The Book Bazaar 2026 is an exciting collaborative crowdfunding event on Backerkit of 39 indie authors who have come together to raise funds for their campaigns. In celebration, and to help promote these authors, we’ll be featuring spotlights through the fundraising period for you to check and out and support! Within The Book Bazaar, you’ll find a variety of genres, including fantasy, sci-fi, horror, queer, and romance, as well as a variety of formats such as novels, novellas, series, anthologies, and audiobooks. There’s something for everyone!
The fundraising period runs from October 29 – November 19. Back 3 or more projects to earn unique bookmarks, and 10 or more projects to receive an exclusive anthology. Want a taste of these projects? Check out the free sampler bundle on Itch.io!
Please welcome Friends for Lonely Gods by Madeleine Marie-Rose of Monsters and Maidens Publishing in the spotlight!
Friends for Lonely Gods is a character and relationship-focused fantasy about an autistic human and “deity” of charisma teaming up to improve relations between their species.
…Friends for who?
Gods, magical entities formed and fueled by human interest and belief in their domain, used to come to the human world to build a following. They still do…but humanity has changed since the old days, and with the constant growth in human knowledge and population, there are now more gods than ever vying for attention.
Isabelle, a young autistic woman, has never felt comfortable in her community. Born to pastors of the god Mammoth, whose domain is charisma and connections between people, Bell would like to build strong relationships with others but it’s never quite worked out. When she befriends and bonds with Sallow, a hydra-shaped god who is just as lonely as she is, the quiet rejections from her community become much louder.
Once a god of the hunt and harvest, Mammoth has pivoted countless times to protect himself and stay relevant to an ever-changing humanity. He’s shaped his appearance to pass among them, mastered social media, has hundreds of churches across the globe.
After Mammoth’s centuries of studying humanity, his first encounter with Bell catches him off guard. Bell wants to help gods fit in with humans better, and teach humans to be more accepting of those different from them—and needs his help to do it. Mammoth is fully aware of the systems in place to make life among humans hell for any gods who aren’t too popular to touch without causing a scandal. Working to dismantle them could bring reputational and even physical danger. But winning Bell’s belief and affection becomes a challenge he can’t pass up—and her plans to create a better world for both gods and humans could offer him safety if his past lies are ever discovered.
The author is raising funds for physical copies. You can also get your hands on other books by Monsters and Maidens Publishing as add-ons.
About the Author
I’m a lot of things!
An autistic lesbian!
A microbiology major!
A crafter!
Someone way too into dragons, giant robots, and the monster boyfriend/girlfriend/non-gender-specific lover trope!
But the most important thing to know about me is that I have a brain that 1. never shuts off and 2. tends to ask if I can do something a couple hours before considering if I should. Also, I have hands and access to writing software, and I intend to make that everyone else’s problem.
On a more serious note: I’m a writer trying to live my best life by surrounding myself with things I love, and when those things don’t exist yet… I make them! I hope you end up loving them too, and that you’ll consider joining me on wherever this journey takes me.
- Website: MonstersAndMaidensPublishing.com
- Bluesky: @monstersandmaidens.bsky.social
