MADISON – Madison-based author Heather Kaczynski has released her debut novel, “Dare Mighty Things.”

The science fiction novel for the young adult audience is set partially in Huntsville. The impetus of NASA and the space program inspired Kaczynski to write “Dare Mighty Things.”

In Kaczynski’s heart-racing debut duology, a girl competes for a spot on a mysterious mission to the outer reaches of space. The rules are simple:

* You must be gifted.

* You must be younger than 25 years old.

* You must be willing to accept the dangers that you will face if you win.

Eighteen-year-old Cassandra Gupta’s entire life has been leading up to this — the opportunity to travel to space. However, to secure a spot on this classified mission, she must first compete against the best and brightest people on the planet. Other candidates are as determined as she is to win a place on a journey to the farthest reaches of the universe.

“Cassie is ready for the toll that the competition will take: the rigorous mental and physical tests designed to push her to the brink of her endurance,” Kaczynski said. “But nothing could have prepared her for the bonds she would form with the very people she hopes to beat … or that with each passing day it would be more and more difficult to ignore the feeling that the true objective of the mission is being kept from her.”

Only one point is clear to Cassie: she will never back down, even if it costs her everything.

The book already has received positive reviews from “Booklist,” “Publishers Weekly,” “School Library Journal” and “Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books.”

Kaczynski graduated from Sparkman High School and University of Alabama in Huntsville. “I currently work in a library on Redstone Arsenal,” she said.

To purchase the book, visit amazon.com. Kaczynski plans to release a sequel in fall 2018. For more information, email kaczynskiheather@gmail.com or visit heatherkaczynski.com.