Evonne Marzouk's Blog

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Jewish Book Council: Here’s what you need to know about Evonne Marzouk’s The Prophetess

Yesterday I was privileged to present to the Jewish Book Council about my forthcoming novel, The Prophetess. It was an exciting and overwhelming experience! After twenty years of trying to write this book, three years of writing it, and two years of the publication journey, it was amazing to hold the book in my hand and share it with the Jewish world.

For those from the Jewish Book Council who might be coming to visit this website, I wanted to provide some additional information about the book.

Left: My ARC cover. It’s in your stack of books! Right: Thanks to Simona for taking this picture of me before my pitch.

Book description:

At 17 years old, Rachel is a typical American teenager — a senior in high school, with friends, college aspirations, and a crush on the football player down the street. But when her religious grandfather dies, Rachel recalls the mystical stories he told her as a child, and finds herself pulled toward his ancient traditions.

At her grandfather’s synagogue during the high holidays, Rachel is drawn toward a mysterious stranger, and begins learning with him. Unexpected visions and holy teachings lead her down a path she never expected, as she is called to join a secret community of Jewish prophets. She will meet extraordinary teachers, face overwhelming challenges, and learn to use her gifts to help others, as she becomes the woman she never dreamed she could be.

Exploring modern adolescent anxieties and ancient mystical teachings, The Prophetess is a story about faith and sacrifice, promises kept through generations, and how, through the support of others, we can grow bigger than we ever believed we could be.

Amazon #1 New Release in Teen and Young Adult Jewish Fiction! Learn more at https://www.amazon.com/Prophetess-Novel-Evonnne-Marzouk/dp/161088504X/

The book is due out in October.

Questions about program possibilities? Let’s talk! Contact TheProphetessBook@gmail.com

Suggestions for Programs:

Programs for general audiences:

Jewish learning session on “who we are and our purpose in life”Book clubs (discussion guide available)Book reading with discussion on “growing into our gifts”Creative writing sessions on writing a novelThe challenges of writing a novel (author’s journey — Q&As available)

For women and young women:

Mother/daughter programmingRosh Chodesh gatheringsPre- or post-Bat Mitzvah learning classes

For young adults:

Confirmation classesJewish learning session on who we are and our purpose in life (focused on concerns of young adults)School-based program on novel writing

Author Q&A, book club discussion guide, and Jewish learning materials available.

Left: practice at the microphone before my JBC pitch. Right: Giving a reading as part of our community Open Mic Night.

Here is some advanced praise about the book:

“The Prophetess is an absorbing novel about an American teenage girl called to join a secret community of Jewish prophets. It weaves Jewish tradition, mysticism, modern Jewish-American life, and discovery of Israel into a coming-of-age story about a girl discovering her power and purpose in life. I found it hard to put down, and grabbed every free minute to see what happened next. Readers will thoroughly enjoy this superb novel.”

―Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins, author of Chicken Soup for the Jewish Soul, and winner of the JBC’s National Jewish Book Award

“This is a beautiful book. It gently unfolds and blossoms. As the book evolves, the reader is drawn deeper and deeper into thought and emotion, mimicking the journey of the young heroine. The relationships feel authentic and challenge us to examine our own family and friendship dynamics.”

— Lisa Litman, Director, PJ Goes to School (a program of PJ Library)

“The Prophetess is a deep and affecting spiritual page-turner. This very specific coming-of-age story about a Jewish teen’s blossoming relationship with G-d explores universal themes of love, purpose, family, identity, commitment, tradition, and faith. Tender, refreshing, luminous, and thoroughly immersive.”

— Michelle Brafman, author of Washing the Dead and Bertrand Court

“A story that straddles the ancient and modern worlds, that’s both timeless and imminent, and that’s full of legends but speaks of true things … The Prophetess masterfully captures the age when everything is strange and new and dangerous — the emotional instability of being a teenager and the spiritual instability of―spoiler alert―finding out you’re a prophet. Evonne Marzouk’s The Prophetess is a story that begs to be read.”

― Matthue Roth, author, Never Mind the Goldbergs

“Exquisitely crafted. Evonne uses her imaginative skills to create a world for a modern prophetess … and she describes brilliantly the very real struggles of adolescence to navigate relationships and to claim, and reclaim, her authentic Jewish heritage.”

