Arts and Sciences | FeaturedOctober 15, 2021

Jennings Publishes In the Deep, Second in Acclaimed Space Opera Series

Written By: Samantha Contreras

Dr. Kelly Jennings, professor of the Department of English, Rhetoric and Writing, and Media Communication at UAFS has published In the Deep, a direct sequel to Fault Lines. The now evolving series of sci-fi space operas titled Escape Velocity is published through independent book publisher Candlemark and Gleam and is available now on Amazon, B&N, Kobo – and  the publisher’s website. 

“My dean, Paul Hankins, and my then-chair, Cammie Sublette, both encouraged me to apply for a sabbatical in Fall 2020, and wrote wonderful recommendation letters that helped me obtain it,” said Jennings, who spent the year focused on her writing. “Without that sabbatical, I would not have finished In the Deep, or at least not so quickly!”

According to a release by Candlemark and Gleam, “These tense tales of adventure and conflict will be irresistible to readers of Melissa Scott, Aliette de Bodard and C. J. Cherryh. Exploring the issues of genetic engineering as they play into interstellar power politics, rife with complex and shifting alliances and with flawed, vivid protagonists for whom the reader comes to care deeply, Fault Lines and In the Deep are Firefly meets GATTACA with a soupçon of Hunger Games.”

In addition to the Escape Velocity series, Jennings has written several short stories that earned recognition by different publishing groups. A member and co-founder of the Boston Mountain Writers Group, her short fiction has appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and The Other Half of The Sky. Her short story, “History of the Invasion Told in Five Dogs,” was also selected for the anthology of the Year’s Best Science Fiction.  

“Dr. Jennings models the dedication and time management skill it takes to be a professional writer. She teaches her students how to protect their creative time as well how to pursue their careers,” Lindsy Lawrence, department chair and professor of the of English, Rhetoric and Writing, and Media Communication department shared. “Dr. Jennings also teaches her students that the issues that matter to them can and should be reflected in their fiction writing.” 

Professors like Jennings have supported to the development of the English with Teacher Licensure Program at UAFS, which received exemplary status as part of the national reaccreditation process with the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Lawrence said, “We also have a 100% placement rate into teaching positions for students who choose to go directly into the schools after graduation.”  

“Dr. Jennings is an incomparable and dedicated teacher, drawing her students into complicated texts ranging from reading the Bible as a literary text to the work of science fiction author Octavia Butler.”

For more information on the Department of English, Rhetoric and Writing, and Media Communication, visit the College of Arts & Sciences UAFS website or contact Lindsy.Lawrence@uafs.edu. 

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