Maddie's in the Middle

Maddie's in the Middle is a story of strength and resilience.
Maddie is tough. She's spunky and she's smart. She's got grit. She's a middle school kid who excels in school but keeps her homelife hidden. Her mother's mental illness, her father's abandonment and early death, and her stepmother/guardian's alcoholism and emotional abuse make life unpredictable and chaotic at best and unbearable at worst. She's socially isolated, has no friends, and doesn't fit in. Tossed between homes but tightly bonded with her older sister and younger brother, Maddie maintains hope for a better life while fearing for her own sanity and future.
Told in the first person through Maddie's voice, Maddie's in the Middle is a novel of 73,355 words intended for teens aged 13 - 17. The story celebrates resilience as it offers eventual hope while exploring the emerging issues of adolescence in a dysfunctional family.

Mariah Clark Skewes, known in her real life as Mary Boyle, knows from experience that children have individual personalities that can be shaped, but not changed - her own four adult children are unique and talented, each following their own dreams. Mariah/Mary's degrees in Psychology and Special Education have guided her work with children for many years as both a teacher and school administrator, specializing in connecting with those kiddos who sometimes have presented the greatest challenges - yet yielded the greatest rewards. She and her husband live on a vineyard in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Northern California where they grow wine grapes and raise honeybees and Babydoll Southdown Sheep. When not writing, she enjoys volunteering as a CASA with children in the foster care system, competing in world marathons and travelling.