The first three books of the Time Paradox series by J D Bath - self publishing through author owned Brat Cat Press - are coming to you from July 2026.

Set in Melbourne, Australia in the late 2000s, follow the urban adventures of Dean, Stephan, Maddy, Brent and Pete as they try and figure out who they are in the world.

Told over three concurrent books, the Preludes form the prologue to the entire Time Paradox series.

Did I mention it's extremely queer?

You might also want to grab a notebook.

You know, the ones in the campaign?

Three books that intertwine, cross over and show the same scenes from different POVs, the Preludes are an emotional roller-coaster. What is it like being queer in the late 2000s while you're still maturing? Well, you're about to find out.

Book 1: Shit That Happened Before 2011
 

A collection of short stories that explore, well, some shit that happened before the year 2011. Told through alternating first person POVs, Dean, his sister Maddy, his best friend Brent and his boyfriend Stephan tell you about key moments in their lives as they journey from their teens to young adult hood.

Book 2: Neon Hearts

This is Pete's story. Pete grew up in a conservative Jehovahs Witness household and on the morning of his 18th birthday, is kicked out of home. Pete, suddenly with nothing, has to learn who he is all over again.

Book 3: Guariare: Worrier

This is Stephan's story. Steph doesn't fit. He's weird and he worries, about everything, all the time. He's too Aussie to be Italian, too rough to be fabulously gay. He likes maths and basketball and skateboarding; Italians don't do any of that. The one person that makes him feel even remotely normal is his Sicilian matri (mum). So when she's diagnosed with MND, Steph has to figure out how to be ok with who he is on his own.

All pre-launch followers will get an exclusive short story that ties into these three books.

Releasing at the project launch, you will receive a 7k story about the supporting character Julian, entitled Außenseiter.

It explores moments of his life not seen in the other books as well as deleted scenes and key events from his point of view. Understand through Jools' eyes what it's like growing up in a German family when you're the only one born in Australia.