― Ruthie Feldman, author of The Green Bubbie, as well as a Jewish educator and artist

“Evonne Marzouk’s The Prophetess is an amazing coming-of-age tale set in the modern world. Rachel’s journey has so many twists and turns; there is a surprise every chapter. It is a story of love, loss, redemption, and finding yourself, all while navigating high school. This book will help you find your purpose in life. As a teen, I related to the characters and their daily struggles. I think that this novel is a must read. It has a great plot with interesting characters, and it always has you coming back for more. I couldn’t put it down.”

— Ayelet, 13, Silver Spring, MD [Orthodox]

“This book is truly life changing. It gives me a different perspective on my Judaism and how to look at problems. I talked to my librarian about getting the book for the library and she said that it would help other people have different perspectives on Judaism. I recommend this book to anyone who likes books about people discovering their true selves and how they see their religion.”

— Jenessa, age 12, Livermore, California [Reform]

“Rachel’s fascinating, beautifully-written story definitely resonates with me. It opened my eyes to a fresh perspective on the effects of prophecy. It created a narrative for me to understand how this Divine gift could change familial and social relationships forever. And it made me appreciate those willing to hear this calling despite the personal sacrifice they must endure.”

―Elana Weinberg, Jewish educator, Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy

“Evonne Marzouk’s The Prophetess is a beautiful story of spiritual searching and coming of age. With an expert hand, she manages to meld the ancient and the modern to create a compelling story of growing up both spiritually and emotionally.”

― Adina Rishe Gewirtz, author of Zebra Forest and Blue Window

“I really did not know what to expect and, being a Catholic, I was concerned I might find myself lost in a religious world that was foreign to me. I was quickly drawn in by the story of Rachel, a 17-year-old who is working through questions about life, faith, and relationships. Rachel’s story felt strangely familiar and mirrored my own experiences in many ways. I think other readers would find the same to be true for them. I particularly appreciated Rachel’s confusion about prayer, suffering, sacrifice, and forgiveness. Rather than feeling lost in a different religious world, I found an invitation to learn and understand a bit about Orthodox Judaism and prophetic tradition. Rachel’s friends were a study in themselves, variously supporting, challenging, and being confused by her actions and choices. I thought the author did a very good job of depicting the late teen and early adult years of life.”

— Mary Beaudoin, Director of Religious Education, Saint Raphael Catholic Church (Rockville, MD)

“A unique, spiritual fantasy about a modern teenager called upon to fulfill an ancient Divine calling. Marzouk’s masterful weaving of mysticism, modernity, and magic creates a truly original and unforgettable coming-of-age story.”

―Leah Cypess, author of Mistwood and other YA novels

“What would happen if an American teenager began receiving visions from God? How would it affect her relationships, her education, her self-conception? In The Prophetess, Evonne Marzouk answers these questions with empathy and insight. As the journey of the main character (Rachel) expands out from her family, friends, and community into mysticism, prophecy, and trips to Israel, Marzouk brings her relationships, along with the reader, into Rachel’s new and surprising realities. A gripping read with many resources at the end of the book to learn more about the ideas and rituals introduced in the engaging story.”

― Rabbi Dorothy Richman, Makor Or: Jewish Meditation Center, San Francisco, California

“The Prophetess by Evonne Marzouk is an engrossing story of a young woman, Rachel, on the cusp of adulthood grappling with the issues facing all high school seniors…. Rachel’s story, though told from an American-Jewish perspective, is a universal one and affords readers at any age, especially young adults, an opportunity to reflect on their own gifts, choices, and goals. Reading The Prophetess is a thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking experience. Delving into its pages is highly recommended for anyone living among other people and travelling through life — basically all of us!”

— Michele Glazer Ben, English Language Educator, Yavneh Israel

“An intriguing, mysterious, and engrossing combination of mysticism, Jewish observance, and concerns any typical teenager might have: family dynamics, school, romance, and friendship. Daily life and mystical experience combine in ways that drew me in and made me want to keep reading. New twists keep appearing, making it hard to put the book down. The Prophetess is easy to read and, at the same time, filled with compelling emotions and ideas.”

