Spiral
- (arabesque) an elegant skating move performed with extended arms and a leg raised above the hip
- (downward) the mind-swirling fall one gets caught up in when life throws a devastating curveball
My stomach fluttered as I accelerated out of the parking lot. I’m. In. Big. Trouble. My mother might disown me. I’d severed my tether to this place, and I already felt myself whirling, my life spiraling out of control. Not because I regretted my decision. Because I didn’t know what was next for me.
Madz Monroe, The Beauty of a Spiral
Meet my young-adult novel, The Beauty of a Spiral, the Publishers Weekly 2023 BookLife Prize YA/middle grade finalist. While the work of contemporary fiction covers difficult topics like illness and death, it highlights the important roles friendship, kindness, and family play in a young person’s life, especially during challenging times.
“This rewarding tale of battling cancer sparkles with a zestful cast and surprising buoyancy.”
~Kirkus Reviews
“Maddaleni addresses the difficult topic of a teenager fighting cancer in this authentic and heartwarming story. I found myself cheering for sixteen-year-old Madz from the first pages, and her growth as she navigates the challenges of both her illness and staying true to herself makes this story shine. I also appreciated the cast of characters, each with their own struggles and victories, that filled out this carefully developed world. Maddaleni strikes just the right balance with her subject knowledge and an emotional, well-paced plot.”
~Linda Kao, author (as written in Publishers Weekly online magazine article “Meet the Finalists of the 2023 BookLife Prize Fiction Contest”)
See my post about The Beauty of a Spiral for more details.
Order print versions at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, or if you prefer a different bookseller, ask them to order it for you!
e-book links: https://books2read.com/u/4XwM91
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