Angie Gallion's Blog, page 7

Not a Post About Writing

There is so much chaos in the world right now that I feel a little fragmented from it.  I feel myself being agitated and on edge and I don't like it.  People are not being kind, and I really need a break from all that heat.  I am stepping back from facebook in February, doing a little Facebook Free February Challenge, and it will be a challenge for me, I am very aware of facebook.  I love keeping up with friends that I haven't seen in years and I love seeing pictures of their lives and families.  Unfortunately, all the political yuck has taken facebook over and I feel frustrated.  So I am going to take a breather.  Actually I am taking a couple of breathers.  I changed my homepage to Bing.com because I got tired of yahoo blasting me with politics every time I opened my computer.  Now I am offered a search box and a beautiful, calming image.  What could possibly be better.  I highly recommend it.  As on offshoot of all the noise in the world I started feeling overwhelmed with my environment.  We have a lovely home, with plenty of space but I felt suddenly cramped and closed in and when I sat down at my computer to write all I could see was the clutter.I started in my closet, rearranging, packaging things I don't wear for donation, then I moved into the bedroom.  I felt so liberated just getting through the closet, it was amazing.  A good friend recommended "The Life changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo.  I downloaded it and listened, through the day as I tidied my room.  The girls were playing pretty happily and occassionaly came to join my fun.  I woke up this morning thinking about all the things in the kitchen I don't use and how I could just donate or discard unloved things and I would have so much more space.  It would be so much easier to keep my home in order if there were fewer things. I started with the forty odd cookbooks that were taking up a chunk of my pantry.  If I haven't used it in the last year then it needs to go.  I know what I cook and if I need a recipe I generally hit the internet anyway.  Clutter!  So all of those beautiful books are now listed for sale on Amazon, along with about a hundred novels that i read and enjoyed but know I will never read again.  They are taking up my space and they have to go.I started the year by taking charge of my finances and getting a clear understanding of how much money I was wasting every day, while thinking "how frugal" I was being.  I shut myself off from my credit cards and began the boring process of paying for all the things I have bought, things I don't remember necessarily buying, but still am buying.  Ugh.In January I chose the word Need to guide me in 2017.  I though long and hard about it and when that one word kept coming to me I felt it chose me.  I am trying to mindful about everything.  Do I need to eat that cupcake, as opposed to want?  Is it going to make me healthier or stronger or better in any way?  Do I need to buy that shirt, to go with the other ten button up shirts I have in my closet?  Do I need new jeans to go with the thirty pairs of pants I already own. Do I need a new wallet? Or will the one I have work for another year?  Does it do it's job?  This is probably just normal every day thinnking for most people, but I realize that I have not often told myself no.  I think now, that no is maybe a very important word to have in your vocabulary.Hope you are all having a wonderful January.  I will let you know how my tidying up goes as I move along.

So Much Happening

Coming into January I had a lot of irons in the fire, I had a pending meeting with a small press that was interested in publishing my work, I had inspiration to start of Alison's thrid book, I had kids to get back into the rhythm of school, and I had a analyst looking at Intoxic for screenplay merit.  It has been a busy and chaotic time.  My To Read list keeps growing and I can't even begin to get to it until I finish book three.  I hope to have some new reviews for February, but January, friends, is a writers paradise.I am still on hold to make a decision about whether I want to continue self-publishing or whether I want to join forces with the small/medium press. I never thought I would say it, but my heart is so much in self publishing that I almost feel that I need too much from a publisher to walk away from the independence.  The thing I want from a publishing house is exposure and distribution and I'm not convinced (100%) that a medium press would be able to do that for me.  I am scared to let the opportunity pass, because what if I then fizzle into obscurity?  Is that okay?  Maybe.  Still processing.I'm also still waitng to hear from the analyst, and don't expect his opinion until February.  So many people have said that Intoxic really came through to them as a nearly visual experience and they could imagine it on the big screen.  I'm excited to hear if he has the same response, and with that, any suggestions on moving forward in that realm.Alison's third book is merrily writing itself.  She amazes me every time I sit down to see where she is going and I am so often surprised when she does exactly the opposite of what I would do.  I always thought she was really some secret part of me, but maybe she is not.   hmmm.   I think there are at least four books in the series, because as I come to the end of book three I am beginning to see the arc for book four.  Amazing little person is our Alison.I've had really wonderful responses to Purgus, and I've seen some increases in sales for intoxic, so I think it is true that the more you write the more people give your writing a chance.  I know I'm guilty of not choosing authors with only one work.  I am always looking for an author I can get lost in and one book is not enough.  I would so love to have the right person pick it up and love it and spread the word on some massive platform, but that is hard to come by without knowing that right person.  Oprah Winfrey, if you are listening. . .I've had some exciting feedback from book clubs and have had the pleasure in participating in a couple via video chat.  I have thoroughly enjoyed those chats and hearing feedback and thoughts on the book.  I also begin to learn where I can improve for future projects.  Thank you to everyone who has invited me into their homes to share a glass of wine and book talk.Feel free to contact me, I would love to hear from you.  I am still collecting books for my Self-Published and Small Press blog reviews.   I would love to hear from other authors who have published in any of the ways to publish, and if you would like to write a guest post, please let me know.  The more we support and encourage each other, the more successful we will be, in all ways.   Share your journey with me.Wishing you all a very Healthy and Happy 2017.  Every year I try to have a word that I focus on.  Last year it was Create, this year it is Need (as opposed to Want).  Think about what your word should be for 2017.   Success, Fun, Happiness, Forgiveness, Peace, Calm . . . What would your word be?Thank you for sharing my journey.  Have a stellar day.

