Maggie Blackbird

Today, author Amanda Murr is guesting. She’s talking about her latest release, Mortal Escape, an LGBTQ+ Saffic Sci-Fi romance. Don’t forget to enter the King Sumo giveaway.

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I chose a dystopian setting for Lily and Halen’s romance because I’ve always been drawn to love stories that bloom in chaos. There’s something honest about connection that forms when the world is stripped down to its rawest state. In dystopian environments, the world demands honesty. Survival leaves no energy for performance, and connection happens at the most unguarded level. People meet each other at the core of who they are, and that kind of vulnerability creates space for relationships that feel immediate, intense, and deeply real.

Lily and Halen’s meeting is entirely by chance. In a world that was safe, structured, and predictable, they likely would have passed each other without ever colliding, just two lives running parallel but never intersecting. The apocalypse erases those boundaries and creates a connection that would not have existed otherwise. Their romance isn’t born from convenience or familiarity, but from necessity, and the clarity that comes when everything else falls away.

What begins as survival quickly becomes something else. At first, Lily and Halen each other’s skills, instincts, and strength just to stay alive, but as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that what they really need is emotional grounding. In a world where everything has been taken (family, safety, certainty), connection becomes an anchor. Halen offers Lily steadiness and protection, not just physically, but emotionally. Lily offers Halen emotional honesty and grounding, a reminder that she doesn’t have to carry everything alone. Neither of them realizes how much they need this until they find it in each other.

I also think dystopian settings allow romance to unfold without the usual expectations. There are no rules about how fast things should move or what love is supposed to look like. Lily and Halen aren’t following a script; they’re responding to each other in real time, shaped by loss and hope in equal measure. That freedom lets their relationship develop with honesty and depth.

Ultimately, the dystopian world doesn’t just frame their romance, it shapes it. In the midst of chaos, Lily and Halen don’t simply survive together, they rediscover their capacity to feel, to connect, and to hope. And for me, that’s where the most powerful love stories live.

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Title: Mortal Escape
Series: N/A
Author: Amanda Murr
Genre(s): LGBTQ+ Sapphic Sci-Fi Romance

Blurb: Lily is a conscientious college student with a gift for songwriting and a passion for music. Life on Ember Island is pretty conventional until the morning Lily wakes up to a transformed world. As she begins to discover her roommates and entire campus have been impacted by some sort of fiendish disease, Lily finds herself all alone and heads for the city in an attempt to understand what is going on. In the scramble for survival, Lily meets the charming yet unpredictable Halen, and comes to understand they are now living in a dystopian society.

Although the quick-tempered Halen has a distrust for almost everyone she encounters, she seems to make an exception for Lily. They have an instant attraction to each other, which Halen is more forward about and finds enjoyment in making Lily nervous by this sudden attention.

With only each other to depend on, they face dangerous obstacles to escape the island. As they fight for their lives, Lily finds herself fighting her feelings for Halen just as much while Halen develops a strong urge to protect Lily. Will the two be able to trust their connection and find refuge on the mainland and within each other?

Get it on AMAZON

“Look!” Halen points ahead. “That gas station sign is still lit—probably has gas!”

Relieved, we pull onto the service road. “I’ll check it out. You stay here,” she says, protective as ever. She inspects the pumps and the store, then leans on my window. “Coast is clear. Pumps are on, and there’s tons of food inside.”

We share a quick, excited look. Halen starts fueling the car and asks me to grab her card. Suddenly, she appears back at the window. “You can just hand me my wallet,” she says nervously.

I admire her driver’s license photo. “You look so cute.”

She laughs. “Yeah, when I’m not running from things trying to kill me.”

Then I notice something: her last name reads McGregor. “Why does your license say McGregor if you said Sloan earlier?”

Halen blinks, avoiding my gaze, and quickly diverts the conversation. “Let’s grab supplies and a slushee. The machines are working!”

Uneasy, I follow her inside. She collects gas cans while I scan snacks, keeping an eye on her.

“Cherry,” I say cautiously when asked about my slushee flavor.

“Good. I’m a blue raspberry fan,” she responds, tense under my stare.

Finally, I ask again. “Why is your last name different?”

Halen looks down. “I guess… I’m technically married.”

Every hair on my arms stands on end. Before I can respond, she fires a shot at a familiar that had crept in. “We should go. There will likely be more,” she urges.

Back in the car, she fills the tanks. I sit in silence, furious. When she finally sits beside me, she says, “I was going to tell you.”

“When? Before last night, maybe?”

She nods. “We were separated. I haven’t seen her in months. She was consumed by her work, unwilling to compromise. I left, staying with my parents.”

I say nothing. She reaches for my hand; I pull away. She sits quietly, then starts the car.

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Amanda is a sapphic romance author based in Westminster, Colorado, where she balances her love of storytelling with her role as a People Development Manager and devoted mom to a spirited little girl.

When she’s not writing about the supernatural and soul-deep love, she can be found exploring local coffee shops and bookstores, experimenting in the kitchen, or going on various adventures with her daughter. Known for her warmth, humor, and passion for human rights, Amanda brings equal parts compassion and imagination to everything she does—both on and off the page.

Follow Amanda: Instagram | TikTok

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