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The aspiring teacher has also written two sequels and a spin-off.
Kingsley High School senior Kaylee Weber is a multi-hyphenate: she’s a Cross Country runner, Drama Club member, and busy student balancing her extra-curriculars with an AP class load. Now, she has a new title to add to her name: published author.
Kaylee published her first novel, a mystery, Goodbye Justice, this fall. It’s on sale now on Amazon and will be available at Barnes & Noble and other local bookstores soon.
Goodbye Justice takes place in the early 1950's in a small, fictional town, in northern Georgia. It accounts the harrowing, controversial murders of residents of the town divided by railroad tracks and stricken with judgment. Recent law graduate, Mary Grey, as well as hot-shot prosecutor, David Bullbarrow, and Sheriff Martwain Dukes must work together to uncover the chilling truth that people aren't always as they seem.
The book, Kaylee says, was inspired by one she read in her freshman year English class.
“We read To Kill a Mockingbird, and it immediately became my favorite book of all time,” said Kaylee. “I was like, ‘I feel like I could write a book like that’. And so I kind of did, and that's when I first started it was the spring of my freshman year.”
With all of her classes and activities, she found it hard to find time to start and finish a book. But she found the space she needed during the pandemic.
"During COVID we had long lunch periods and I’d get bored because we had so much time. So I was like 'I guess I’m just going to write a book.' That was the first one I ever finished. It was a huge confidence boost," said Kaylee.
Over the past four years, Kaylee has cranked out Goodbye Justice plus two sequels and a spin-off taking place in the 1950s and 60s. Right now, she’s revisiting each book to do some re-writes.
“Now that I'm working on my second book, it's kind of hard because it’s a mystery and there's a lot of really tiny details that I have to keep track of. It's very hard to not have the whole book planned out,” said Kaylee. “I kind of just write and see what happens.”
"This has been the past four years of my life. It’s finally out into the world and it’s definitely very surreal."
In fourth grade, Kaylee’s teacher told her that one day she’d be an author because she was always making up stories. Today, she aspires to be an author and high school English teacher.
“I think that the two work perfectly together. I have hundreds of book ideas that I want to write.”
The senior plans to attend Central Michigan University next fall.
Congratulations, Kaylee!
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To learn more about Kingsley High School, visit https://www.kingsleyschools.org/kingsley-high-school
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