Riley dreamed of becoming the first female professional gamer in the PLG. She always loved gaming. Maybe it’s because she’s part tomboy, or it could be just her wild nature rearing its ugly head. Either way, it’s what she’s spent her life working toward, and something as silly as falling in love isn’t going to get in her way.
That’s the basic story of Challenge Accepted, the first book in the Eternal Combat series. Of course, things aren’t quite that simple. Riley is convinced that the reason she didn’t make it on her first try is because of sexism in the industry. Her main competition, Void, agrees. He’s going to help her prove it – whether she likes it or not – and maybe he’ll get the girl in the end… if he can get her to even notice he exists. Not really something an alpha male like him is used to.
If this sounds a little far-fetched, then you need to take a few minutes to google “GamerGate”. Yes, it’s a real thing. Yes, some serious atrocities happened, and some wonderful dialogue ensued, but for the most part, a lot of sexism was revealed. Yes, it’s still going on. Following that, I couldn’t help but wonder, what if someone followed through on some of these threats?!
That’s where this series was born. Naturally, problems don’t start in a vacuum, so I felt that I had to include the prequel, Flawed. While most of the Eternal Combat series follows the lives of various women who enjoy playing a game of the same name, the problem started before the game was a concept. And it started with one of the developers, Destiny Pierce.
Like Riley, Destiny was obsessed with gaming. Unlike Riley, she was a good girl, made good grades, and tried to do the right thing. Then her life was destroyed.
Three years later, addicted to drugs, alcohol, and anything else she can get her hands on, her dream is to overdose well enough that she won’t ever wake up again. “They” broke her. The brilliant girl with her entire future before her has become a shell of herself – and her only friend is the net. So long as it’s virtual, it’s safe.
So when an up and coming game company offers her a pity job, she takes it. There, she finally finds what she’s been missing and turns her brains to creating something rather than destroying herself… Until the threats return.
Someone wants her dead, but for the first time, Destiny isn’t going to just give up. Her dream is so close, if she can just push back she’ll make it – she’ll be something that matters. She just needs the proper battleground – and it’s a game called Eternal Combat.
As a gamer, this is a series that is dear to me. As a woman, these subjects are something I think needs to be talked about. Over and over, our love stories are always about girls who fall for nice abs and tons of money. What about the women who don’t want that? What about the girls who aren’t waiting for superman? Where are the love stories for the alpha WOMEN out there?
Yes, the Eternal Combat series is about broken women, men who can be strong without being jerks, and how modern technology has insinuated itself into our lives. You don’t need to know a thing about games, computers, or the internet to keep up. These are just stories about women who have been knocked down over and over, but who keep getting back up. Strong women who didn’t let live make them into fragile little toys.
From drug dependence, preconceived ideas that make a person feel boxed in, domestic violence, post-traumatic stress disorder, and more, these gamer girls show that it takes a whole lot more than fancy computer skills to be kick-ass. It takes a strength that comes from deep within. I also hope that I can show the world why so many damaged souls seek their solace in the anonymity online.
If you’re looking for a new kind of romance, a whole lot of action, some seriously hot sexual tension, and a truly modern love story? Check out Challenge Accepted on Amazon. (Currently on Sale for just $0.99 in the US)
Flawed is scheduled to release in summer 2016.