Tom Miller’s Star-Born Universe – Episode One

The world is breaking down, but Tom Miller might just be able to fix it... Tom Miller is an ambitious, introverted – very introverted – young man living in the outskirts of Los Angeles. With help from his intangible, adversarial companion Greyum, Tom invents an ingenious flying car. This exciting invention brings unforeseen consequences for the duo (and not just its explosion by the US Air Force). Tom becomes an astronaut, a maximum-security prisoner and a NASA employee, hindered by Greyum at every turn. Facing opposition from within and without, Tom must conquer the darker side of himself to recreate his invention, prove himself and realise his dreams. With shades of Douglas Coupland and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Tom Miller's Star-Born Universe is a poignant, dryly-funny novel about mental issues, innovation and perseverance.

The world is breaking down, but Tom Miller might just be able to fix it... Tom Miller is an ambitious, introverted – very introverted – young man living in the outskirts of Los Angeles. With help from his intangible, adversarial companion Greyum, Tom invents an ingenious flying car. This exciting invention brings unforeseen consequences for the duo (and not just its explosion by the US Air Force). Tom becomes an astronaut, a maximum-security prisoner and a NASA employee, hindered by Greyum at every turn. Facing opposition from within and without, Tom must conquer the darker side of himself to recreate his invention, prove himself and realise his dreams. With shades of Douglas Coupland and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Tom Miller's Star-Born Universe is a poignant, dryly-funny novel about mental issues, innovation and perseverance.

It's fitting that Melbourne writer Peter Doran was born in the middle of the Apollo era as he holds a strong admiration for the mad, brilliant American spirit that put humans on the moon. Doran channelled his passion for learning about the universe and his practical experience with mental health issues into his first novel. He initially took up writing as an attempt to rescue his marriage, and the results gave him the greatest appreciation for the power of the written word.