Sweet Success for Emily Gist

Published April 2, 2026

Congratulations to Emily Gist on her recent release! FAÇADES is a YA dystopian sci-fi novella that explores the literal and metaphorical masks we wear. It asks the question: What defines our identity, and what lengths are we willing to go to protect it?

ABOUT THE BOOK: In Astania, everyone wears a mask, but for Victoria the mask is everything.

Victoria Valencia, school valedictorian and aspiring government agent, has always adored her Façades and what they represent. After all, Astania is a utopia, free from discrimination and safe from the dangers of chaotic emotions. A mask cannot lie and hers is perfect. But when her classmate interrupts their graduation with propaganda reminiscent of the maskless terrorist organization, it puts a crack in her flawless façade.

Her first job after graduation forces her to closely interact with that same classmate, where she must pretend to agree with his anti-mask views. She struggles to maintain her cover and discovers there’s more to this dangerous radical than she initially thought.

Once she learns more about him, and the reasons for his beliefs, the crack widens and forces her to question whether their masked society is as free as she thinks. What is the purpose of the Façade?

Ultimately, Victoria must decide who is right: the masked or the maskless. And either choice could destroy her identity forever.  Purchase a copy through Amazon.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Emily Gist is an author based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. If she had an Astanian Façade, its symbology would include her love of the written word as well as her passions in playing tabletop roleplaying games with her friends and family, reading fantasy and dystopian novels, and watching video game YouTubers. Follow Emily @egist.bsky.social.