Bestselling authors visit Woodlands Academy on book launch day

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - New York Times bestselling author Sasha Alsberg began the day her book was released in hard cover with a visit to her high school alma mater. The 2015 graduate spoke to students, faculty and staff at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart Jan. 16. She was joined by the book's co-author, Lindsay Cummings, at the all-girls college preparatory school in Lake Forest. Following their formal presentation, Alsberg and Cummings spent some time with Woodlands Academy seniors taking Creative Writing and AP Literature courses.

"I wanted the first stop on our 'Zenith: The Androma Saga' book tour to be the place where it all started for me," said Alsberg. "By teaching girls to be empowered young women, Woodlands Academy was a huge part of my life - then and now."

Among those welcoming her back was one of Alsberg's teachers, Amy Perry. "It's so great to once again see Sasha's passion for reading and writing that's led to today's book release," she said. "We all knew that Sasha was going to be famous in the future - not necessarily this soon. We're so proud of her."

Cummings said she was glad to be able to see first-hand the school that she knows means so much to her best friend and co-author. "Sasha has said so many amazing things about Woodlands," she added.

In addition to her writing, Alsberg has been known the past few years for her book reviews via Abookutopia, the wildly popular Booktube channel with more than 36 million views. During her senior year at Woodlands Academy, Alsberg's Abookutopia following caught the attention of Teen Vogue magazine. She was one of seven book vloggers nationally profiled in a 2015 article. At that time, Alsberg had nearly 100,000 followers.

And it was this site, launched during her freshman year at Woodlands, that brought the co-authors together. When Abookutopia began to gain popularity the following year, Cummings asked Alsberg to review the book she'd just written, "The Murder Complex." When the two later met in Chicago, they bonded immediately and remain best friends while living in different states. They now have a devoted and massive following of more than 540,000 combined on their Booktube channels and social media accounts.

Alsberg and Cummings had talked about writing a book together for a while before they actually did so. When they decided to proceed, Cummings had written five books and said she felt she might be losing her passion for writing. What started as a bestselling 60-page e-novella was transformed into a 600-page book in about six weeks by the two co-authors. "We felt there was so much more to tell," Cummings said.

"Zenith: The Androma Saga," published by HarlequinTEEN, is the first book in the Androma Saga - a dazzling, wild ride of a serialized space opera. The novel sprang from a first installment, which the authors self-published digitally and hit #1 on the New York Times e-Book bestseller list upon release. Now, the full story of Androma Racella and her fearless and loyal band of female space pirates is available with this latest release.

Inspired by their shared passion for all things science fiction and space fantasy, the two authors created the Mirabel Galaxy, offering homage to early "Star Wars" films with their own assortment of colorful characters, space renegades, unlikely alliances and a rickety - but beloved - spaceship. Full of action, fantastical intrigue and steamy star-crossed romance, this "dark and complex sci-fi drama" (School Library Journal) likely will satisfy the multitudes of fans who were hooked by the e-book release and enchant new readers of all ages now that it's available in hard cover.

Alsberg and Cummings are already at work on a second book in the saga, which is due out next year. As was the case with the first, its initial release will be in e-book form followed by a hard-cover edition.

Founded in 1858, Woodlands Academy is an independent Catholic college preparatory day and boarding high school for young women. It's part of a worldwide network of Sacred Heart Schools that spans the United States and 40 other countries. A nonprofit, Woodlands Academy's identity is rooted in Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat's desire to inspire young hearts and minds to excel, to lead lives of integrity and to serve. For more information about Woodlands Academy, please visit www.woodlandsacademy.org