I’m working my way through writing a tragicomic young adult series in the form of a girl’s diary, from age 11 through 17. Set in the late ‘90s—the tail end of that age of innocence before cell phones and social media changed everything (and the backdrop of my own memorably awkward adolescence)—the series takes an honest but humorous look at the heartbreak, melodrama, and complete inner turmoil of a middle school misfit. Do not look for wish fulfillment here; Phoebe’s is a journey filled with schadenfreude and wincing recognition. It’s the series I wish I’d had when I was Phoebe’s age.
Completed manuscripts:
- The Countless Humiliations (and Occasional Triumphs) of Phoebe Rosenblatt, Age 11
- The Continued Misadventures (and Debatable Maturation) of Phoebe Rosenblatt, Age 12
- The Morbid Meditations (and Celebratory Scribblings) of Phoebe Rosenblatt, Age 13
Currently seeking literary representation.
"Written from an 11 year
old’s point of view, The Countless Humiliations
(and Occasional Triumphs)
of Phoebe Rosenblatt
is spectacular
in every way possible.
As an 11 year old myself,
I can really connect to
what she is going through.
It was a really good book
and I couldn't put it down
until I finished it."
- Ava V., age 11
“The Countless Humiliations
(and Occasional Triumphs)
of Phoebe Rosenblatt,
Age 11 made me laugh out loud while also bringing
up countless memories
from middle school
that I've spent years
successfully repressing.
Kaley's writing is more
powerful than my
subconscious.”
- Ethan K., age 26
“Blending a sophisticated
comic’s ear with heartfelt, unaffected openness,
McMahon bravely
presents us with an
entirely new kind of
preteen female protagonist:
a unique, complex,
fully realized human being.
A MUST READ.”
​
- Annie S., age 30
"America's Adrian Mole
in a training bra proves
an absolute delight
from beginning to end.
I laughed out loud.
I cringed. I cried.
I never wanted it to end.
What more can one ask
of any book?"
- Sherry C., age 61
"It’s been seven
and a half decades
since I was Phoebe’s age.
Yet I can clearly feel,
through her writing,
all the pain, angst,
wonder and dreams of
being a child/woman.
She’s my memory bank.
A truly lovely stroll
through my past."
- Lynn J., age 85