DEAR STUPID PENPAL **Preorder** - a novel by Rascal Hartley (softcover + eBook)

Atticus “Finch” Davani does not want to be an astronaut. He hates space, he hates the ship, and he strongly dislikes his fellow crew members. He makes that painfully clear in his letters to Aku, his corporate-assigned penpal back on Earth. 

Soon, Aku becomes much more than a penpal. But when the crew engage hyperdrive, Aku’s punctual letters start coming at random intervals, and Finch and his shipmates realize that time, for them, is moving all wrong.

As everyone else’s penpals rapidly die of old age, Finch turns, heartbroken, to Aku; who, more than a century later, is still there. 

DEAR STUPID PENPAL is an entirely epistolary exploration of cosmic dread, the passing of time, and the lifelines we cling to against the vast endlessness of space.

Cover art by Carly A-F.

Interior illustrations by Matt Blairstone.

"A joyously Weird tale of unexpected genre mashups, overwhelming odds, quotable lines, and queer romance that even the most jaded cynic can't help but get swept up in."

•  Íde Hennessey, "Sequoia Point", Split Scream: Off the Map

“Veers from funny to dread-inducing and back again as Hartley slowly reveals the beautiful, achingly romantic core of the story [and] hints masterfully at a fascinating outside world…before convincing us that the only things that truly matter are Finch, Aku, and how they find each other across time and space. Dear Stupid Penpal could be placed alongside This Is How You Lose the Time War as a blueprint for a compelling, propulsive, gorgeous epistolary novel.”

• Emma Cole, editor at Harlequin Books, author of Love Never Dies

This is a preorder. DEAR STUPID PENPAL is expected to ship on or before November 11, 2025.

Purchase of print books includes free eBook copy in PDF, ePub and mobi formats. eBooks will arrive via email, shortly after your purchase is completed.