2017? Bring It On

The end of the year always encourages me to reflect on the year passing and the new year ahead.  The passage from 2016 to 2017 has done no different.  I count 2016 as a triumph.  I accomplished the publication of two novels in 2016 and saw some very positive feedback and continue to see an increase in readership as the weeks pass.  Every year for many years publication, or at lease finishing a project, was high on my resolution list.  Something clicked for me in 2016 and all the hang ups I've had about plotting and whether the story I wanted to tell had merit just slipped away.  I stopped writing according to the critical voice in my head and finally just let the words come.  It has been amazing.My family is solid, and my husband and I just celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary.  It is by far the easiest relationship I have ever had.  He is always my best friend and he always makes me feel like I matter, in a way that we all need to feel, and I hope I do the same fore him.  Our kids are healthy and strong. My family connections are closer than at any time in my life.  I have reconnected with cousins and distant family through social media and have even been in contact with "family" that we haven't figured out the connection yet, but we know it is there, because really there aren't many Gallions out there.  My parents, brothers, and sister are all in touch is a way that feels very familiar and comforting, but hasn't alway been there.  It is nice to know that they are close, that we are close.With those things in mind, feeling sentimental over all the successes and struggles we've seen in 2016, I count the year as a triumph.Looking forward to 2017, what will that be?  There are many things that feel like they shifting and turning, like cogs in a machine, moving me forward toward something out in the future.  It is fraught with possibility.   The first big possibility is a scheduled meeting with a small press that appoached me about possibly joining their catalog.  I know the publisher, I am familiar with and respect their product line.  I am familiar with the editorial staff and know a couple of their current authors. There are many things that may make this a good transition.  I have loved, I mean seriously loved being self published.  I have loved the sense of control over my work, I have loved the flexibility associated with independence.  I have loved seeing something I did, entirely, put out to the world.  Those things may still be availbale for me with the right small press, but the things that publishing with a small press, or any press for that matter, affords a writer, in my mind are twofold.  First, publishing with a press offers legitimacy.Having a publisher listed on your work rather than a print on demand independent platform, proclaims that the book has been edited, has passed all the hoops to publish, and is ultimately something of quality.  Self publishing has a stigma associated with it because anybody can publish anything.   I have been contacted by several self published writers to review their work for my blog and there are some that are on my list to review, when I finally get a time to sit down and read again, but several others I had to decline. I won't do a review on a book that I don't see merit in, I won't trash somebody else's work, I am not a critic.  I am a lover of books who  understands that everytime somebody mentions a small press or self published work it helps to spread the word.  I will only write on my blog about books that I think have been written well,  and have been thoroughly edited, and read by at least a handful of beta readers before heading off to print.  One young man asked me to read his book and it was so overrun with spelling errors and half thoughts that I returned it to him and suggested that he reread it himself at least once before updated the file.  I never heard from him again, There was a lot of work to be done on that particular book, so maybe he is just being more diligent before sending it out again.   That is the rub, while many writers who self publish have beautifully written and competently edited works, some do not.  Those who toss some words together and throw it out to the world simply to snag a few sales before the reviews catch up, or simply to have a byline, do a huge disservice to those who are working hard to put out quality.When I had first published Intoxic and was beginning to hear positive things from readers I reached out to my hometown newspaper to ask if they would do a piece on me or the book.  I explained that the book was set in East Central Illinois.  The only, ONLY question they asked me was if it was self published.  When I said that yes it was, they told me they were not interested.  I was sorely disappointed, but after reading some of the "books" that have been forwarded to me, I understand.  There is no threshold of quality in self publishing, and therefore it is less legitimate than traditionally published works.The second benefit of publishing with a traditional publisher is distribution.  Having a publisher listed on your book, rather than a print on demand source means that bookstores are more likely to stock your book because the publisher can negotiate return policies.  Print on Demand does not afford returns.  For a book seller to stock my books they have to absorb the risk of those books not selling.  I understand that.  While my books can be ordered from Barnes and Noble or Books A Million, or any other brick and mortar bookseller, those stores will not stock my books because I am an unknown quantity, and they can't return my books if they don't sell.  Retail shelf space is expensive.  I value very much the small local book stores that have welcomed my books to their shelves.  Walls of Books in Peachtree City, Georgia and Pensees Book Shop in Charleston, Illinois both carry stock of my books.  Slowly, as my catalog increases, more book stores will take a chance and at some point you may even see the big boys make room, even if I continue self publishing.  If I move forward with a traditional publisher my books may have substantially wider distribution as early as 2017.Another exciting possibility coming in 2017 is a meeting with a analyst who is reviewing Intoxic for its merit as a potential screenplay.  I have so many readers tell me that they "see" Intoxic as a movie that I figured it couldn't hurt to see if someone in the business "sees" it.  I will keep you posted as we move forward with all the big things coming up in 2017.Happy New Year to all.  I hope 2017 brings you much joy, more peace, and all the things that make your heart whole and well.

