Publication Date: June 16, 2026
Three years after her mother’s death, 16-year-old Zara is still settling into life in Carolina Beach, N.C., where she knows almost no one. Working as the lone projectionist at the Palace Theatre— a rundown movie house that shows only vintage ’ 50s sci-fi and horror flicks— Zara spends her nights in a dusty booth, fueled by coffee, pushups, and the occasional existential crisis (with popcorn).
Then she meets Zachary, whose “ Z” name feels like fate. His clothes don’t match, his stories don’t always add up, and he might be the most interesting person she’s ever met. As their friendship deepens into something more, Zara learns about the struggles Zachary hides beneath his charm— and wonders if trust is possible.
When her boss tasks her with organizing a Valentine’ s Day Godzilla marathon— complete with 150 inflatable Godzillas on the roof— Zara must confront the chaos in her own life. Like any good Godzilla movie, the big question remains: who will survive, and who will be crushed?
Brad Barkley’s The Reel Life of Zara Kegg offers a different take on a teenage high school drama. As a matter of fact, most of the events take place outside the school walls and inside the Palace Theater.
Carolina Beach has its fair share of visitors in the summer, but in the winter, the city closes down considerably. All the while, the Palace Theater keeps its movie showings classic.
Mr. Wendt, the theater’s owner, likes to keep things retro. Zara Kegg is his one dependable employee, and Mr. Wendt would love to see her take over one day. But Zara is a high schooler just trying to survive her life, and help her father stay employed after the death of her mom rocked their world. Her life feels at a standstill as she operates the film reels from the projection booth. But from this vantage point, she can watch the audience members, and there is one odd patron that she has noticed. Zachary stumbles into the booth one night with all his weirdness, and almost immediately, Zara is drawn to him. But there seems to be secrets about him that she cannot put her finger on. And like most love stories, the heart leads the head.
The appeal of The Reel Life of Zara Kegg to a young adult reader will certainly be the sarcastic banter not only between Zara and Zachary but from all the eccentric characters. This is a story for those wanting to settle into a good read without the stereotypical traps of prom queens or track stars, mean girls, or bully guys. Here, the reader will consider the grittier side of an average teenage life: poverty, tragedy, loneliness, mental illness, and maybe the realization that not everyone reaches a level of success others will envy. Maybe finding acceptance from a few people is enough to figure out your own place in life.
The Reel Life of Zara Kegg is a quirky read filled with characters trying their best against a backdrop of a classic movie theater with some surprising Godzillas in the mix!
Brad Barkley grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he spent his childhood roaming creeks, riding bikes (no helmets), practicing magic tricks, and developing an early love of stories. That love was fueled by books, a fanatical devotion to Mad Magazine, and 8mm films of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Lon Chaney borrowed from the library and projected in his parents’ basement — often to an audience of one.
In high school he played soccer, rebuilt a ’65 Mustang in his parents’ garage, and discovered the short stories of Eudora Welty and Flannery O’Connor. At the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, mentors and professors nudged him toward writing and teaching, while summers were spent working a string of odd jobs, including short-order cook, telemarketer, dairy bottling line worker, and roofer.
After a brief and only moderately fulfilling stint as a technical editor for a Navy contractor, Barkley committed himself to fiction, publishing his first short stories and later earning an MFA from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. He went on to publish a number of books, including the novels Money, Love (Norton) and Alison’s Automotive Repair Manual (St. Martin’s), the story collections Circle View and Another Perfect Catastrophe, and the YA novels Scrambled Eggs at Midnight, Dream Factory, and Jars of Glass (Penguin/Dutton).
His short fiction has appeared in more than forty magazines, including Glimmer Train, The Southern Review, and Virginia Quarterly Review. He is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship and multiple Individual Artist Awards from the Maryland State Arts Council.
Brad Barkley lives in the mountains of Maryland with his wife, Kristin, and their rescue dog, Millie.
His new YA novel, The Reel Life of Zara Kegg, will be published in June 2026.