— Stephanie Wellen Levine, Author of Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers: An Intimate Journey Among Hasidic Girls

“The Prophetess is a lovely story, told with humility and grace. Rachel’s seesawing journey through deep questions of friendship, relationship, and spirituality is one that many young adult readers will appreciate. The theme of maintaining religious observance amid a secularized environment also resonates. The Prophetess was a captivating read, worthy of your time and soul.”

— Marc Rudolph, Fourth & Fifth grade teacher, Compass Charter School, Brooklyn, NY

“The Prophetess will appeal to young girls grappling with coming-of-age challenges, women of all ages wrestling with questions of observance, spirituality, and the Divine, and anyone simply in the market for a good, cannot-put-it-down read. It is an engrossing page-turner.”

— Sharon Freundel, Managing Director, Jewish Education Innovation Challenge

Pre-Order The Prophetess!

https://medium.com/media/bda265eb919268cf0c2abc9cf80d0858/href

On Delays Before the Advanced Review

Last week, I thought my manuscript was finished.

My publisher was graciously giving me the opportunity to review final drafts of the interior and exterior of the advanced review copy. I checked some of my final edits to make sure they made it into this last draft. I asked for a different layout in the table of contents, and a fix to the header in the prologue. He said he would incorporate my changes. I thought we were done.

Then, on Friday afternoon, he started sending me articles about “said-bookisms.” (Said-bookisms are the words that come after dialogue in place of said, like cried, asked, demanded, squeaked, and whispered. Never heard of them? Yeah, me either.)

I should have known then that I was in for a bumpy week.

The publisher had shown my final manuscript to a new spring intern, and the intern had some suggestions. I knew I should be grateful for the extra (free) feedback, but I wasn’t so thrilled when I learned from the intern’s analysis that I used the word “whispered” 77 times in a 300 page book. And, well, it turns out my characters “gasped” 10 times, “admitted” 12 times, and “finished (talking)” 38 times. “Explained”: 27 times. “Sighed”: 49 times. “Suggested”: 18 times. “Stammered”: 14 times.

So maybe he had a point.

The publisher said he wanted to fix it before sending to the reviewers (many of whom, by the way, were expecting the book in January). Given the tight timeline, the publisher committed to making the changes himself. Again, he was kind enough to send me the changes he proposed, and not to grumble when I responded with my 50+ alternate suggestions to his changes. As I was starting work on those, another email came. “A Coupla Plot-Related Problems.” My stomach sank.

Fortunately, the problems he sent were not fundamental. It seems the intern had mistaken the setting of an (admittedly vaguely described) scene in Israel for a mental hospital. This could be fixed.

On Wednesday night, I was up late making all the changes, but I discovered something even more troubling than the fact that my publisher wanted to change “repeated” to “again said.” There were some section line breaks missing in a bunch of the pages I was correcting. The scenes in some of the chapters were connected, without that friendly break that tells you some time has passed, and it’s okay to go get a cup of coffee right now (but really you should keep reading to find out what happens next).

On Thursday morning I read Chapter One of the designed draft and I found this problem was not just occasional. ALL of the section breaks were missing from the chapter! I sent a hasty email to my publisher raising the concern.

Later that day, I received an email from him, instructing his designer to add back all TWO HUNDRED missing line breaks. Wow.

The moral of this story:

I am so grateful to have a publisher who is willing to a) let me review final copies and identify these kinds of problems, and b) do a substantial chunk of the work to fix them for me. And, (grumble grumble) who provides extra pairs of eyes to find flaws we might have missed in all the prior reviews. Three cheers for partnership.As my husband reminded me, “gam zu l’tova” (everything that happens is for the ultimate good). If the intern hadn’t started poking around, I never would have realized the much more significant layout problem.My advanced review copies are going to be late. If you are on that special list, please be patient. The book will be better (less whispering, clearer settings, and appropriate line breaks) for the delay!

Tables Turned: Being Edited by my Publisher

“The Prophetess” tells a story about an American teenage girl who is called to join a secret community of Jewish prophets. The story weaves Jewish tradition, mysticism, modern Jewish American life and discovery of Israel into a coming of age story of a girl who discovers her power and purpose in life. This blog series tells the story of the making of “The Prophetess” — my first novel.

