Rock Gods & Messy Monsters

The Mind Monsters Series Book 1

by Diane Hatz

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” meets “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”
(…in a 1990s record company!)

Aliens have hatched a rockstar. Brain extractions, falling body parts, and blood-vessel explosions are the norm. Alex’s dream job has turned into a nightmare.

What should she do?

It’s the 1990s. Alex arrives at Acht Records, her improbable blonde hair streaked stress magenta and anger black. Her first duty is to wipe blood off her boss’s walls. It goes downhill from there.

Rock Gods & Messy Monsters is a humorous story about life inside a record company. Yet between the lines of satire and nods to science fiction, the book is a thought-provoking female narrative and social commentary on the corporate world.

Join Alex as she weaves through a comedic cast of characters and down crazed corridors of power, where her boss attempts to thwart her at every turn.

The 1990s New York City music scene never seemed so alien, yet so familiar.

REVIEW

5 out of 5

I don’t even know where to start with this one – it’s absurd, it’s brilliant, a little insane, and embodies the spirit of satire. I don’t think I can completely convey the absurdity and fun you’ll find in these pages. Although set in the music industry, you could easily apply what’s going on here to other industries and corporations. Hatz has a way with words, and it almost feels like being dropped into a Mel Brooks movie, where the name of the game is over-the-top satire, and will make you realize the ridiculousness of some things in our own lives. I loved Alex, and while I didn’t like all the executives and higher ups in the music company she works in, I couldn’t help but laugh at the absolutely over-the-top caricatures they were portrayed as. I cannot wait to dive into book two!

LEARN MORE

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Diane Hatz worked at major and indie record companies, managed a band, and freelanced as a music publicist. She is co-founder of The Relay, a fanzine on The Who, which is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She’s attended thousands of concerts.

Diane has a Masters in Creative Writing and is currently focused on writing fiction. Her book Rock Gods & Messy Monsters is currently available from most online retailers. Her substack Next Draft with Diane Hatz is a newsletter for creatives looking inward. And some writing stuff.

During her sometimes-surreal career, Diane founded the nonprofit Change Food, worked to shut down factory farms, organized & spoke at major TED/TEDx events, and executive produced The Meatrix, a Webby Award winner. She has studied with many spiritual teachers, including The Dalai Lama.

In late 2020, after 30 years living in downtown Manhattan and the East Village, Diane moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. When not at her computer creating, you can find her hiking, road tripping, or breathing in all the beauty the Southwest has to offer.

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