Hunted across the solar system, a grieving teen discovers her dreams are real when they connect her to a blue alien boy and a mysterious stone that could save the future or change it forever.
A diverse, character-driven, coming-of-age YA sci-fi adventure about found family, identity, and survival, where the stakes are high and trust is never easy.
Skyward meets The Darkness Outside Us.
Grand Prize Short List, The First Horizon Award Winner & The Montaigne Medal Finalist (Eric Hoffer Book Awards) / The BookFest First Place Award – YA Science Fiction / Literary Titan Silver Award / International Impact Book Award
SFWA member 2026
“THE DREAMER by Linda Patricia Cleary commences The Black Stone Cycle series with a vibrant science fiction backdrop, rapid pacing, and a likable adolescent protagonist at its core. Cleary amalgamates action and mystery with profound themes of identity and belonging, imparting emotional depth to the narrative. This is a great first book in a series and will appeal to anyone who likes space adventures with strong characters.” — Indie Reader
“The writing sets the stage for a larger saga, sweeping readers into a futuristic world with incredible detail and wonderfully diverse characters who portray queerness and neurodivergence in ways that feel neither forced nor superficial.” — Booklife Publisher’s Weekly
NEXT BOOK EVENT
Thursday, May 21st / 7PM
My first reading & book signing at Jenny K.
There will be an interview, live reading, then a Q&A! Super fun and exciting aaaaaaand… scary. Come say hi!
Here’s the flyer! RSVP soon because there will be limited seating. The café will be open as well so you can come get a beverage and food!
RSVP LINK:
I found out on Monday afternoon that I won the Eric Hoffer Young Adult Book Award! My book was on the shortlist for the grand prize, but did not win. I won a First Horizon Award, which is for a debut author and best young adult book! I was also nominated for the Montaigne Medal,…
This post is going to be a little stream-of-consciousness, vulnerable, and long. I’m probably screaming out into the void with most of these posts, and that’s okay. I’ll make a shorter slide-show version of it for TikTok at some point. 😅 I recently questioned myself, “Why is my writing centered around identity and belonging?” When…
Less than 5% of nominees become grand prize award finalists in the Eric Hoffer Grand Prize Awards. These awards have been crazy. I was nominated for the Montaigne Medal and then won a First Horizon Award, found out I’m on the short-list for the grand prize, and haven’t even learned if I’m a category finalist…
About the author
Linda Patricia Cleary is a multi-award-winning, American mixed-race writer who grew up on U.S. military bases across Asia with her single father, where escape plans and gas masks were just part of daily life.
Now settled in the Bay Area with her husband, daughter, and dogs, she writes fantastical stories—often set in space or alternate realities—that explore identity, belonging, and the meaning of home. She’s also a voice actor, artist, and musician.
I write for my younger self… 🤍
Buy the Complete Dreamer Crew Kit!
Feeling EXTRA nerdy? Snag a Dreamer CREW KIT and get an autographed copy of my book, a bookmark, stickers, a fridge magnet, and a tiny piece of the Aldat Zuhtan (yes… the Black Stone).
If you start reading thoughts, floating objects with your mind, or suddenly feeling like you’re part of an ancient prophecy, don’t worry, that’s a totally normal side-effect.
Signed 11 x 17 The Dreamer Poster
Is your wall feeling naked and in need of an awesome sci-fi poster designed by a fabulous artist? It’s your lucky day! Comes with a piece of the black stone!
If you start reading thoughts, floating objects with your mind, or suddenly feeling like you’re part of an ancient prophecy, don’t worry, that’s a totally normal side-effect.
★★★★★
The Dreamer is the kind of character-driven science fiction that I’ve craved since I was a kid. It delivers the emotional depth, richness of character development, and wonder of alien environments and heady ideas that mark the best in the genre.
The story follows Ash, an archetypal reluctant hero, on her hero’s journey to find her place in ways big and small: as a daughter, as a friend, as a leader and hero, and…something more, which is wonderfully teased in this book, and will no doubt be fully explained through the course of the planned series…
Matt Lavin- Goodreads Reviewer
★★★★★
I loved it. I fell right into this coming of age space saga, and felt like I was right there with the characters on their adventure, flying with them, and looking through the viewport on the bridge of the Starling at planets I knew, but which still felt new. My only complaint is that I still want to read more! Looking forward to the next installments in this series. P.S., this should be a Movie!
Jami- Goodreads Reviewer
★★★★
By the time I reached the later chapters, I realized I was rooting not just for Ash but for the strange little group forming around her. The mix of loss, found family, and growing danger pulled me in. I liked that the book didn’t wrap things up neatly. It left questions hanging in the air, teasing a bigger truth waiting on the other side. I enjoy stories that don’t talk down to me, and this one trusted me to sit with the unknown.
Excerpt from Literary Titan review
A Rating
The writing sets the stage for a larger saga, sweeping readers into a futuristic world with incredible detail and wonderfully diverse characters who portray queerness and neurodivergence in ways that feel neither forced nor superficial.
Excerpt from Booklife by Publisher’s Weekly review
