We’re celebrating the launch of CROOKED V.3 by spotlighting the authors who have contributed stories!
HEATHER TEXLE is the award-winning author of the Reliance Sinclair science fiction series who finds inspiration in quirky, weird, and I-can’t-believe-that’s-true things. With a lifelong passion for learning, Heather is fascinated with the creativity and ingenuity of the human spirit. She also adores a good conspiracy theory.
After graduating college, Heather moved to Minnesota where she attained her law degree and continues to live with her husband and two cats, Mew and Spots. Despite once being stranded in the Gulf of Mexico on a burning cruise ship, she loves to travel and can often be heard muttering “I miss Scotland” on cool, rainy days. Her debut novel, On Impulse, won the 2023 Minnesota Author Project contest for Adult Fiction.
Facebook: @Heather Texle
Website: heathertexle.com
Tell us a bit about your story, “On Ignition”
My Reliance Sinclair sci-fi series is set in the distant future when humans have developed faster-than-light travel and have colonized planets in outer space. Reliance is a former law enforcement officer who left the Department after her partner betrayed her. The first book in the series starts with Reliance being accused of murdering her best friend. She goes on the run to find his killer and clear her name.
In On Ignition, I wanted to explore the transition time between when Reliance left the Department and when she goes on the lam. She’s putting her skills to use as an insurance claims agent, but she can’t stop herself from diving headfirst into a dangerous case when it arises. It’s our first glimpse that even though she is out of the Department, her crime-fighting days may not be over yet.
What was the inspiration behind this story?
In On Ignition, Reliance investigates a series of house fires to find out if they are accidents, fraud, or something else. A few years ago, I binge watched some shows about firefighters. Since then, I’ve had this inkling in the back of my head that it would be fun to write a story involving fires. It paired so nicely with Reliance’s past as an insurance claims investigator that I just knew I had to write it.
If you could travel to any science fictional world, where would you go and what would you do?
Star Trek is the easy answer. I was an 80s kid and grew up with TNG, DS9, and Voyager, which no doubt had a significant influence on my decision to write sci-fi. It’s a hopeful vision of the future, where people dedicate themselves to exploration and scientific discovery but still have adventures along the way. Plus, I really want a replicator that will cook my dinner and take care of the dishes afterward.
What are some of your favorite sci-fi crime books or stories?
I absolutely adore the Parse Galaxy series by Kate Sheeran Swed. The main character is a space bounty hunter that gets herself into so many jams because she’s an act now kind of character. She also gets herself out of those jams, because she’s smart and fierce. And then there’s BRO, one of the funniest sidekicks around. Earlier this year, I discovered Andrew Sweet’s Reality Gradient series that deals with cloning and explores the very idea of what should or shouldn’t be a crime in this emerging field.
What authors have inspired your writing?
That’s so hard to narrow down! I actually have a shelf for books I’ve dubbed The Books that Built Me. Whenever I’m browsing at used bookstores, antique shops, or thrift stores, I keep my eye out for stories that trigger memories or that I think impacted my life or writing. The Kitten Twins by Helen Wing was my first favorite book. I remember my elementary school had a copy, and the checkout card was filled front to back on both sides with my name. Ann of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery and The Black Stallion by Walter Farley were the first series that actively hunted for the books. Twilight by Stephanie Meyers got me out of a reading slump following college. Jessie Mihalik’s Consortium Rebellion series reignited my love of sci-fi.
Since becoming an author, I have had the absolute honor and pleasure of getting to know several fantastic authors. Elicia Hyder, author of The Soul Summoner, inspires me with the level of quality books indie authors can strive to produce. Jessie Kwak and Kate Sheeran Swed, in particular, have welcomed me into the indie sci-fi writing community. Watching you all do your thing and doing it so well inspires me to push myself to be a better writer and write better stories.
What are you working on next?
I’m currently working on the second book in my Reliance Sinclair series. In it, some dangerous and illegal technology has found its way into the black market. Reliance and her friends must track it down and eliminate its source before it’s used to start the next interplanetary war.
CROOKED V.3
