Stardust in the Wind

It’s 1985, and 15-year old Nieve Winters finds herself pretty alone when her best friend, Manny, ditches her for a girlfriend and a new group of friends. Not to mention, she’s in love with him. She dreams of becoming an astronaut and wins a contest to talk to Christa McAuliffe while she’s aboard the Challenger. But the Challenger explodes, and so does the rest of Nieve’s life. As she picks up the pieces, she learns to open herself up to possibility, and to let people in. Stardust in the Wind is a coming-of-age story with a focus on a best friends to lover’s romance and going after your dreams.

The Indomitable Spirit of Bennie Hayes

It’s June 1942 in New York, six months since the US declared war against the enemy, and Bennie Hayes is desperate to do something meaningful for the war effort. But she’s deeply disappointed when she receives a rejection letter from the first Women’s Army Corps. Maybe it’s just as well—she’s due to get married in eight weeks to a handsome defense attorney, and if she wants to be any good in her role as homemaker she better learn how to cook without burning everything. Then she sees a sign looking for women to work at a nearby aviation plant and she feels compelled to answer the call. On her first day at the plant Bennie meets her work partner, Margaret, a Black woman studying to become a pilot in the Civil Air Patrol; and Theresa, a vibrant red-head in the next bay over, and they become fast friends. Then Theresa is found dead, and although it’s quickly ruled a suicide by the local police, Bennie and Margaret are sure it’s a case of foul play. With the help of Margaret’s friend, an uncouth private eye named Leo, whose know-it-all smirk irritates Bennie to no end, they begin to unravel a web of secrets that lead them not only to the killer but to a scheme that threatens the security of the nation. Bennie solves the case and realizes she’s never felt so alive. When Leo makes her a business offer, she’s forced to choose between the life that’s been decided for her and the one she was meant to live.