Being edited is always a humbling experience. In my day job, I’m usually the one explaining to others why the word “impute” can’t be used that way (you can only impute “to,” not impute “that”), or why this prepositional phrase really belongs at the beginning rather than the end. I’m the one who sends Microsoft Word files with a sea of red marks tracked on them.

This month, my publisher sent his final revisions to my novel manuscript, and it was my turn.

I sent the entire document to be printed (100% recycled, hole-punched) at Staples. As soon as I picked it up, I knew there would be problems. The publisher had changed the last line, the one that my beta readers always seemed to appreciate. And, on the first page, he had questioned whether my prologue was really necessary. Cringe.

Well, I said to myself, this is part of the process. I wanted a publisher, not to do this on my own. My father helped by reminding me that I’m the author; I also have the right to an opinion about his feedback. So I dug in with good intentions, intending to keep as many of his comments as I could.

As I read through his edits, I discovered a few trends. He didn’t like quite so many active verbs for dialogue (cut: whispered! demanded! acknowledged! affirmed!) but didn’t seem to mind adverbs as much. He put the word “that” back in several places where I’d removed it (during my “that” purge, when I removed the word more than 300 times).

The majority of his comments were helpful. But a few comments puzzled me so much that I had to look them up… and learned things I didn’t know:

I had always thought “nauseous” was the word used for feeling sick to your stomach, but I learned the proper word is “nauseated.”Somehow I missed the day in grammar class when they explained that “like” is a preposition and “as” is a conjunction. I made this mistake about 30 times, by including a verb phrase after the word “like.”In grammar class I did learn to use the Oxford comma, but in my job, which follows the AP Stylebook, I had finally broken the habit. Apparently, this publisher prefers it. OK.I’ve also always been particular about not splitting infinitives, but it turns out he didn’t mind splitting infinitives nearly as much as I did. I looked it up and he’s right.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been edited by anyone, and it was indeed humbling. But I also learned some things, and I think the book is better for his edits. I also was able to tell him where I disagreed and make some counter-offers.

We have a bit more work to do, but it’s amazing to realize this is the publication process. We’re almost finished with the manuscript. The real message here is that we almost have a completed book!

Want to hear more? Join me on this journey by following The Prophetess page on facebook. I’m also on twitter @StillEvonne. Willing to help get the word out? Join the Supporters of “The Prophetess ” facebook group!

If We’re Designing Cover Art, This Must Be Real

Last spring, my publisher and I had a lunch meeting. As we ate in a mall atrium, we talked about marketing strategy, how long I had been working on the story, connections that could be helpful. We talked about whether someone would want to make my book into a movie someday (me: really? him: why not?!). He asked me if I had an artist in mind for cover art.

November 2017. The artist asked me to sketch what I had in mind. I told him I’m terrible at drawing. He told me to do my best.

I said, shyly, “Actually, I do.”

I had been dreaming about a particular cover for a while. The main character, Rachel, would be in the center. The picture would show the setting of her American life in Baltimore on one said, and her journey in the Old City of Jerusalem on the other side. It would give the impression that she was caught — or choosing — between two worlds. Long before the publisher said yes, I’d spoken to the artist, applied for, and received grant funding to cover part of the costs.

Not every book author gets the chance to design her own cover, so I was relieved when he seemed comfortable with letting me run with this side of the project.

Last week, the cover artist sent me some pictures to get started with his work. Baltimore townhouses. The Old City of Jerusalem. Models for drawing the main character. It was exciting to see things that have only lived in my own brain, brought to life in pictures! But some of the pictures weren’t quite right. Rachel doesn’t live in a house like that. I had a different idea for the Old City pictures, too.

My main character’s home, just a humble house in suburban Baltimore, as it lived in my imagination and on a bookshelf for fifteen years.

“I think I may have some pictures that could help,” I told him.

In my basement, I dug through the old photo albums from before I owned a digital camera. There, along with pictures of friends when we were young, engagement parties, my internship in the year 2001… was an album with notes about the setting for this book, with pictures taken in 2003.

The main character’s house. The Old City of Jerusalem, with steps leading to a door, just like in her dreams. The creek. The synagogue.

