After hyping it up at school visits and talking to kids about this book at signing events, the time has finally come to launch the pre-order phase for Skybreaker: Confessions of a Teenage Aetherballer.
When the odds are stacked against you, what would you do to win the game?
In the futuristic city of Neon Heights, down-on-his-luck fourteen-year-old Alex Thorne is chasing one thing: proving he belongs. A gifted aetherballer in a high-stakes, zero-gravity sport, Alex sees the elite Stellar Hawks as his shot at something bigger. But when one selfish mistake shatters his chance, he’s left questioning if he was ever good enough to begin with.
With guidance from a former pro who sees his potential, Alex chooses a different path—building an underdog team from players no one else would pick. The Skybreakers are raw, unpredictable, and far from perfect. As pressure mounts and the competition heats up, Alex must learn what the game has been trying to teach him all along: one missed goal doesn’t cost the game, and one lost game doesn’t end a season—but playing only for yourself just might.
In a fast-paced, futuristic sports arena where gravity can shift without warning, the real challenge isn’t landing the perfect shot—it’s learning how to rise together as a team.
Will Alex keep chasing the spotlight…or become the leader his team needs before the final buzzer?
This is the perfect book for fans of middle-grade sports stories, science fiction adventures, and underdog tales. Skybreaker is an action-packed chapter book about teamwork, perseverance, and discovering what it really means to win.
Here’s a sample of the story to whet your appetite…
Alex Thorne floated toward the center of the g-court, sneakers skimming the scuffed platforms. A half-dozen kids leaned against the chain-link fence, their cheers scattered and thin. He closed his eyes and let the cheers swell in his head, turning the tiny ripples into a tidal wave. The dull lamplight of the park exploded into neon banners fluttering above packed stands. Stomping feet rattled his bones. The scent of sweat, popcorn, and sizzling concession grills filled his nose.
Every shout, every whistle, every flash of light wrapped around him, and for a heartbeat, the arena was real.
“Welcome to the Aether Dome!” The announcer’s voice rolled over the stands like a drumline of thunder. His holographic face shimmered above the g-court in neon blues and pinks. The Dome pulsed with life. Lights swirled across the stands.
“Are you ready for some Aetherball?”
“ZAP IT UP!” the crowd chanted. Confetti cannons exploded. The Dome shook as thousands stomped, screamed, and threw themselves into the moment.
From the tunnel, streaks of blue fire shot forward. Players erupted into the arena, jetpacks blazing silver light, uniforms gleaming like molten metal beneath the holographic banners.
“Your! Neon! Strikerrrrssss!”
They fanned out across the zero-g field, flipping and rolling as their names flashed on massive screens. Every trick drew a louder roar.
Then the name everyone had been waiting for.
“Number 07… ALEX THORNE!”
White-hot lights flared as Alex shot from the tunnel, his jetpack trailing a comet of fire. He twisted once midair, grinning beneath his visor, and landed beside his teammates.
The stadium erupted.
“THORNE! THORNE! THORNE!”
For a moment, his chest felt like it might burst.
“Thorne! You ready?”
The voice snapped him back to reality.
Alex blinked. The roaring stadium vanished, replaced by the very mundane g-court in the very mundane city park and the chain-link fence surrounding it. This was just a pickup game with a bunch of other Neon Heights kids, five on five. Standard A-ball. One goalie. One defender. Two wingers. And Alex at center.
He adjusted his helmet and looked around at the other players. Time to get his head in the game.
The ball floated between him and the opposing center, perfectly still in the middle of the g-court.
Everyone watched it.
Waiting.
Then the start pulse flashed, and chaos exploded across the field.
Alex shot forward, propelling himself off of a platform with lightning reflexes. He caught the ball and did a spin, pulling off a slick flip and roll to dodge a defender from the other team before passing to a kid named Rio who was playing left wing. The ball zipped through the air, leaving a glowing trail behind it. Rio twisted and bounced off a floating platform to gain speed.
But the other team’s center, Deek, green hair streaking like neon fire, was ready. She jumped, flipped, and snatched the ball mid-air before Rio could reach it.
“Not today,” Alex muttered, kicking off a platform to close on Deek. Alex slammed into her, grabbing the ball. Deek twisted, spinning to shake him off, but Alex held fast.
With a final wrench, he ripped the ball free, flipped, and kicked off the underside of a platform to gain distance. He ricocheted a pass off a wall, perfectly into Rio’s path.
Rio surged toward the goal, with two defenders closing on him fast. “Mark up those defenders!” Alex called to Jaxton, his right wing. Alex bounced from platform to platform, pushing as hard as he could. He wished they could use jet packs in these games like they did in league play, but at least all his street running had conditioned him for the activity.
Jaxton was going to take out one of the defenders. Alex could block the other one and clear Rio for a shot on goal, or he could hang back and clean up the aftermath. Rio was not the best shot and had about a fifty-fifty chance at the goal.
But Alex knew he could make the shot. If he let Rio get hit, it would knock the ball loose, and Alex could pick up the drop and score.
Always go for the win, his dad’s voice echoed in his head. The scoreboard was the only thing that mattered.
He let the collision happen, watching it all play out just as he had anticipated. His timing was perfection as he caught the ball the moment it came free. Mid-spin, he twisted to dodge a lunging defender, ball cradled tight, ready to make the move.
Time seemed to slow.
He was in the perfect rhythm, zero-g under his control, the platforms, the walls, the glowing lines of the court all bending to his will.
This was it. He’d do the signature move he’d developed: a reverse spin, body twisting like a ribbon, ball cradled in one hand, eyes locked on the goal ring.
He launched himself off the nearest platform, twisting, flipping, and hurling the ball in a perfect arc.
It was going to be zap-worthy…
And then the g-court glitched. The gravity spike hit mid-spin, jarring his balance. The ball veered sideways, flying off-target.
Alex slammed against a floating platform before the antigravity returned. “Seriously?!” His teeth gritted as he floated there, glaring at the bouncing ball as it clattered harmlessly against the side wall, out of bounds.
Deek grinned as she floated past him to retrieve it. Alex’s cheeks burned with frustration, but the fire only made him push harder.
Someday, he swore, the g-court wouldn’t get the best of him.
As an author, I have a goal to write books that draw in readers, and specifically books that get boys to read. Skybreaker is my latest effort to make an exciting read that tells a fun story and, hopefully, hooks boys into becoming lifelong readers. Sports is one of those things that a lot of boys lean towards, so it was a no-brainer for this next project after the Kid Comet series.
I’m excited to share this book with the world. So if you have a reluctant reader, or if you know a boy who loves sports stories, pre-order a copy of Skybreaker: Confessions of a Teenage Aetherballer TODAY! Due out May 1, 2027.