Rock Gods & Messy Monsters

Her dream job. Her worst nightmare. One woman refusing to lose her soul. It's the 1990s. The recession is brutal, and landing a job at Acht Records is everything Alex Scott ever wanted.But nothing is what she expected.She navigates the corridors of Acht Records, her improbable blonde hair streaked stress magenta and anger black while her brain is trapped in her cerebrum urn. Her boss Langley explodes blood vessels that Alex must sew up. The head of the company holds titles including Deity and Ruling Dictator. And the aliens who bought the record company hatch a performer and force staff to create a superstar.What the company wants from her is the one thing she can't afford to lose. Her soul.What follows is a surreal descent into the heart of corporate America, where Alex navigates crazed corridors of power, an unhinged cast of characters, and a music industry that has completely lost its mind, all while trying to hold onto the one thing the system most wants her to surrender: Herself.The 1990s New York music scene has never seemed so alien. Or so familiar.Wickedly funny and quietly devastating, Rock Gods & Messy Monsters is an absurdist novel about power, identity, and what it costs to stay human inside an institution designed to break you, especially when that institution was supposed to be your dream.Part corporate satire, part self-discovery journey, the book is for readers who like their absurdist fiction and satire with emotional stakes and sharp teeth.Rock Gods & Messy Monsters is Book 1 in the Mind Monsters series. Select Reviews"e;The best kind of absurdism, the kind that wears a veneer of the surreal while having the grisly guts of reality right underneath."e; — Independent Book Review"e;Satirical, zany, hilarious — a gut-punching commentary about the inner workings of the music industry, its power complexes, and power plays."e; — The BookLife Prize"e;So perverse it causes one to laugh out loud... This is truly satire at its best."e; — US Review of Books"e;A fast-paced, entertaining comic treat — a droll examination of the corporate-music world."e; — Kirkus Discoveries Awards & RecognitionEric Hoffer Award 2024 — First Runner Up & Grand Prize Shortlist Finalist #1 Amazon Hot New Release in Absurdist Fiction & Pop Culture Winner, Indie BRAG Medallion  Starred Reviews: Independent Book Review · The International Review of Books · US Review of Books Finalists: Da Vinci Eye Award · First Horizon Award · Foreword INDIES · The Wishing Shelf The Mind Monsters SeriesFollow Alex's path from disconnection to remembrance across all four books. New to her world? Start with a free short story prequel at dianehatz.com. Book 2: Fallen Spirits Book 3: The Light of Wounds Book 4: The Journey Home