Setting Purgus Free!

I had an epiphany earlier this month.  I had been anxiously awaiting the proofed edit of Purgus since around Thanksgiving.  I knew Thanksgiving was really too soon to hope for, but I still hoped.  I had a book signing in my hometown and I would have loved to have had Purgus available to introduce at that time, but I knew it was a longshot.  Of course, it wasn't ready, and in all fairness, probably hadn't even really hit my editor's desk until after the holiday weekend.  All the same, I was anxious and antsy to see what she thought, and to move forward and share it with the world.One of the many things I like about my editor is that she takes her time and doesn't push through but lets herself feel the story and get wrapped up in it along the way.  She was very happily working along today when I let her know on the 6th that I had set a deadline of December 10th to release Purgus.  This, I realized after a couple of email exhanges, was completely news to her.  I hijacked her enjoyment of my book by giving her my arbitrary deadline.  I regretted it all day.  One of the things I love about being self-published is that I work on my time and write when the writing takes me, not when somebody else tells me to get on with it.  That is the beauty of being your own boss.  That is one of the reasons my editor only works from referrals and doesn't take on projects she doesn't want to take on, so she can work within her own constraints, and I jumped up and gave her a deadline, that I had never mentioned before.At first I couldn't figure out why I felt so off about giving her my deadline, but it hit me somewhere in the afternoon, and this is the epiphany . . .  it took me 25 years to release Intoxic.  25 years.  I released it on August 7 of this year, that's four months ago.  Four months.  Who would ever have thought that 2016 would have two books released with my byline?  I didn't, that's for sure.  I think I needed to relax about my arbitrary deadline. I need to not feel pressured, and even more, I need not to make other people feel pressured.  I need to be grateful that the words and story came as they did.  I need to be grateful, and I am, that I have found an editor who fully 'gets' my work and can let herself get wrapped in the words.  That's what I want my writing to do.With that being said, December 10th came and went and along about the 14th, I got my edited Purgus back.  My editor and I had gone back and forth with some changes and adjustments and on December 15th, the ides of December and a night with a propitious full moon, I set Purgus out into the world.  You can buy it in print and digital through Amazon or request it at your favorite book store.  I'm pretty proud of it, and I look forward to hearing from you whether you think Alison has more she needs to share along the way.Happy Reading.  Merry Christmas.  Happy New Year.  This will probably be my last post of 2016, so to everybody who took a chance on an unknown writer, thank you, for making 2016 a year I will never forget.  It was, after all, the year that I finally manged to keep my long standing New Year's resolution, to publish.

