“Truly Madly Deeply,” by Jennifer Rudy Submitted photo

Jennifer Rinko of Sabattus has published her debut novel “Truly Madly Deeply” (under the pen name Jennifer Rudy) in early July.

Jennifer Rinko, who goes by the pen name Jennifer Rudy Submitted photo

Rinko is a fifth grade teacher at Oak Hill Middle School, an ’09 graduate of Oak Hill High School and an alumni of the University of Maine at Farmington.

“Truly Madly Deeply” is a young adult teen romance that takes place in the 1990s. The book follows Claire Hanover and her best friend Sam as they come across bullies, crushes, romance, heartbreak, and much more. The brings readers through the journey of all four years of high school. “Each school year is like a season in a favorite ’90s sitcom. In the end, you’ve spent so much time with these characters that they feel real and you’ll appreciate the length. I didn’t want it to end,” one reader says.

“Truly Madly Deeply” is relatable to all age groups, honing in on the shared teen experience. But it does bring a lot of nostalgia to anyone partial to the 1990s. Slang words, clothing, pop culture, and an especially exciting tie-in to the music of the decade.

“This book is very near to my heart. It encompasses a lot of my own experiences and thoughts growing up, but perhaps even moreso, my husband’s,” says the author. “I wrote ‘Truly Madly Deeply’ while my husband was fighting cancer during the pandemic. It was a really rough road, and jumping back in time to an era that was fun and joyful was an escape. This book is a love letter to him. It includes references to many stories of his past, my past, and even nods to us as a couple now. I’ve always loved writing and am definitely a follower of the ‘write what you know’ model. If anyone is an alumni of Oak Hill High School, or grew up in the Lisbon Falls area, you’ll recognize a lot in this book. My husband is a class of ’99 graduate from Lisbon and, as I said, a lot is based on his experiences, given it is more his era than mine. There are people and places that mean a lot to me that are represented as well. I think it is what gives the story so much heart.”

“Truly Madly Deeply” by Jennifer Rudy is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. You can also follow the author on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook @jenniferrudywriting.