🚀 But a story about the Macieverse — and the next book in the collection — will be on its way beyond Earth! 🌎✨

I’m honored to contribute to this inspiring initiative led by Beth Mund and the Stories of Space team—a creative nonprofit that connects people to space exploration through the power of storytelling.

Founded by Beth, a former NASA Public Affairs Officer, Stories of Space helps students, educators, and communities engage directly with exploration in ways that inspire creativity, innovation, and cultural connection.

As part of Mission 03, my story will be among those carried aboard a T-Minus Engineering rocket lifting off from Spaceport Nova Scotia — Canada’s first commercial spaceport. 🚀

👇 Here’s the full submission that’s preparing to take flight:

Stories in Space Submission

Carl Sagan once said, “Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.”

That idea has always guided my storytelling. When I began creating a new story that connects the lessons of the Macieverse—and its deep appreciation for where our food comes from on Earth—to the vast unknown of space, I saw an opportunity to extend that magic even farther. The same wonder that Macie, Mia, and Cody find on Farmer Lundyn’s farm could reach the heavens above.

My father, a science teacher, taught me that every discovery begins with a question. Now I see that same spark growing in my grandkids, reminding me that our boldest steps forward often begin with one simple thought: What if?

That next step, for all of us, is learning how to sustain life—how to grow, nurture, and adapt—both here on Earth and beyond. Because exploration isn’t only about distance; it’s about discovery, resilience, and caring for the world that makes all exploration possible.

That spirit fuels the next chapter of the Macieverse:
Macie and the Magic…
A new Macieverse adventure is counting down.
On December 11, exactly three years after NASA’s Artemis I mission returned home, we’ll reveal a story that connects imagination and real science—where Macie and her friends learn that curiosity can launch you farther than any rocket.
Book launching Spring 2026.

I write my stories so my grandkids—and every child who reads them—feel that same rush of possibility I feel when I watch a rocket rise into the sky. To remind them that you don’t have to be fearless to explore something new; you just have to be bold enough to try.

If books truly are proof that humans can work magic, then my hope is to share a little of that magic with my family, with yours, and with the next generation of explorers who dare to ask, “What’s next?”

Learn more about STORIES of Space and mark your calendars for December 11th, when we’ll reveal Macie’s newest adventure—one that’s truly out of this world! 🌎🚀

Peter Contardo