl magic, own voices rom-com by a staggeringly talented new writer.Liz Lighty has always believed she's too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it's okay -- Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor.But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz's plans come crashing down . . . until she's reminded of her school's scholarship for prom king and queen. There's nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she's willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington.The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She's smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams . . . or make them come true?

Becky Albertalli meets Jenny Han in a smart, hilarious, black girl magic, own voices rom-com by a staggeringly talented new writer.Liz Lighty has always believed she's too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it's okay -- Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor.But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz's plans come crashing down . . . until she's reminded of her school's scholarship for prom king and queen. There's nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she's willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington.The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She's smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams . . . or make them come true?

Liz Lighty has always believed she's too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it's okay -- Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor. But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz's plans come crashing down . . . until she's reminded of her school's scholarship for prom king and queen. There's nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she's willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington. The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She's smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams . . . or make them come true?

The town's only hope is Lydia, a snarky fae who's getting tired of always having to save everyone. Her only help is the hot human detective she's forced to work with and her inappropriate gnome sidekick. The town is screwed.Lydia is a fae, minus the magic. And she only resents it every day. The only supernatural work she can get is doing odd jobs for the head of the local mage order. Luckily, he doesn't like to get his hands dirty and that leaves her with steady work. Her only friend is a magical garden gnome named Drat.When a series of grisly supernatural murders rock the town, Lydia is paired with Zack, a hot human police detective. The two of them have to get a handle on the situation fast, before panic ensues. It doesn't matter how hot or distracting he is, she has a rule. She doesn't date humans. No exceptions.But the closer she and Zack get to the truth, the more enemies they make. That includes an evil mage who moved into town to take over. Even worse, it uncovers her own hidden past. She's either going to save the town, die trying, or get everybody killed.Lydia's either a dud-fae or a mythical monster. And her past may come back to haunt everybody.

This galaxy needs a leader who's not afraid to fight dirty.Sometimes, the only way to save a galaxy is to conquer it. The battle for power has begun, and the Neon Octopus has come to fight. Soda, The Neon Octopus ex-Overlord, wants her job back and she'll stop at nothing to get it. But when the board of directors in charge of the process meet an untimely demise, all at the same time, the rules change. A change that allows every supervillain in the galaxy to join the fight for power in a winner-take-all brawl that will change everything. The only question is, will the galaxy survive the brawl? The candidates: Soda is an immortal space octopus with a temper. Her special skills include teleportation and inappropriate use of tentacles. She's going to take back what was hers. Floyd is a brainwashing therapist by day and a terrifying, illegal Preying Mantis in his free time. Also, he's an Executive Producer of the tv show All My Wormholes. He believes he should rule the galaxy. Froggy is a master of technology, which he harnesses for evil purposes. He's also an interstellar traveler who has finally found his Zen. He wants to prove he has what it takes to be Overlord. Ray is an Intergalactically famous Oracle with millions of adoring fans and a flair for the dramatic. He has wanted to be Overlord ever since he arrived in this galaxy and he knows that it's now or never. He and his pet troll Chipmunk are ready.

Enter a galaxy full of snarky comebacks and inappropriate use of tentacles in this fast-paced, action-packed space romp. The Neon Octopus Overlord has been challenged. Their galaxy will never be the same.Kirian, the mythological warrior agent known as the Destroyer of Planets wants out of her contract. That's a problem since she's currently in the Neon Octopus Overlord's elite, secret, Celestial force against her will. In a desperate attempt to regain her freedom, Kirian defies her tentacled boss and secretly saves Ari, the human she is sent to kill. Ari is an underappreciated civil servant targeted for her intelligence. She turns out to be one of the few beings left in the galaxy capable of thwarting the Overlord's corrupt plans. She just wants to go back to a normal life, but when the Overlord finds out that she's not dead, all bets are off and she'll have to fight to survive.Can Ari and Kirian, aided by a few shady friends and a wannabe rock star find a way to stay alive long enough to put a dent in the evil Neon Octopus Overlord's plans?

Islandia had been without a High King for a generation. Eloy, the last High King, embarked upon a journey shrouded in mystery after a cryptic warning found from a long lost prophet promised a return of ancient dark forces. Eloy had placed the rule of Islandia and the five kingdoms in the hands of his closest friend, King Richard. After thirty years most have long since stopped looking for Eloy's return or the darkness foretold. Many under Richard's rule have grown discontent and jealous of his appointment. All hope for peace is lost and chaos reigns after the icy hand of an assassin takes the life of King Richard and plucks him from the throne. What now? Will Prince Titus, Richard's son, have the strength to hold Islandia together, or will it descend into war over the High King's throne! The kingdom is divided by the sword as each must decide where their loyalties lie.

