The Urban Goatherds

Heath wanted to be a goatherd. He dreamed of shepherding the fire-breathing goats of death. The goats would burn the world to ash, given the chance, but the goatherd clans would not let them. Heath dreamed of mastering the reed pipes needed to control the goats, but the pyromaniacal beasts would not listen. Heath studied and practiced, but all he was good for was shoveling the dung.

Chardonnay was a reed-pipe master from a rival clan. He wanted to transform what reed-pipe music could be. There was love. There was beauty. There was more than unfeeling control. Chardonnay's clan disagreed.

A chance encounter would bring Heath and Chardonnay together. Heath would find the heart and soul of the music. Chardonnay would find an eager student. Their worlds would never be the same.

Genre . . .
Queer Coming-of-Age Urban Fantasy
Gaslamp Fantasy Romance

Themes . . .
Intergenerational Trauma
Identity vs. Imposed Roles
Control vs. Expression
Found Family

Setting . . .
The Urban Goatherds takes place in a sprawling, unnamed city blending early 20th-century technology with a unique fantasy structure. The world is organized into rival clans whose entire economy and infrastructure rely on the dung of magical, fire-breathing goats.

The city is both industrial and archaic. There are gas-powered cars. There are cobblestone streets, grand mansions, and communal farm complexes. The opulent, well-manicured districts of wealth stand in stark contrast to the gritty, functional clan strongholds, and the bohemian, artsy corners where renegade musicians perform.

The Urban Goatherds centers queer relationships not as a subplot but as the emotional core of the narrative.

Story . . .
In a world powered by the volatile dung of fire-breathing goats, a young goatherd named Heathcliff "Heath" Claymore must defy his oppressive clan and embrace a forbidden form of music to find his own voice. After being punished for a crime he did not commit, Heath must navigate rival clans, secret loves, and a mysterious power to create a new future for himself and those who believe in him.

Tease . . .
Chardonnay noticed Health standing before him like a gangly tree struggling to understand whatever had happened to its fallen leaves.

"Clan Melaleuca," Chardonnay said, as if sharing a secret.

"Clan Amaryllis," Heath replied, as if confessing a lie.

"I am found out."

"You wanted to be found."

Format . . .
Grayscale illustrations
Paperback