Searching for Margie

What do you get when you raise a foster kid on teenage rebellion and union wages?

A rocket scientist.

About the Author

About the Author

Christopher John McKeon

Christopher John McKeon is a father, engineer, inventor, and the developer of video games you've likely used to ignore your own family. He wrote this book to explain his chaotic past to his two sons. He now realizes this was probably a huge mistake and that a simple "the stork brought me" would have been much easier on everyone. Sorry, boys.

In "Searching for Margie," Christopher shares his upbringing from age 7-21, culminating in a scavenger hunt search for his artistic biological mother, Margery Lee McKeon (who took the cover photo).

When he's not writing, Christopher enjoys watching his boys play sports, running ridiculously long distances, and perfecting the ultimate beer and pizza pairing. His goal with this book is simple: to figure out if he was the problem all along. (Spoiler: it's a tie)

What's in the Book?

For twenty years, Christopher John McKeon's past was a box of weird letters and pretty drawings from a mother he couldn't remember. He was fine with that. But when a call from Boston turns his life upside down, he finds himself on a scavenger hunt he never signed up for.

For twenty years, Christopher John McKeon's past was a box of weird letters and pretty drawings from a mother he couldn't remember. He was fine with that. But when a call from Boston turns his life upside down, he finds himself on a scavenger hunt he never signed up for.

What follows is a funny, poignant, and deeply human quest to find a woman who is more myth than mother, and in the process, to discover that sometimes the family you find is just as important as the one you were born into.

What follows is a funny, poignant, and deeply human quest to find a woman who is more myth than mother, and in the process, to discover that sometimes the family you find is just as important as the one you were born into.

Table of contents

Chapter 1: The Overhead Bin of Destiny

Chapter 1: The Overhead Bin of Destiny

An impromptu flight with no RSVP

An impromptu flight with no RSVP

Chapter 2: No Paperwork, No Problem

Chapter 2: No Paperwork, No Problem

Shuffling from family to family is easy

Shuffling from family to family is easy

Chapter 3: Pit Stop

Chapter 3: Pit Stop

OK, maybe not so easy

OK, maybe not so easy

Chapter 4: You Can Get More, You Know

Chapter 4: You Can Get More, You Know

I was wrong it is easy, it just costs money

I was wrong it is easy, it just costs money

Chapter 5: Elvis and Granny

Chapter 5: Elvis and Granny

Granny has a plan

Granny has a plan

Chapter 6: The Hand-Off at Jim's

Chapter 6: The Hand-Off at Jim's

Chicken fried steak is not optional

Chicken fried steak is not optional

Chapter 7: The School of Poodles

Chapter 7: The School of Poodles

Featuring four furry fuzz-balls

Featuring four furry fuzz-balls

Chapter 8: The First Letter

Chapter 8: The First Letter

Not an invitation to Hogwarts

Not an invitation to Hogwarts

Chapter 9: Learning the Rules

Chapter 9: Learning the Rules

Time for school

Time for school

Chapter 10: Building a Wall of Gold

Chapter 10: Building a Wall of Gold

No posters on this kid's wall

No posters on this kid's wall

Chapter 11: The Lady's Face (Second Letter)

Chapter 11: The Lady's Face (Second Letter)

Still not an invite to Hogwarts

Still not an invite to Hogwarts

Chapter 12: The Case Worker

Chapter 12: The Case Worker

A Boston accent arrives

A Boston accent arrives

Chapter 13: Flight to Boston

Chapter 13: Flight to Boston

Flight number 2, this time with RSVPs

Flight number 2, this time with RSVPs

And Many More Chapters

And Many More Chapters

You're going to have to read the book

You're going to have to read the book

Ready to Read?

This sample is the first few chapters of "Searching for Margie" covering Christopher's impromptu travel from Boston to Texas.

When this book is published, proceeds will be donated to charities benefitting child advocacy groups, such as CASA (Christopher is a CASA), and those supporting the homeless, like Women's Lunch Place in Boston (a charity that was inspired by Margie and one she frequently enjoyed).

Get notified

If you're interested in getting a physical copy of this book, becoming a beta reader, or just want to learn more, please enter your email. We promise to use your email only for short communication and will keep spam to a minimum.

© 2025 Copyright all rights reserved.

christopherjohnmckeon at gmail.com

Disclaimer and Privacy: We will never share your private information or sell your email.

Disclaimer and Privacy: We will never share your private

information or sell your email.