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 not 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's completely lost its mind. She gets what she wants and realizes it won't save her. Only she can do that. 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 social commentary with emotional stakes and sharp teeth. Rock Gods & Messy Monsters is Book 1 in the Mind Monsters series. Awards & Recognition Eric Hoffer Award 2024 - First Runner Up & Grand Prize Shortlist Finalist #1 Amazon Hot New Release in Absurdist Fiction & Pop Culture Starred Reviews: Independent Book Review · The International Review of Books · US Review of Books The Mind Monsters Series Follow 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