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Starman After Midnight

In suburban Wells Port, things are not what they seem: wild animals appear unexpectedly in backyards, raised garden beds produce fruit in days, not weeks, and a mysterious figure lurks across sidewalks late at night.

The stories in Starman After Midnight weave an often hilarious and sometimes melancholy spell. Four young boys are terrorized by a wiener dog on their walk to school, but strategize for a safer route. A beer-loving man befriends a likeminded neighbor, only to discover his jovial new acquaintance is a registered sex offender. An elderly Uber driver suspects a young rider is being lured by a night stalker and debates whether he should help her or mind his own business.

Connecting these stories are two next-door neighbors—Seff and Big Dave—who couldn’t be more different: one a progressive-minded writer, the other a conservative plumber. Their love of beer drinking, backyard philosophizing, and gossiping brings them together. When several pets in the neighborhood wind up missing or worse—dead—Seff and Big Dave monitor their security cameras for the culprit. When they discover a naked man roaming their street late at night, suspicions are raised while hysteria spreads through the neighborhood social media app. What is the connection between the missing pets and this naked man? Seff and Big Dave form a posse of neighbors to find out.

Moving between humor and surrealism, friendship and grief, Starman After Midnight is a novel told in stories, a collection that adds up to something greater than the sum of its parts. From the quirky imagination of Scott Semegran, Starman After Midnight packs a comedic punch and uncovers the magic that seems possible in ordinary places.

Narrated by Brian P. Craig

Praise for Starman After Midnight

An encouraging tale of neighborliness and camaraderie in the face of the unknown. A big-hearted, often amusing tale of the weirdness of suburbia.” — Kirkus Reviews

Starman After Midnight is effortlessly funny, likably odd, surprisingly moving, and imminently relatable—a genuine pleasure to read.” — BlueInk Review

“Darkly funny... Semegran has a knack for drawing colorful characters. This waggish slice of life is worth a look.” — Publishers Weekly


More Praise for Starman After Midnight

“A well-crafted collage of the tangential and intertwined lives and stories that make up Wells Port, a fictional suburb of Austin like so many others – full of joy, sadness, love, angst, violence, mystery, and even a little magic.” — The Austin Chronicle

“Darkly comic and sometimes surreal... smooth and clear prose offers refreshing and absorbing reading.” — Lone Star Literary Life

“The book intersperses named stories with the novel’s ten chapters, creating a fun reading experience that incorporates Seff’s prose into Semegran’s writing... Starman After Midnight offers laugh-a-minute reading with wise guy observations.” — Readers' Favorite Book Reviews ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

“Scott Semegran’s Starman After Midnight is a wonderful kaleidoscope that turns through a variety of characters’ points of view while maintaining a humorous throughline about a mysterious naked man who is wandering the after-midnight streets, menacing the locals. This book shines through its characters’ relationships to one another and to their neighborhood, and how they alternately show up as backdrops to others’ stories as well as becoming main characters in their own. Interspersed are transitional vignettes that cleverly link the montages. Starman After Midnight is packed full of goodies that will charm every reader.” – Kerri Schlottman, award-winning author of Tell Me One Thing

“A great story... as unique as it was a pleasure to read.” — Reedsy Discovery ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

“The tale is, quite simply, utterly compelling, fun, and attractive. Starman After Midnight will reach audiences interested in humor, puzzles, interpersonal relationship quandaries, and community challenge. It will also delight libraries looking for accessible, modern literary works that sizzle with originality and delightful surprises.” — D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

Starman After Midnight is an absorbing, immersive, and intriguing collection. [Semegran] brings a uniquely quirky and often surrealistic quality to the interconnected tales full of mystery and suspense.” — The BookLife Prize ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Starman After Midnight

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Audiobook Info

Starman After Midnight audiobook cover

ISBN: 979-8218769482

ASN: B0FSJ7WL7R

Copyright: © 2025 Scott Semegran

Narrated by: Brian P. Craig

Length: 05 hrs 12 mins 53 sec

Language: English

Publisher: Mutt Press

Category: Fiction / Literary / Humorous / Psychological

For more information about Starman After Midnight by Scott Semegran including paperback and eBook editions as well as links for purchase, please go here.