What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

A sci-Fi fiction novel from the 1990s. I read paperback format around 1996.

Aliens come to earth and force all humans to leave because they are ruining the planet, or something (possibly, sun is about to change). Humans are screened before being selected. A man, who during screening process is told he has cancer, and is selected for termination, tries to hide on ship. Ships are enormous living creatures that aliens use for ships. Alien finds man hiding, and decides to help hide him out of boredom, or something.
Generations of humans pass on the ship, but hidden man is kept alive. He is friends with alien, and plays games with him. Hidden man is also very good friends with the actual ship. The ship, a female, loves him. Meanwhile, the book has a couple of other humans that live on the ship, and their uneventful lives, and wondering about earth. A female and another man. I remember that they drank a drink called "stim," obviously short for stimulant.
SPOILERS
Eventually the human s some how get back to a different earth. The alien dies. The ship continues to keep the hidden man, who is now hundreds of years old, but does not age. At the end of the book, the ship uses ganglia on the man to show how she would look as a humanoid to better keep him company. He is in love with her.
THE COVER
A painting of the ship. Full of ganglia. Browns and reds and yellows.

Lent it to another grad student acquaintance in department, and she never gave it back.
Please help! If I remember, this was not a prolific, or well-known author.

Wow. I've already found it looking elsewhere on the net.

"Alien Earth" by Megan Lindholm. 1993.

I guess ship is pink on cover.

It's a great book, from what I remember. Excellent choice for those interested in sic-Fi written by women.

Don't know how to move this post to "Solved." Sorry.

I'll move it and shelve it, Don.

In the future to the right of the topic title you'll see an edit link. If you click on that you'll get to a page with a drop down menu of folders. Select the proper solved folder and click saved.

This looks great. I am adding to my to-read list. I love this group!