Mattituck teen publishes debut novel inspired by life on the move

Maddie Peterson grew up on the move, crisscrossing the country in an RV — but writing was always her constant. Now, at 15, the Mattituck High School freshman is a published author.

The teen has lived in more places than most people twice her age — Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Idaho, Colorado, and now Long Island, to name just a few. That peripatetic childhood helped shape her debut novel, “She Had Faith,” released March 30.

The self-published book — nearly two years in the making — follows a young girl named Maeve as she navigates growing up, facing challenges in life and within herself. The story draws from pieces of Maddie’s own life, layered with fiction.

Each chapter focuses on a different grade level, tracking Maeve’s growth over time. While faith is a theme, Maddie said the message goes beyond religion.

“She is building, throughout the book, a faith in herself and a sense that she can be her own person, that her home isn’t who she is,” Maddie told The Suffolk Times. “The faith part in the title is not just for religious people … I feel like my book expresses that not everyone is the same.”

Maddie moved to Greenport in fifth grade, then to Oysterponds to finish sixth grade before starting seventh in Mattituck. She’ll transfer from Mattituck High to Southold after spring break.

Along the way, she said, teachers have helped steady her — not just as a writer, but as a person.

Jacqui Portocarrero, a high school English teacher who taught Maddie in seventh grade and again this year, said her talent stood out right away. 

“When she told me she was working on a book, I was surprised only because she is so young, but she has what it takes to write just about anything,” said Ms. Portocarrero, calling her an “old soul.”

“It is a very moving story, and as soon as you read the first page, you get the sense that it’s written by a seasoned author, not a freshman in high school,” she added.

Charles Henke, Maddie’s earth science teacher, read a finished draft in December and was “blown away.”

“I couldn’t believe it, it was so good,” he said. “I made my daughter read it, and my wife read it. I think that everybody should read that. Kids need to read that.”

Maddie also pointed to English teacher and tennis coach Michelle Koch and tech teacher Steve Lavinio as key influences — the kind of teachers who encouraged her to keep going when the process got overwhelming.

Mr. Lavinio said the book “pulls the reader in,” calling it a page-turner that keeps you rooting for Maeve.

“We are constantly talking about her book and how impressed and proud I am with her. She let me read her first copy, and I was so shocked and intrigued by the maturity level and intense storyline she had come up with,” said Mr. Lavinio, who teaches Maddie in both Design and Drawing, and Advanced Welding. “She’s beyond talented. I just know she’s going places and is going to change the world in so many amazing ways.”

Ms. Koch recalled a moment that stuck with her: a poetry assignment last year. Maddie wrote a poem about her, then painted a sunset and carefully rewrote the poem onto the canvas — a gesture Ms. Koch said she still keeps as a reminder of her student’s character.

“Writing a book, putting yourself out there, and being so vulnerable is such a brave thing to do. I am more impressed than I can even say,” Ms. Koch said. “I’m so proud of everything Madison has accomplished so far, and I truly believe she’s just getting started. I’m excited to see where her path takes her next. I’m already one of her biggest fans.”

Getting the book to the finish line wasn’t simple. Maddie went through three cover designs — one drawn by a friend, another she created herself — before settling on the final version.

The book is self-published through Amazon’s Direct Kindle Publishing platform, and is available in paperback, hardcover and digital formats. It has already become a top new release in the Teen and Young Adult Christian Social Issues category.

It ends on a cliffhanger, and Maddie isn’t ruling out a potential sequel.

Looking ahead, she said she wants to go beyond her own story, creating space for others to share theirs.

“I want to make it into a movement. I want to take stories from other people, from boys and girls around the world who don’t have voices,” she said. “I want kids to feel like they can amount to something and that they do have a voice, when sometimes it doesn’t feel like they do.”