It is no secret that planet Earth is home to the notoriously greedy species known as humans. What remains a secret to these humans is the community of aliens who live hidden under invisible force fields across neighboring planets and moons. They eat fried butterflies for lunch, travel through interplanetary vortexes, and coexist with giant bees, solar dragons, and hairy one-hundred-legged spiders-peacefully, for the most part.
Eighteen-year-old Truman Howard is not like his classmates. While they roll around in their parents' riches and travel the globe, Truman takes care of himself, working part time as a ski instructor and thrifting his clothes. He has no family, no friends, and a roommate who gives donkeys a bad rep.
But everything changes the day Truman meets a mysterious woman who invites him to an unforgettable place that will make him and anyone who reads his story feel like they belong. For it is there, among the stars, where Truman embarks on a remarkable voyage filled with new friends, fantastic creatures, and a dangerous destiny that's been brewing for him for many, many moons!
About the Author :
J.Q. Gagliastro is the author of The Diary of a Sugarbaby and Mercury to the Moon. Mercury to the Moon is a fantasy fiction adventure novel for all reading ages, illustrated by Gagliastro. The Los Angeles Book Review hailed Mercury to the Moon as "an imaginative triumph!" Readers' Favorite called it "thrilling, witty, and suitably odd." Mercury to the Moon is a bestseller in Young Adult Fiction, Magical Realism, and Alien Sci-Fi. The Diary of a Sugarbaby is an adult fiction speculative sci-fi novel, a #1 bestseller in LGBTQ+ Coming-of-Age Fiction, a #2 bestseller in Dystopian Fiction, and a top seller in Epistolary Fiction and Political Fiction. NYC's Queer Book Club selected The Diary of a Sugarbaby for October 2024. The Queer Book Club of the Purple Couch Bookshop picked The Diary of a Sugarbaby for August 2025. An instructor at the University of Florida shortlisted The Diary of a Sugarbaby as required text for their queer studies program. The Diary of a Sugarbaby was a 2023 finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards in Adult Fiction. In August 2024, Gagliastro appeared on Chicago's WGN TV with journalist Sean Lewis. The Diary of a Sugarbaby was featured in The New York Review of Books, both April and May 2024 issues. Gagliastro's Sugarbaby Book Tour took them to NYC, D.C., Chicago, West Hartford, Glastonbury, Annapolis, Keene, and Philadelphia. Over 1,000 copies of The Diary of a Sugarbaby were sold within the first year of its publication. The Manhattan Book Review hailed The Diary of a Sugarbaby as "The Handmaid's Tale on steroids!" Kirkus Reviews called it "a frightening novel about an unthinkable future!" And according to The BookLife Prize, The Diary of a Sugarbaby is a "dark satirical work of sci-fi!" While The Diary of a Sugarbaby is fiction, Gagliastro ties in their experiences as a homeless youth and twists them into a dramatic political satire. Please visit www.jqgagliastro.com for merch, tour dates, signed copies, and more!
Review :
"An imaginative triumph!" Los Angeles Book Review
"A whimsical and heartwarming young adult fantasy that takes readers on an unforgettable interstellar journey!" Readers' Favorite (5 stars)
"The novel's greatest achievement lies in its balance: poetic prose pairs seamlessly with interstellar action; laugh-out-loud moments are layered with deeply vulnerable revelations... Perfect for fans of Percy Jackson, The School for Good and Evil, or Heartstopper." Likely Story
"Gagliastro's sweeping worldbuilding will draw readers into this riveting series starter! ... Comparable Titles: Aileen Erin's Off Planet, Fonda Lee's Exo." BookLife Reviews by Publishers Weekly
"Mercury to the Moon is a refreshing novel in the fantasy genre, a coming-of-age story with a cosmic twist ... filled with lots of adventure and action!" San Francisco Book Review (5 stars)