Promises Kept by Jerold Lee Watts, M.D.

Promises Kept, a Southern Surgeon's reflections of mid twentieth-century medicine. was a joy to read.  I am a lover of history, and this book is set in Atlanta, my adopted home city.  Atlanta is replete with stories from the past and it has a rich heritage.  It's a beautiful city that still holds some stately southern mannerisms.  During the time Dr. Watts is writing about, beginning in the 1960's, Atlanta was in a state of flux.  Segregation was coming to an end all across the country and Atlanta was feeling the growing pains.  Dr. Watts does a very nice job with his vignettes, putting a historical reference in perspective.  Throughout the book he is detailed about the work he was learning, detailed about the people he was meeting, and detailed about the impact both had on him.  He writes with a self-depricating sense of humor that I appreciated.  I took my time reading this book because it felt like a book that wanted time to be absorbed.Some of the treasures of the book are the many pictures that Dr. Watts includes to give the reader a visual to go along with the places and sometimes people he describes.  Dr. Watts book is written for the layman, and is not couched in medical-speak, and where unfamiliar terms present, he does a nice job of explaining without making the reader feel deficient for a lack of comprehension.   If you have a passing interest in medicine, or if you'd just like to take a trip to a past era, this is a great book for you.Dr. Watts has a second book, Military Medicine and the Cold War, which I have not yet read, but look forward to picking up.

Chaos is Everyday Life

Does it ever feel that chunks of time, days and weeks, just evaporate out of your life when the chaos in the world invades it.  Almost everybody I know has been wrapped up, on some level, with the Presidential Election and it's outcome.  I don't ever remember being as engaged in the whole process as I was this year.  I have dear friends who are elated by the outcome and other dear friends who are depressed and dejected.  It was a hard fought battle, and I'm just relieved that the ugliness of it can slip into history now.  This post is not about the election, because I certainly don't want to talk abou that anymore, it is more about how sometimes life gets in the way of our best laid plans.I have felt, all month, like I have been falling behind, like I am not accopmplishing what I need to accomplish.  I am in between writing projects and feel a little loose at ends because of it.  There are two projects that I could work on, but both are big, with big emotion, and I think I can't do anything "big" untilPurguscomes back from the editor.  It's probably best not to get my head into another project only to have to tear it out again for final reviews.  I always planned to havePurgusreleased by Christmas, but when the writing of it went so smoothly I had hopes for a November timeframe.  I have a book signing in my hometown of Charleston, Illinois on November 26 and hoped that I might be able to introducePurgusthere first.  Unfortunately, it's probably going to be a December release after all.  If any of you are in east central Illinois over the Thanksgiving hiliday please come by and talk to me atPensees Book Storeat 502 6th Street Charleston, IL 61920, that's on the square.Intoxichit Audible this month, and that has been very exciting.  It was listed on AudioBookBoom last week and we saw a lot of interest from that.  If you don't subscribe to AudioBook Boom and like listening to books, you should join.  It's a free service for listeners and highlights books with a discounted price in exchange for your honest review, in an effort to spread the word.If you've had a chaotic and crazy month, if you've been bombarded by all the ugliness of our election and the media onslought associated to it, unplug.  Pick up a good book and read.  Or just step outside and watch all the squirrels digging for nuts.  Or just look up at the sky and breathe.  Disconnect.  Take a few minutes to fully appreciate the wonderful people that make up your family and friends.  Be thankful for what is good in your life.  That's what I'm going to do.  I'm resetting all of my personal deadlines (exceptPurgus) to the new year.  I don't have to accomplish anything else in 2016, except raise my family and keep them safe and well.  I don't have to read anything else, I don't have to write anything else.  I've done well this year, as I close in on releasing my second book.  That is enough.  I'm going to go out and watch the geese and then I'm going to take my big dog, Ruger, for a walk.  I'm just going to breathe.Wishing you all a happy and safe Thanksgiving.  I hope to see some of you over the holidays.