They might just save the galaxy. If they don't kill each other first.A mysterious alien race wants to take over the galaxy of Arcturis. To say that the initial negotiations went badly is an understatement. Now the second wave of the invasion, the extinction wave, is on its way.The galaxy's only hope is an uneasy alliance between supervillain Overlord candidates, a rock star with a Fractal addiction, and Ari: the galaxy's resident know-it-all who also happens to be part-star.

2019 IAN Outstanding Fiction Winner for LGBTQ Fiction **Not a Cliff Hanger**His world was water and rhythm. Hard work and drive kept Royal O'Connell one step ahead of his competition. His spot on the swim team, keeping his scholarship, was the only plan that mattered. His world was ebony and ivory. Natural talent and ambition set Camden Morgan apart from the other music majors. His dedication scoring him a full ride. Normally, their paths would have never crossed….But when Royal meets his best friend's new roommate, his big plan and Camden’s controlled environment faces a variable that could destroy it all. Attraction. The world they live in had no room for error. That undeniable pull between them was dangerous and neither one of them could've prepared for the choice they'd have to make. Love isn't always an easy road and, when everything they've worked for is on the line, they'll have to decide if being together is worth the risk.

The residents of Celestica Space Station really do live on the edge (of the known universe, and next to a supermassive black hole). And everybody knows, the farther you get from the civilized universe, the closer you are to the monsters that lurk in deep space.Lyra is a plucky doctor at the hospital that serves Celestica and the surrounding moons and planets. Like most of of the residents on Celestica, she's running from her past. That makes her extra motivated to protect the present. Living this far from the civilized universe though, anything and everything can go wrong. The only question is, what will it be this time? In this case, it's a mysterious new patient brought in from a nearby planet. And also, a mutant rat that starts a bar fight. The mysteries just keep stacking up, and it's up to Lyra and her oddball friends to figure out what's going on before it's too late. This story has mutant rats, orc miners, a head of security that looks like the Predator, and a very cool jellyfish named Gorb. And also, an A.I. Zombie. Snarky Sci-Fi with mystery, mayhem, and monsters.Excerpt from A.I. Zombie:Lyra tried to sum it all up and make herself feel better. "Ok, people, so the weird singing patient is no longer singing. Maybe the lack of brain function finally caught up to him. That would, in fact, be completely normal. And a very rational explanation as to why he stopped. Just in case, though, I'm going to check on Vax."Except that her feet wouldn't move. "Gorb, you coming with me, buddy?" Gorb shook his head."What about you, MACRO? Up for a walk?" Beep, beep, beep."Ian?""Um," he replied, pointing at his phone. "Research. Very important.""Fine," she said, as she made her way slowly down the hall like she was being made to walk the plank in a pirate horror movie. "I'll go alone." She rounded the corner. The door was still ajar. She peeked in, realizing that she was no longer breathing. She considered starting to again, but then decided it was best if she continued to just hold her breath.

The National Book Award–winning story collection from the author of The Orphan Master’s Son offers something rare in fiction: a new way of looking at the world. “MASTERFUL.”—The Washington Post “ENTRANCING.”—O: The Oprah Magazine “PERCEPTIVE AND BRAVE.”—The New York Times Throughout these six stories, Pulitzer Prize winner Adam Johnson delves deep into love and loss, natural disasters, the influence of technology, and how the political shapes the personal, giving voice to the perspectives we don’t often hear. In “Nirvana,” a programmer whose wife has a rare disease finds solace in a digital simulacrum of the president of the United States. In “Hurricanes Anonymous,” a young man searches for the mother of his son in a Louisiana devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. “George Orwell Was a Friend of Mine” follows a former warden of a Stasi prison in East Germany who vehemently denies his past, even as pieces of it are delivered in packages to his door. And in the unforgettable title story, Johnson returns to his signature subject, North Korea, depicting two defectors from Pyongyang who are trying to adapt to their new lives in Seoul, while one cannot forget the woman he left behind. WINNER OF THE STORY PRIZE • A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Miami Herald • San Francisco Chronicle • USA Today AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • NPR • Marie Claire • St. Louis Post-Dispatch • BuzzFeed • The Daily Beast • Los Angeles Magazine • The Independent • BookPage • Kirkus Reviews “Remarkable . . . Adam Johnson is one of America’s greatest living writers.”—The Huffington Post “Haunting, harrowing . . . Johnson’s writing is as rich in compassion as it is in invention, and that rare combination makes Fortune Smiles worth treasuring.”—USA Today “Fortune Smiles [blends] exotic scenarios, morally compromised characters, high-wire action, rigorously limber prose, dense thickets of emotion, and, most critically, our current techno-moment.”—The Boston Globe “Johnson’s boundary-pushing stories make for exhilarating reading.”—San Francisco Chronicle