News & Appearances
News
DeINCEPTION is short listed for a CIBA Cygnus Award
DeINCEPTION was a finalist for two prestigious Eric Hoffer Awards, The Montaigne Medal for most thought-provoking book, and the daVinci Eye for outstanding cover art. These are additional distinctions for which judges nominate and consider books submitted for an Eric Hoffer Award. DeInception is also still on track for a category prize, including the Hoffer Grand Prize.
DeINCEPTION narrator, Sean Patrick Hopkins, won an Audie Award for his work on Stephen King’s “You Like It Darker.” As the voice of Ward in DeInception, Hopkin’s narration is praised for bringing emotion and life to the character.
Upcoming Appearances:
Check back soon for more appearances!
Past Appearances:
August 23, 2025 – Bookfair of Bel Air in Bel Air, MD
July 19, 2025 – The Write Women’s Bookfest in Bowie, MD
June 22, 2025 – Hops on Hudson Art, Wine & Spirit Show, Cold Spring, NY
June 12-15, 2025 – StokerCon in Stanford, CT
April 25-27, 2025 – Ravencon, Richmond, VA
- Friday at 4:00 PM — Am I Done Yet? (Jefferson Building – Dinwiddie)
- Saturday at 11:25 AM — Reading (Jefferson Building – Fairfax Library)
- Saturday at Noon — A Beginner’s Guide to Stephen King (Jefferson Building – King William) – moderator
- Saturday at 2:00 PM — AI and Writing (Jefferson Building – King William) – moderator
- Saturday at 5:00 PM — Author Signing (Madison Building – Open area in front of Henrico Ballroom)
- Sunday at Noon — How to Win at Pitching (Madison Building – Spotsylvania)
October 7 – 8, 2023: GeekGirlCon in Seattle Washington
October 1, 2023 – Brooklyn Book Festival
May 20, 2023 Utopia State of Mind:
It was so much fun chatting with host Lili and several of my fellow young adult, middle grade and new adult authors about “Cyberpunk, AI & Augmented Futures in Stories.” 
2023 Nebula Conference:
- Inventing Language – Authors, code-breakers, language lovers (and haters): It’s not as hard as you think to begin crafting a new language. Using simple approaches, we’ll begin building a language together, looking at culture, grammar, alphabets, and more. Tools anyone can use!
- Exploring Possibilities with Legal Systems in SFF – Exploring with authors who are also legal professionals what the choices are when it comes to legal systems, how crucial these are to worldbuilding, and how they are a major tool in exploring new speculative possibilities in terms of social organization.
Under the Radar Podcast: April 2, 2023 Chatted with Blaise Ancona about the unintended consequences of mind and habit altering technology on society
On February 22, I was back on SciFi4Me’s Live From the Bunker on the “Skynet Emerges” episode with authors Sylvia Liu and David Luxton discussing the future of artificial intelligence. We discussed the potential benefits and pitfalls in what’s sure to be an on-going examination of everything A.I.
February 21: Badass Writer’s Podcast: Super practical conversation with Kathleen Foxx about
- The “what if” in stories
- Nonfiction proposals
- Having my book optioned for tv
- Speculative and science fiction
- How I bring my legal career into my stories
- The complexities of world-building
- Pitch competitions
- Finding the right publisher for your story
- Juggling all the things as a writer, wife, mother, lawyer
February 18: Pass the Baton Interview: I got the chance to interview fantasy author P.L. Raven about her path to writing, writing in different formats such as flash fiction and short fiction, and how to create a compelling website.
February 11: Live Book Signing at Barnes & Noble, Newburgh 1 – 3 pm EST
February 5: Pass The Baton Interview: I was interviewed about my career transition from attorney to author!
January 5: The Author’s Corner with Robin Colucci. Robin Colucci and I had a blast talking about my past as a prosecutor and true crime writer and how it connects to my current Science Fiction writing.
On December 5, I had a great conversation with the folks at “Live From the Bunker” on SciFi4Me. If you missed it, you can watch it on YouTube or stream it on Apple Podcasts or wherever else you listen to podcasts! Please let me know what you thought of the interview!
Awards, Honors, Reviews & Recognition:
ReInception WINS 2023 Best Audiobook – Fiction – IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards!
Winner! PenCraft Seasonal Book Award Spring Competition
ReInception wins a 2023 Independent Press Award – Distinguished Favorite
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ReInception wins the Literary Titan Gold Award!
Literary Titans says:
“ReInception is an excellent science fiction novel with a focus on genetic engineering. The adventure readers go on as they follow the characters in the battle for humanity’s free will is engaging and thrilling. With the moral question of what is right or wrong and what is the benefit for society as a whole at the forefront of this novel, it will be hard to put down once you start.”
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ReInception Receives a Five Star Review Award from LitPick!
Click here to read the full review!
Also, check out this cool trailer that LitPick made for ReInception!
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ReInception is an American Writing Award Finalist!
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Available on Audible!
I was SO lucky to have multi-award-winning Arielle DeLisle narrate this novel. This book was not easy to narrate. In addition to several prominent characters, I invented an entire language and it’s set 100 years in the future. Arielle not only brought these characters to life, but she created an accent for Prole Patois that reflects the melting pot that is these people and this language. I’m SO proud of this audiobook. I know you are going to love it!
Blog Reviews & Newspaper Articles
Check out Charli Adams’ review of ReInception on her February 15, 2023 blog post!
The Fresh Fiction Blog featured me in their Get To Know Your Favorite Authors section with 20 Questions about me and about ReInception. This blog has a lot of fun and interesting ways to learn about authors and books that are very different from the usual blog post fare!
Fictional Hangover Indie Spotlight: Thanks so much to Fictional Hangover for featuring ReInception under their spotlight for new and indie books on the Nov. 16, 2022 episode (1:45:00 in). This is a superfan podcast that does fantastic reviews and interviews in an informal and funny style. Highly recommended for all book lovers!
Starships.com says of ReInception: “This novel touches on many of the issues facing current society around personal privacy, reproductive rights, and working-class divide. It’s inspired by Sarena’s time spent working as a Bronx DA prosecuting crimes. Readers who enjoy stories from Pierce Brown’s Red Rising series or such classics like The Time Machine and A Clockwork Orange will love this suspenseful, thought-provoking novel.”
Savage Planets says: “This is the true nature of our collective Speculative Futures, and we hope to see more from this author.”
My local paper, The Highland Current, included ReInception in a roundup of local authors!
HOW TO ORDER SIGNED COPIES & OR GET A FREE SIGNED BOOKPLATE
Kindle and print can be purchased here.
You can order Signed and customized copies of ReInception from Split Rock Books
If you have already purchased my book and want a free signed bookplate, then sign up for my Newsletter and email me at contact@sarenastraus.com and we’ll send one in the mail.
If you post of review on Amazon, Goodreads, Bookbub, or anywhere else, we’ll add extra goodies to your package for each review posted!