More Adventures in Self Publishing

I'm taking time off of reading other works in an effort to finish my final draft edit ofPurgus.  I really had hoped to publish by Thanksgiving, when I would be back in Illinois and could share it with all the people I know from my high school days.  It doesn't look like that is going to happen, though, as it still needs to spend some quality time with my editor.   Expect a release date somewhere mid December.I've had a very exciting couple of weeks, and I have at times felt like the cart had lost it's wheels and was running amok.  We've had a busy schedule on the home front as well as a lot happening forintoxic.Self publishing has been an interesting experiment because there is nobody guiding me, really, on what to expect and what happens next.  Other writers have been very helpful, where they knew the ropes, but I blazed new trails with going audio.  I was determined to get my book into audio format, which none of my fellow self published writer friends had as yet done.  I worked with ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange) and found the perfect narrator and she has spent the past six weeks giving voice to Alison's journey.intoxicwas released in audio format to AUDIBLE, AMAZON, and ITUNES on Friday November 4, 2016.  I don't think I could be any more excited.I've set it up with AudioBook Boom, a weekly newsletter, that allows listeners to hear a book at a discounted price.  All in hopes of spreading the word.  Ken Follet wrote, in the forward to his epic novel,Pillars of the Earth, and I paraphrase, that after he wrote Pillars and the numbers didn't instantly show that audiences were picking it up, he thought maybe he had been wrong and that it wasn't a seriously great book.  Over time, though, as readers came to it and talked about it, it started to show consistent sales over a long period of time.  He said that he realized then that Pillars was a "word of mouth" book.   It is a book that stays with you, a book that you tell your frineds about, a book that maybe you'll want to read more than once.  I certainly don't think my little book is on par with Mr. Follett'sPillars of the Earth, but I do believe thatintoxicis a word of mouth book as well.If you've readintoxic, please spread the word.  On November 8, 2016,intoxicwill be available through extended distribution through SMASHWORDS.COM.  This will make it available for ereaders of all types, not just Kindle.  If you have a Nook or Kobo or if you want it in PDF or available in an online reader, then this format is for you.  Tell your friends, put reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes and Nobles, Book a Million, and anywhere else they will let you ut a review.  Listen to the audio edition and share your thoughts.  Includeintoxicin your Book Club line up for 2017, it has a lot in it for really great discussions.  I've loved being part of the discussions I've been envited to and would be happy to do more of that, via Skype or in person if possible.  It has meant so much that people have been touched by my book, and I can't wait to share the continuation of Alison's journey,Purgus, with you in December.

Going Home by Sharon Marchisello

It seems that mysteries have been high on my radar lately.Going Homeby Sharon Marchisello was a complex, intricate web worked by her every day heroine Michelle DePalma.  It is set in the months following 9/11 when America was still reeling from the attacks that day, haunted by the images that had been broadcast in real time of planes turned weapons of terror.  The story opens with a daughter, Michelle, coming home to visit her ailing mother, Lola, and finding the body of her caregiver in the front entry hall.The cast of characters that filter through the book are every day people, living every day lives and Marchisello takes special care to present their normalcy, in their language and conversations, in their interests and expectations.  The ailing mother is suffering from Alzheimers, that great theif, slowly losing her memories and cognitive ability.  She has no memory of the events that ended with her caregiver's death, and ultimitely is unaware that a murder has taken place and unaware that she is the prime suspect.  The frustration I felt as Michelle struggled to get answers, as she struggled to care for her once strong and independant parent was very real.  This book is a snapshot of the tragedy of frailty.They mystery of the murdered caregiver is not the only mystery going through this book, but the joy in discovery I will leave for you.  Michelle is perhaps the biggest mystery and she grows during the week the book covers and we see her transform as she is forced to confront her past and her future while attempting to clear her mother's name.  I very much enjoyed this quiet mystery, I enjoyed the simple people and their complex relationships.  Sometimes you find a book that will take you right away and be gone as soon as it is over, this is not one of those books, this is a book that will linger and come back to you at odd times.  The very real struggle of coping with the aging and loss of our parents is powerful and Marchisello does a fine job of handling it with grace and tenderness.Nicely done, Sharon.  Looking forward to your next offering.

