Wanted: Advance Readers for Doors to the Stars

EARLY ACCESS: Join the launch team now—free prequel novella Junk Rat releases January 2026, three months before the main book drops.

Sixteen-year-old Wulan has weeks to live. Radiation poisoning from her last salvage run is killing her, and the only thing that might save her is selling the ancient Forger disk she found in the wreck—alien biotech that hums with her dead mother’s lullaby.

When a double-cross gets her best friend killed, she stows away on a smuggler ship and finds something she thought she’d lost forever: a family worth fighting for, who’ll fight for her in return.

But now the Ascendancy is hunting her. Cornered by a ruthless enforcer with a personal vendetta, the disk activates in her hands—and she discovers she can open portals between worlds.

She also discovers she can’t control them.

The disk whispers that it can give her the power to reunite a shattered galaxy—if she’s willing to surrender everything that makes her human.

Doors to the Stars is a found-family space opera about choosing what you’ll lose to save worlds that never gave a damn about you. For readers who loved Ship Breaker’s survival grit, Skyward’s pilot-with-baggage energy, and protagonists who break—but keep going anyway.

Read the first chapter here.

92,000 words • Age 14+ • April 28, 2026

✅ WHAT YOU GET

• January 2026: Free prequel novella Junk Rat (exclusive early access—see how Wulan ended up scavenging the ruins)
• Early March 2026: Full eARC (PDF/EPUB, 92K words)
• January-April: Monthly behind-the-scenes content (character art, worldbuilding, excerpts)
• Content creators: Graphics package, interview opportunities, flexible deadlines if needed
• The satisfaction of helping launch a book that matters

What I need from you:

• Read by April 28, 2026 (7 weeks—most readers finish in under 2)
• Post an honest review on launch day (Amazon, Goodreads, your platform—wherever your readers are)
• Use the hashtag #DoorsToTheStars so I can find and amplify your content

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📋 JOIN THE ARC LAUNCH TEAM

In the text box below, tell me:

• ✅ Age range: Teen / 20s / 30s / 40s+
• ✅ Where you’ll review: Amazon, Goodreads, BookTok, etc.
• ✅ Recent SF/YA favorites: What you’ve loved and why (so I know we’re a good fit)
• ✅ Content creators: Add your platform, handle, and whether you need the eARC before March

📖 WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR

Teens and adults who:

• Read The Poppy War, Iron Widow, Scythe, or An Ember in the Ashes and wanted more books that don’t pull punches
• Want intelligent, morally complex SF with characters who think their way through impossible problems
• Appreciate found family dynamics and protagonists who make human choices under impossible pressure
• Want diverse characters who are complex and flawed, not just checking boxes
• Actually respect YA as a category (think The Book Thief, Code Name Verity, Hunger Games)
• Are building a BookTok, BookTube, blog, or Goodreads presence and want to help launch something that treats readers like they’re smart enough to get it

Note on content: Real consequences, real trauma, real stakes—closer to Hunger Games and Children of Blood and Bone than Percy Jackson. Age 14+, though mature younger readers (like my 12-year-old) handle it fine.

❌ THIS MIGHT NOT BE FOR YOU IF:

• You prefer light, episodic adventures over character-driven arcs
• You want “cozy” fiction (this isn’t gratuitous, but it’s brutally honest)
• You need protagonists who consistently make the right calls
• You think YA = romance-first with genre decoration

📚 FOR CONTENT CREATORS

BookTokers who recommended Iron Widow and Poppy War—this is your next “trust me on this” book.

If your platform focuses on romantasy, contemporary YA, or cozy SF, this might not be the best fit—and that’s totally fine. But if you’re looking for the kind of morally complex space opera your audience has been asking for, let’s talk.

What you get:

• Early access (prequel in January, full eARC in early March—or earlier if you need it for production schedules)
• Graphics package: quotes, character art, promotional materials designed to make posting easier
• Author interview opportunities
• Behind-the-scenes content you can share with your audience
• Monthly exclusive updates from now through launch

What I need:

• Content posted around April 28, 2026 launch day (reviews, reactions, recommendations—whatever fits your format and audience)
• Honest take on the book (positive reviews aren’t required; authentic ones are)
• Use the hashtag #DoorsToTheStars so I can find and amplify your content

No minimum follower count required. Building your audience? This is exactly the kind of book that helps you find your people—readers who want substance, not just vibes.

📅 TIMELINE

• Early January 2026: Free prequel novella Junk Rat
• January-April 2026: Monthly worldbuilding updates, character art, behind-the-scenes content
• Early March 2026: eARCs sent to launch team
• April 28, 2026: LAUNCH DAY

YA literature was stolen from teens—let’s steal it back

YA used to mean Code Name Verity and The Hunger Games—morally complex stories that trusted teens with weight. Then the market shifted toward adult romance readers looking for “cozy” and “two-star spice.” Publishers followed the money.

That’s not what Doors to the Stars is. That’s not what real YA was. So I’m publishing it myself.

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UPDATE (12/9/2025): I originally announced a February 2026 release but moved it to April 28 to ensure the book gets the launch it deserves. The upside for early supporters: you get the free prequel novella Junk Rat in January and three extra months of exclusive content before the main book drops.