Desert Mystery Novella Debuts

The narrative centers on Olivier, a 56-year-old astronomer and self-described "hippie scientist" who has exiled himself to Morocco's Tinfu Dunes. After a career working with telescopes globally, he now spends his nights showing hotel guests the stars, accompanied only by his cat, Tiku. His seclusion is disrupted by the arrival of an academic rival, Fritz, forcing him to confront a past involving a lost love, Vera, who is a brilliant astrophysicist. Author DW Ardern is a Brooklyn-based novelist, comic, and screenwriter whose work has appeared in numerous literary magazines, including *The Fourth River* and *Vestal Review*. His writing has been supported by the Bread Loaf Writers Conference and Tin House Summer Workshop. He is also the founding editor of *EXCERPT*, a literary magazine dedicated to showcasing the work of emerging novelists from independent presses. The novella is published by Stalking Horse Press, an independent publisher founded in 2014 by writer James Reich. The press aims to publish "spiky, angular, errant" work that engages with the world and often takes risks on writers who have difficulty finding a place in mainstream publishing. A portion of the proceeds from each book is donated to a charity chosen by the author. *Master of Starlight* was released on November 18, 2025, with a list price of $18.99 for the 170-page paperback. Early reviews praise the book as a "funny, poetic meditation" and a "beautiful, lyrical love letter to the night sky." Elissa Schappell, co-founder of *Tin House*, lauded Ardern as "clever, hilarious, and wise."