Writer

Helen Stewart is a writer of novels and children’s stories. Phoebe McKinley and the Menopause Support Group is her first novel.

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Phoebe McKinley experiences menopausal symptoms when, after 35 years, she ceases taking Hormone Replacement Therapy. She forms The Menopause Support Group to connect with other women suffering through this change. Four members join her group:

Alice Walker is a disgruntled housewife, who is unenthusiastically married to a philanderer. She suffers mood swings, has an irregular menstrual cycle, and mostly, would like to go off and live alone in a cave.

Miranda Brown is an emotionally wounded workaholic who plunges into the world of anxiety and panic attacks that coincide with her shifting hormones.

Dale Wintle has a gritty, masculine nature, and is of the misguided belief that she is lesbian. She is in premature menopause and has an obsession for all things Swedish.

And Rick Karlsson, who is an American of Swedish descent. He loves new-age retreats and communing telepathically with angels. As a psychotherapist, he joins the group as a self-appointed counsellor.

The Menopause Support Group meet monthly, where they lament visceral fat around their mid-regions, hair loss on their head and hair growth on their chin; of which one member is actively encouraging. They discuss diet, herbs, the environmental impact on their hormones and eventually discover a natural approach, returning their bodies to hormonal balance.

Praise for Phoebe McKinley and the Menopause Support Group

Being a menopausal wife and mother of two, I was curious to read this book. I was not sure what to expect but was blown away by the unique approach to this subject. The author has filled all the characters with parts of her experience, wisdom, and researched knowledge, and it made me laugh out loud and cry at different stages because I could very much relate to it. It also includes lots of practical advice wrapped into the story that I have been able to apply successfully to my situation. I loved the storyline and the beautiful descriptions which drew me in, and I couldn't stop reading until I had finished. I can't wait to share this book with all my menopausal friends - and their husbands...!   

Marianne Thomsen (48), Thames, New Zealand.

Wow!! I could not put this book down. The characters, the wit, the wisdom! All of this makes Phoebe McKinley and the Menopause Support Group a little gem of a book. Can’t wait for the next in this series. 

M Sutherland, Melbourne, Australia.

Phoebe McKinley and the Menopause Support Group is an easy-to-read guide that helps women through perimenopause and menopause. In between the information there is a great story that connects the characters. Laugh out loud funny. 

 Penny W, Warwickshire, England.