A Week of Being Distracted

As you all know I'm reading selected works by indie and self published writers and helping to spread the word on some of our talented unsung authors.  With that in mind I am currently readingGoing Homeby Sharon Marchisello.  I've been reading for two weeks with significant interruption.  Life gets in the way of plans so many times, and this is one of the reasons I am such a huge fan of audio books.  I promise to have my review out onGoing Homeby the beginning of the week.This post is about distraction.  The first thing that drew me away from my reading was the arrival via Dropbox of my audio files forintoxicto review.  I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was to hear all the hard work Jennifer Reilly put into the narration.  I've gone through and asked for a few changes, things that you would have to be in my head to know, and she is working hard to get my changes finalized and recorded so we can getintoxicout to you.  I think she does an outstanding job bringing Alison to audio.I also got my first draft ofPurgusback from one of my advance readers and have some work to do before it goes to the editor.  I am so grateful for all of the amazing people who  have encouraged this second book and the inspiration they gave me along the way.  I really want to havePurgusout by the end of the year, but it has quite a bit of work to be done before that point, and as with reading, sometimes life gets in the way.  Friday, right after I got my reviewed draft back ftom one of my most particular readers, covered in ink and questions -- which made my heart sing, because everything my advance readers help me improve makes it better for everybody else.  Friday evening was looking like a beautiful night to sit on the deck andwatch the kids play with manuscrit in hand for review until our Fall Festival set for 5:30.  We were all gearing up for  a wonderful evening of friends and cooler temperatures. My youngest daughter scampered away from the deck and my eldest daughter wasn't far behind.  Our Great Dane, Ruger, was off for the chase and paced my youngest to the play set where she leapt for the bar, grabbed it, her feet swung forward and her hands slipped off.  She fell, without me actually seeing it happen, smack to the ground.  I don't believe she lost consciousness but she did start crying.This girl is not a crier and so when she does we tend to take it seriously.  I got her inside and gave her and icepack, checked for lumps and bumps and found none.  We moved inside and a few minutes later, after we had her crying calmed, she handed me her i-pad and said she couldn't focus on it and then she looked at me and said that my eyes were in the wrong places.  I asked her to point to my eyes and she pointed to one and about two inches lower on my cheek. I looked like a Picasso painting to her.  There was such fear and confusion in her little face that we headed to our nearest ER.  My husband met uson the way we arrived.   Within minutes of arriving she started vomiting and shortly thereafter we were taken to a room.  We were later tranfered to a children's hospital in Atlanta and released on Saturday afternoon.Talk about life getting in the way.  My youngest daughter was brave and easy going through the conversations with doctors and through the CT scan and through the ambulance ride and the late late night.  My eldest daughter was such a trooper by helping Daddy to get back up to be with us and getting herself ready, her hair brushed her teeth brushed, picking clothes out for herself and for me and sissy to bring to the hospital.  Our son, who is 20, touched base through the night and day making sure his baby sister was ok.  The whole experience made me so proud of the people I hold closest in my life.  We are strong.  I am so lucky for the man I married becasue he is such a good person.  His priorities are soright.My children have taken that from him, they are generous and kind and respectful and they want to do the right thing.  I am so impressed with these people.I'll never look at a bump on the head a same after this.

What I'm working on this week...

Last weekend we had friends up from Jacksonville waiting out Hurricane Matthew.  We loved their visit and it put me so strongly in mind of the time we spent there that a story that I've been carrying around since 2013 came back to me and isisted on being put down on paper.  I really thought it wa s s book I wouldn't write until the girls were older, but when inspiration knocks I'm trying not to say "Not now."   Tuesday morning, after I took the girls to school, I started working on the project, with the working title ofShelby.  It's a really tough story to write and  I won't tell you anything about it yet,for fear that it will jinx the exciting roll I'm on with it, but I will tell you that it is not part of Alison's legacy.In other news I am reading a book by Sharon Marchesello calledGoing Home,  published by Sunbury Press out of Mechanicsburg, PA.Going Homeis a mystery set in a small Texas town and very much like my last read it is a read,Arnco,it is a book that deals with the issues of going back to your childhood haunts. That's where the similarities end.  I look forward to having a review out to you early next week, so keep you eyes open for that.Perhaps the most exciting news is that I am anticipating the audio files ofintoxicsometime this afternoon andcan't even tell you how thrilled I am to share that with the world.Jennifer Reillyhas worked really hard over the last six weeks with her team of editors and sound people to get Alison's voice just right.  I'll do my review over the weekend and hope to have it available in all it's audio outlets Monday or Tuesday.Everything here at Beech House is moving along very nicely, heading right into fall with some leaves changing and nice cool morning temperatures.  The girls are fully in the swing of school and are both learning great things.  Have a great day andcheck back with me again next week.