Starlight in a Dark Sky: What Military Kids Carry

When I wrote Starlight in a Dark Sky, I wanted to capture a feeling that is hard to explain. It is the quiet weight that settles in a home when someone you love is deployed. It is the way a teenager tries to stay strong even when the silence feels heavier than the news they are waiting for. It is the way military kids carry more than most people ever see.

A reviewer recently said that Starlight in a Dark Sky is a heartwarming tale that shows the lives of children in military families. That meant a lot to me. I wanted this story to feel honest. I wanted readers to understand what these kids live with every day.

Eli’s World

2001: Elina Fomes is sixteen. She builds rockets in her father’s garage. She watches the stars. She tries to make sense of her world through curiosity and creativity. She is a teenager who feels things deeply but does not always know how to say them.

When her father, Navy Senior Chief Ethan “Tate” Fomes, is deployed, her world changes. The house feels different. The nights feel longer. The stars look farther away. Her loneliness is quiet and real. It is not dramatic. It is not exaggerated. It is the kind of loneliness that military kids know well.

The reviewer wrote that Eli and her friends sound like actual teenagers. That was important to me. Teenagers speak in fragments and jokes and sudden honesty. I wanted their voices to feel true.

The Zine That Connects Them

In the story, Eli and her classmates create a zine. It becomes a place where kids with deployed parents can share poems, stories, drawings, and feelings they have never said out loud. The zine grows. It spreads. It becomes a lifeline for kids who need a place to speak.

Through the zine, Eli finds comfort and purpose. She finds connection. She finds her voice.

Why I Wrote This Story

I served in the military. I have seen the weight families carry. I have seen kids try to be strong for their parents. I have seen how creativity becomes a way to survive the silence. Writing. Drawing. Building rockets. Staring at the stars. These things help kids process what they cannot say.

The reviewer noted that I drew on my own experiences as a military servicemember to craft this story. That is true. This book comes from real moments and real conversations. It comes from nights spent waiting for news. It comes from watching kids try to understand why their parent had to leave.

Breadcrumbs to the Stars

The subtitle Breadcrumbs to the Stars reflects Eli’s journey. She follows small pieces of hope and connection until she finds her way back to herself. Even in a dark sky, there are points of light.

Why This Story Matters

Military families often live in silence. Their struggles are invisible. Their resilience is assumed. Their children’s emotional lives are rarely centered in fiction. They deserve to be seen. They deserve stories that reflect their reality with respect and honesty.

What Comes Next

This is the first Medium release in a series. I am developing Starlight in a Dark Sky into a musical and a multimedia adaptation. The emotional beats, the zine, the rockets, the loneliness, and the hope all translate well to the stage.

In the next Medium articles, I will share:

• Character deep dives
• Chapter excerpts
• Notes on the musical adaptation
• Visual concepts
• The creative process behind the story

Thank you for reading. More breadcrumbs are coming.