craig@craigmontgomerybooks.com

Craig Montgomery

Fantasy Author

Come build a world with me!

I like to think stories create a real place we can visit whenever we want

ACOS Blurb
Content Warnings
Sensitive Reading Experience

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Available as an Audiobook!

Character art by Ego Rodriguez

About The Author

Craig has always been drawn to the fantastical. Whether it's sword and sorcery, superheroes, or faraway galaxies, he's along for the ride, happily ever after preferred. He recently moved to the San Francisco Bay Area with his husband and their two cats, where he tries to spend as much time with trees as he can.

Connect With Me

I'm most active on Instagram and TikTok. I'm trying to get better about updating my Facebook page. You can always reach me by email!

Meet the characters

art by @isa_in_aurabesh

Casper Bell

Age: 18
The Telos
From Earth

Helix Stallastis

Age: 19
Capricorn
Grandson of Novilem's governess

Talleah

Age: 26
Leo
Chef for the elite

A Circle of Stars:
The Stardust Duology
Book One

Sometimes you have to leave home to find it…All Casper Bell has ever wanted is to belong. But now, abandoned by his friends and family after being outed, he has nothing left to lose when the people of Novilem abduct him.Except Earth.Teleported to a world where stars grant humans magic, Casper discovers he has the rare ability to draw power from all twelve astrological signs — a gift that makes him a political pawn for the Estellar Council.But Novilem’s inhabitants seem as hard and cold as the stone their city is carved from, and Casper’s new role leaves him more isolated than ever. Until he meets the grandson of the council’s most powerful woman. Helix is kind, playful, and heartbreakingly handsome, yet it’s how Helix makes him feel that gives Casper hope.As rebellion brinks in the city, even the Council starts to fracture, reaching for extreme measures that could cost Casper not only his newfound abilities, but the first place he has ever wanted to call home. Together with Helix, he must uncover the secrets of his full potential — because the survival of Novilem hinges on Casper’s powers, whether he’s using them or not.Set inside a hidden lunar city, where astrology is magic and your birth sign defines your social status, A Circle of Stars is a queer young adult fantasy filled with political intrigue and romance.

Content Warnings

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Content Warnings

Graphic :
Violence, blood, death, dead body, animal death (not pets), homophobia, outing, domestic abuse, sexual assault (off the page)Moderate:
Suicide, drug use, drug addiction, panic attack/disorder, cursing, sexual contentMinor:
Vomit, injury details

I've done my best to handle this material with care, but I encourage you to make the best decision for yourself as a reader. For a summarized, less emotionally intense reading experience, click the button below. I have a separate page available with only the necessary details needed for context concerning the outing, domestic abuse, and sexual assault content.

Sensitive Reading Experience

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Sensitivity Reading Experience

Below are summaries of the first two chapters of the story, which start off with heavy emotions and themes surrounding abuse, sexual assault, and outing. If any of the other content warnings mentioned are of particular concern to you, please feel free to email me at craig@craigmontgomerybooks.com and I will do my best to provide you with information on the material covered in the book so you can make the best decision for yourself about your reading experience.

Chapter 1The story opens with Casper Bell, an 18-year-old boy living in Chicago, experiencing a dissociative episode as his father is kicking him out of their home. As he goes through the motions of leaving their house, we witness the aftershocks of their abusive relationship. We learn that Casper has been going to a Christian private school, and was in the last week of his senior year when something terrible happened.Four blocks away in a cafe, Casper is being ghosted by all of his so-called friends. Desperate, he texts his ex-girlfriend, Danielle, who recently broke up with him, and asks for help. Danielle begrudgingly agrees to let Casper stay at her house for the night. As the scene closes, we see Casper struggling with his internal thoughts about his sexuality.

Chapter 2Casper arrives at Danielle's home and is greeted by her mother, Kate. Kate is kind, but stern with Casper about the pain he has caused her daughter. In a tender moment that breaks Casper's nearly non-existent facade, she tells him that his parents are failing him and that there's nothing wrong with him.Danielle finds him upstairs and confronts him about the terrible event that has been looming in Casper's head. She asks why he never told her that he is gay. He admits that because of the church and his parents, he never had space to question his sexuality with any honesty. Then Danielle pushes the issue and asks why he kissed a boy named Conner at school.Forced to face it, we witness Casper express to Danielle that Conner sexually assaulted him. He discusses the details of how the school and his family failed him following the event and Danielle comforts him. Casper's internalized experience of this moment sheds light on his difficulty being true to himself and the wound he has of not feeling known.

While these events and themes are part of Casper's journey throughout the story, I don't feel that they are present on the page in a triggering way outside of two additional moments. I believe to fully understand the story, these scenes are necessary to read. So, I'll offer a brief description of what to expect in those scenes in case you may find it helpful to feel prepared.

Chapter 39, scene 2In a discussion with Helix, Casper briefly mentions and has emotional responses to both his father's abusive behavior and the assault he suffered from Conner.

Chapter 41Casper has a panic attack that is described with lots of physical sensations. Helix supports him through the experience, and he is able to find relief.