Cinderstellar
J. M. Page
(CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, Jan. 8, 2017)
When wishing on a star isn't enough, sometimes you have to fight for your dreams. Clipped wings… Stella wants nothing more than to be a pilot like her mother, who died on a mission years ago. However, she doesn’t want to be like the arrogant “Aces” at Starforge Academy, especially that show-off Dax. But the Aces aren’t her biggest problem. Her father — the Commandant of Starforge Academy — and stepmother won’t even let her enroll. Stella has to sneak into the flight simulators late at night, when no one’s around, to get close to her dream. Reluctant royalty… Dax is like the prince of Starforge — not only the best pilot at the Academy, but the son of a famous general. No one knows his secret: Dax hates his superstar status, and he doesn’t want to go fight on the front lines when he graduates. The pressure to follow in his father’s footsteps has taken all the joy out of flying. When he discovers that someone at the school is beating all his scores on the simulators — and then hiding the evidence — he’s determined to find out who it is. Though he’s unable to discover his mysterious competitor’s identity, he learns enough to suspect that she just might be the girl of his dreams. Soaring ambitions... Stella learns that the Academy is holding a school-wide exhibition of flying talent, with the winner allowed to fast-track their pilot’s license. She has to find a way to enter, and show her father what she's capable of. But that will mean outing herself to the school — and the ever-more-intriguing Dax. Will her stepmother ruin everything, or can Stella and Dax finally meet outside the simulators… and achieve their heart’s desires?