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The Catalyst

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Pub Date Jul 1 2026 | Archive Date Oct 31 2026


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Description

When human bodies are found with scales and tails, DNA Detector Kat Crocker is tasked with determining what caused the victims’ abnormalities. But even as she hunts for answers, she’s being hunted. Unbeknownst to her, the people behind the mutations need Kat—at least a piece of her—to complete their plan. They will stop at nothing to get what they need.

As attacks against Kat escalate, the trail leads her to a newly released VR game powered by impossible genetics—and to the scientist behind the mutations. The man who has put Kat in danger. The person she trusted more than anyone in the world.

When human bodies are found with scales and tails, DNA Detector Kat Crocker is tasked with determining what caused the victims’ abnormalities. But even as she hunts for answers, she’s being hunted...


A Note From the Publisher

Andrea Goyan (she/her) is a writer and artist whose lifelong love of animals helped inspire The Catalyst. Growing up with a menagerie of critters, Andrea was nicknamed "Goat Girl" and "Raccoon Mama" by her peers. Today, her fur-kids consist of well-adored cats and dogs. When she's not out walking her pups or writing, she enjoys painting, especially animal portraits. You can find some of The Catalyst inspired artwork Andrea made for the novel's serialization at MetaStellar.com or on her website.
Andrea won the 2021 International Roswell Award for her story “Imagine Dandelions,” which was later published by Intrepidus Ink. Her story “He Opens One More Door” won a 2022 competition at Flash Fiction Magazine. Links to both stories, along with many others, are available on her website at andreagoyan.com.
She is one of a flock of Magpie Poets whose collaborative poetry collections, “An Illegal Feast” and “Carnivores & Other Lovers,” are published by Broadstone Books. Andrea co-hosts MetaStellar Magazine's Long Lost Friends podcast, where she and her co-host interview writers, publishers, artists, and other interesting people from around the world, as well as MetaStellar's Storytime. You can also find Andrea online at: andreagoyan.bsky.social and andreagoyan.substack.com.

Andrea Goyan (she/her) is a writer and artist whose lifelong love of animals helped inspire The Catalyst. Growing up with a menagerie of critters, Andrea was nicknamed "Goat Girl" and "Raccoon Mama"...


Advance Praise

"Andrea Goyan has created an ambitious, compelling world where gaming culture, biotechnology, and fractured identity collide. The Catalyst is a fast-paced near-future thriller with a disturbingly believable premise that raises unsettling questions about human enhancement. It delivers exactly what good near-future science fiction should—a compelling speculative premise, escalating psychological tension, and a genuine sense that the world of the novel may only be a few years away."

— Will McIntosh, Hugo Award-Winning Author


The Catalyst is a gripping tale of technology gone amok. The fate of the world depends on the knowledge and strength of Kat Crocker. Goyan is at the top of her game with this Sci-Fi thriller.


— Cindy O'Quinn, Bram Stoker Award winning author


"Andrea Goyan has created a world so compelling, so intriguing, and so fascinating, you'll be hungering for a sequel as soon as you've finished reading. I know I am."

— Adrienne Barbeau, actress and author


“In Andrea Goyan's thrilling science fiction novel, The Catalyst, DNA is no longer the secret blueprint of self, it’s a trap waiting to spring.

Kat Crocker, daughter of a geneticist, has inherited both his paranoia and his genius. She scrubs her bike before every job and still can't outrun the fact that someone powerful wants exactly what runs in her blood.

Part noir, part horror, part near-future nightmare, The Catalyst asks the question that keep evolutionary biologists and civil liberties lawyers up at night: Who owns your genome?

Goyan writes with a detective's attention to details, a scientist's unease and an artist’s eye. Highly recommended.”

— E.E. King, author, artist, performer, and naturalist


“The Catalyst is a wonderful and compelling exploration of the nature of humanity and selfhood that will ensnare you in its thrilling mysteries.”

— Eugenia Triantafyllou - Hugo-nominated author of Loneliness Universe

"Andrea Goyan has created an ambitious, compelling world where gaming culture, biotechnology, and fractured identity collide. The Catalyst is a fast-paced near-future thriller with a disturbingly...


Marketing Plan

I have a weeklong blog tour booked through Rachel's Random Resources. I am reaching out to local bookstores and libraries in hopes of doing readings.

I have a weeklong blog tour booked through Rachel's Random Resources. I am reaching out to local bookstores and libraries in hopes of doing readings.


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9798996058211
PRICE $5.99 (USD)

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