Who is McCurdy’s Waldo? “Oh, boy, I love her,” she says. “She’s ravenous, horny, blunt. I’ve always heard fiction writers say, ‘I can’t believe how this character surprised me.’ Now I get it. She has a voice that is entirely her own. I really wanted to honor that.”

A lover of Lisa Taddeo and Ottessa Moshfegh, McCurdy is inspired by stories of suburban ennui, female desire, and complicated protagonists. The emotionally demanding experience of writing her memoir helped her to build the foundation for a debut novel that seeks to unpick such complexities.

“Something I learned from the first book that I really wanted to take into this one is that the more uncomfortable something is to write, the more important it is to write,” she says. “Finding and writing those ugly truths is meaningful to me.”

Photo: Victoria Stevens

McCurdy began work on Half His Age in 2023. She writes all over her house, switching rooms and positions often.

“This sounds pretentious, but I try to schedule in time for inspiration,” she adds. “I’ve been less social to try to leave myself that space to write and have ideas.”

She’s also grown her protagonist over multiple drafts. “There’s one aspect of her personality that only came through somewhere around draft 10—now I can’t picture her without that component.”

Following the release of I’m Glad My Mom Died, McCurdy found that people opened up to her about their own twisted familial relationships and the knotted emotions of love and anger, finding catharsis and hope in her story.

“I hope that people will really connect with Waldo,” she says. “Growing up, I wish I had seen an 18-year-old character portrayed in this way. I think there’s something really special and specific about her that I hope will resonate.”

Jennette McCurdy’s Half His Age is available for preorder now, and will be out in hardcover, e-book, and audiobook formats on January 20, 2026.