Once Upon A Sky
Fiction / Middle-Grade / Contemporary Fantasy
On the ground, a boy struggles to belong in a family without his dad.
In the sky, a girl dreams of a future with no clue who she truly is.
Twelve-year-old Maxwell discovers a peculiar cloud forming above his town. Nobody believes him except Ruhtra, a knight the size of his thumb. Together, they fly away to a cloud castle to recover a kidnapped princess whom Ruhtra has sworn to protect.
As they progress, a mysterious disease spreads and the sky itself seems to wreak havoc on the ground…
Can Maxwell save the people he loves before the darkness swallows it all?
Add Once Upon A Sky on GoodreadsImportant note
I’ll be adding my middle name to my existing author name. Instead of finding *Once Upon A Sky* under Estelle Van de Velde, you’ll find it under Estelle R. Van de Velde. Still me, but as it’s middle-grade fiction, I think it would make it less confusing for readers if I separate my fiction from my nonfiction. At least from a metadata perspective.
Latest status:
- Editing draft 5;
- Cover design is done;
- Line editor is booked for August 2026;
- Expected release date: November 2026.
Journal entries about the book
About the author
Estelle Van de Velde is a Belgian indie author with a Master’s in Creative Writing from Brunel University London. She loves diving deep into fantasy stories, but also sharing her journey. When not writing, she enjoys playing with her son or singing along a Disney tune.