Mortal Escape by Amanda Murr 💕 Behind the Scenes, Book Tour and $25 Gift Card Giveaway 💕 (F/F Sci-Fi Romance)

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As they fight for their lives, Lily finds herself fighting her feelings for Halen just as much...

Lily is a conscientious college student with a gift for songwriting and a passion for music. Life on Ember Island is pretty conventional until the morning Lily wakes up to a transformed world. As she begins to discover her roommates and entire campus have been impacted by some sort of fiendish disease, Lily finds herself all alone and heads for the city in an attempt to understand what is going on. In the scramble for survival, Lily meets the charming yet unpredictable Halen, and comes to understand they are now living in a dystopian society.

Although the quick-tempered Halen has a distrust for almost everyone she encounters, she seems to make an exception for Lily. They have an instant attraction to each other, which Halen is more forward about and finds enjoyment in making Lily nervous by this sudden attention.

With only each other to depend on, they face dangerous obstacles to escape the island. As they fight for their lives, Lily finds herself fighting her feelings for Halen just as much while Halen develops a strong urge to protect Lily. Will the two be able to trust their connection and find refuge on the mainland and within each other?

I modeled parts of Lily after myself, especially her anxiety and the fact that she didn’t realize right away that she liked girls. Writing her felt a bit like writing pieces of my own story.

In my head, Halen looks a little like Emmy Rossum — that’s the face I pictured while writing her. Emmy Rossum is someone I was physically attracted to long before I realized I liked girls.

I tend to include a small piece of my daughter in every story I write. Ember Island was inspired by her middle name, which makes the setting feel even more meaningful to me. She is my home, just as Ember Island was Lily’s.

I started writing because there wasn’t enough happy WLW content in the world. Because of that, I’ve made a promise to my readers and to myself, that my sapphic characters will always get happy endings.

The utopia Lily and Halen stumble across was inspired by a show I watched a few years ago called Wayward Pines. I loved the eerie feeling of a town that looks perfect on the surface but is full of secrets underneath. While my story is completely different, that atmosphere definitely influenced this part of the world.

I gave Halen’s family a musical theme with names like Halen, Axel, Lennox, and Hendrix because music is a big part of my love language. It also ties into Lily and Halen’s love story, since Lily is a music major.

I get a lot of feedback from readers who love the term “sky homies” for aliens. I was leaning into a bit of a laid-back, bro-style voice when I wrote it, and the phrase just felt perfectly fitting of the character who uses it.

“Look!” Halen points ahead. “That gas station sign is still lit—probably has gas!”

Relieved, we pull onto the service road. “I’ll check it out. You stay here,” she says, protective as ever. She inspects the pumps and the store, then leans on my window. “Coast is clear. Pumps are on, and there’s tons of food inside.”

We share a quick, excited look. Halen starts fueling the car and asks me to grab her card. Suddenly, she appears back at the window. “You can just hand me my wallet,” she says nervously.

I admire her driver’s license photo. “You look so cute.”

She laughs. “Yeah, when I’m not running from things trying to kill me.”

Then I notice something: her last name reads McGregor. “Why does your license say McGregor if you said Sloan earlier?”

Halen blinks, avoiding my gaze, and quickly diverts the conversation. “Let’s grab supplies and a slushee. The machines are working!”

Uneasy, I follow her inside. She collects gas cans while I scan snacks, keeping an eye on her.

“Cherry,” I say cautiously when asked about my slushee flavor.

“Good. I’m a blue raspberry fan,” she responds, tense under my stare.

Finally, I ask again. “Why is your last name different?”

Halen looks down. “I guess… I’m technically married.”

Every hair on my arms stands on end. Before I can respond, she fires a shot at a familiar that had crept in. “We should go. There will likely be more,” she urges.

Back in the car, she fills the tanks. I sit in silence, furious. When she finally sits beside me, she says, “I was going to tell you.”

“When? Before last night, maybe?”

She nods. “We were separated. I haven’t seen her in months. She was consumed by her work, unwilling to compromise. I left, staying with my parents.”

I say nothing. She reaches for my hand; I pull away. She sits quietly, then starts the car.

Sequel to Mortal Escape

Ten years have passed since the devastating war between the surface-born and the mysterious beings from the underground, a conflict that shattered the world and left deep scars in its wake. Lennox grapples with the aftermath of a war that changed everything she once knew. After fleeing the city, unable to stand the political games and the bitter aftermath of a failed peace attempt, Lennox has chosen a life of solitude along the shorelines, far from the chaos of her past.

When disaster strikes again, this time threatening everything she’s worked to rebuild, Lennox is forced to flee at the urging of her older sister Halen. As they race against time, the haunting memories of a war-torn world come rushing back, leaving Lennox wondering if safety is even possible in a world so broken.

In the midst of the turmoil, Lennox’s past resurfaces in the form of Salem -- once a childhood friend, now a beautiful and captivating woman. The bond they shared in the past has only deepened, and now, an undeniable connection between them stirs, one that goes beyond friendship, into a realm neither of them has thought to explore before. But with their families’ long-standing animosity and the ever-present threat of war looming over them, a love between them feels not only forbidden, but dangerous.

As they struggle to navigate their growing feelings amidst political strife, explosive battles, and ever-looming danger, can they escape the shadows of their past and find a future in a world determined to tear them apart?

Amanda is a sapphic romance author based in Westminster, Colorado, where she balances her love of storytelling with her role as a People Development Manager and devoted mom to a spirited little girl. When she’s not writing about the supernatural and soul-deep love, she can be found exploring local coffee shops and bookstores, experimenting in the kitchen, or going on various adventures with her daughter. Known for her warmth, humor, and passion for human rights, Amanda brings equal parts compassion and imagination to everything she does—both on and off the page.