‘Pretty in Pink’ actor Andrew McCarthy is writing young adult novel, ‘Just Fly Away’

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Andrew McCarthy is taking a new step in his life as a writer — a young adult novel.

The actor known in the 1980s for “Pretty In Pink” and “St. Elmo’s Fire” has a deal with Algonquin Young Readers for “Just Fly Away,” the story of a teenage girl who learns her father has had a son from an extramarital affair.

The publisher announced Monday that the book is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2017.

In recent years, McCarthy has written numerous travel essays, his work appearing in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal among other publications. He also wrote a memoir about travel called “The Longest Way Home.”