I moved. A lot. By age thirteen, I already had three dads and lived in more houses than years I was alive.
PAPERGIRL: A MEMOIR is an 80,000-word coming-of-age tale suited for both adults and the YA audience, in the vein of THE GLASS CASTLE, THIS BOY’S LIFE and RUBYFRUIT JUNGLE with a hint of RUNNING WITH SCISSORS.
PAPERGIRL explores my childhood being raised by popular entertainers in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains and follows me through adolescence, where a geographical leap would distance me from my adoptive father.
Initial obstacles of being the chubby new seventh-grader with braces are replaced with bigger problems when my mother marries my archenemy, or as he calls himself, my “Groundation Officer.” While my mother works around the clock, I avoid being alone with my abusive, unemployed step-dad by starting an after-school job selling newspaper subscriptions door-to-door. My success at sales and quirky teenage adventures with the newspaper crew offer an escape from the harrowing family events unpacked at each new address. While my mother and step-dad grow a family of their own, I grow up fast on the streets of Tulsa, finding the stability, affection, and acceptance I didn’t get at home from the boys I work with– including my irresponsible boss. As I grow into adulthood, I learn the emptiness experienced as a child is still in my heart and set off to fill it.
I am presently seeking representation for PAPERGIRL.
