Hopefuls – Book One

The Private Life of Jane Maxwell

Cover for “The Private Life of Jane Maxwell” by Jenn Gott

Gott aims true in this action-packed, emotionally resonant series opener about hope and heroism in the face of overwhelming loss.

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

This is a fast, fun book. . . . [A] queer homage to superhero television.

Tor.com – Liz Bourke

The Private Life of Jane Maxwell did a great job of drawing a line between the comic book reality and the reality of good fiction.

The Lesbian Review – K. Aten

Some people are born to greatness,
others have greatness thrust upon them…
and some are just drawn like that.

As the creator of a popular new comics franchise, Jane Maxwell knows a thing or two about heroes, but has no illusions of being one herself. All of that is shattered, however, when she finds herself swept into a parallel world—one where her characters are real, and her parallel self is their leader.

There’s just one problem: that Jane is missing.

Under the growing danger of a deadly new villain named UltraViolet, the team has no choice but to ask Jane to do the impossible: step into the suit left behind by her double, become the hero that they need her to be. But with budding powers that threaten to overwhelm her, a family she only half-recognizes, and the parallel version of her dead wife staring her in the face, navigating her alternate life proves harder than she ever imagined…

Chapter One

The day that Doctor Demolition finally managed to seize control of Grand City Capital Bank, the Heroes of Hope were meeting to plan his capture in an underground parking garage, and Jane Maxwell was fired from her job.

She stood in her boss’s office, staring down at him like the dumbass that he was.

“Wait . . . You’re firing me?”

Her boss—weedy, thin faced, poor posture and poorer skin—nodded as if he was in the row of bobbleheads that lined the edge of his desk. “Effective immediately.”

Jane threw her arms wide, as if she couldn’t possibly accept the enormity of the stupidity before her. Which she couldn’t. “Because I dared to stand up for myself?”

“Because you insulted our readers.”

One reader,” Jane said. “Well . . . and all the trolls he brought along for the ride, but—”

Read More

More in the series

Cover of “Who’s Afraid of Amy Sinclair?” by Jenn Gott

Book 2

Cover of “Janie One More Time” by Jenn Gott

Book 3

More to Come