The Old Goat and the Alien
A downloadable book
Avari keeps to themself. They’re a goat-shape cosmoran, a member of the Cleaners’ Union, and a bit of a grump. That suits them just fine. They don’t have any friends, and that’s fine, because they have siblings. And if their siblings have all grown away from them to start their own lives, then that’s fine, too. Really.
But then Avari meets a lost alien in the Elder Grove, and that is not fine. Everyone is telling Avari that this alien is their responsibility just because she’s lost on an unfamiliar planet. Avari can barely tolerate cosmorans; how are they supposed to cope with a human housemate?
To get Jenna the human out of their home, Avari is going to have to do several unthinkable things. They’ll have to leave the house, talk to strangers, and even travel to the terrifying ocean planet that is the binary twin of their own. They’ll have to learn about Earth and go to board game parties and meet some of the strangest people in the city.
They might even have to make friends. But the trouble is, Avari isn’t sure they deserve them.
The Old Goat and the Alien is a cosy, slice-of-life space fantasy with an all-queer cast set on the binary planets of Geminus in a far-away star system. Geminus is populated by cosmorans, sentient creatures whose shape is determined by the stars at their hatching and who bear a striking resemblance to the animals and mythical creatures of Earth
A novel of ~85,000 words. Comes in both DRM-free EPUB and Kindle formats. Cover illustration by Meg James.
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thank you for writing this book! it feels absolutely wonderful to read a novel with neurodivergence, disability, and queerness at the forefront, and have it taking place in a world that's absolutely fascinating - I felt a lot like Jenna, wide-eyed at the world you painted with words, even if Avari is probably rolling their eyes a bit at how cool I think their world's cities are. the family conflict is real and you treat it with care and compassion, and I really love how the characters grow and interact with one another. I'm recommending it to several of my friends and curling up with it for a rainy day read <3
Ahh, thank you so much! I am so delighted that you enjoyed it and felt so immersed.<3 I also can't thank you enough for recommending it to friends. As an indie author, I need all the help I can get!