Steps leading to a door in the Old City of Jerusalem, just like in her dreams.

Those pictures had literally been sitting on a shelf waiting for me, for fifteen years. In my imagination I’d added some extra steps to her house. The Old City hadn’t changed much at all.

I sent the pictures to the cover artist with some instructions. I can barely wait to see his very first sketch!

Want to hear more? Join me on this journey by following The Prophetess page on facebook. I’m also on twitter @StillEvonne. Willing to help get the word out? Join the Supporters of “The Prophetess ” facebook group!

DYK? A Book is Coming.

“The Prophetess” tells a story about an American teenage girl who is called to join a secret community of Jewish prophets. The story weaves Jewish tradition, mysticism, modern Jewish American life and discovery of Israel into a coming of age story of a girl who discovers her power and purpose in life. This blog series tells the story of the making of “The Prophetess” — my first novel.

Twenty years ago, I had an idea for a book.

I was still in college then, so I had plenty of time to write it. I took an independent study as part of the Writing Seminars program at Johns Hopkins University, and dedicated three credits to working directly with one of the teaching assistants. I had a concentration in fiction so it all made sense. I would write chapters, and she would help me improve them.

I can’t remember much about those chapters now. Up on the shelf in my office, I have a first draft of that book — some 700 pages long. It was written in third person omniscient. The time span was something like seven years. Frankly, it wasn’t great. But it was the kernel of an idea… that I carried with me into adulthood, alongside projects and marriage and career.

In 2003, I made a renewed commitment to writing the book. I drove around Baltimore, identifying the key settings. My husband and I traveled to Jerusalem and Tzfat. I took pictures and put them into an album (this was before digital cameras). I worked on it for a while, and then, like every time, life rushed in. A project I had started began to flourish. I got pregnant. I set the book aside.

But late at night, or sometimes while I was exercising, or taking a walk, the story would come back. I felt I was coming to understand it better. I felt I was becoming the person who could finally write it. And then one day, I was that person and I did.

In spring 2018, after almost four years of consistent work, I signed a book contract. The book, The Prophetess, is due out from Bancroft Press in June 2019. This blog is where I’ll tell the story of turning a twenty-year old dream into a reality.

Want to hear more? Follow me on Medium. You can also follow me on twitter: @StillEvonne. I’m also building a list of supporters to help get the word out about this book. If you want to help, please let me know!

Our Sustainable Kitchen is Complete.

Once upon a time we had a kitchen, and the kitchen was fine. You know, “fine.”

For a long time it was fine, even as particleboard fell into the dishes, and the recycling spilled out of the trash cans, and we used the table given to us used ten years ago (which frankly no longer fit our family). The stovetop and oven cooked our food, clean water came out of the faucets, food and plates were stored in the cabinets. Dishwashers even washed our dishes. We had what we needed.

Scenes from our old kitchen (October 2017)

It was fine even if we had to wait for someone else to finish at the sink before getting a spoon, scrounge around for Tupperware lids in a cabinet just above my eye level, bend down to find pots deep inside a low cabinet, or take turns eating at the table. Right now in the world, there is suffering beyond my personal capacity to deal with. My kitchen was fine.

The conversation about re-doing the kitchen really started when we received a bequest from my husband’s grandmother (may her memory be for a blessing). We were told her gift was to use for whatever purpose we wanted, but we sensed it shouldn’t simply be put into savings. We felt it would honor her memory to put it to use in a way that would enrich our lives now.

Her gift wasn’t enough for an entire kitchen project, but enough to start our thinking. A few more unexpected gifts came in, and we put them aside for “the kitchen.” It was several years before we had enough gifts, enough savings, and enough courage to begin talking to contractors.

To honor my commitment to the environment, I asked about FSC certified wood, which is not from old-growth trees. I asked about recycled countertops. We got quotes that were higher than we expected, from people who didn’t understand what we wanted. I prayed about it a lot. Could we, should we do this?

In the end, I perceived that if we were going to do this kitchen, we should do it in a way that was consistent with our values. Our resources (and the gifts of others) would support the businesses that were trying to do good in this community and the world.

So that’s what we set out to do.

Demolition was the quickest part.

Working with local businesses ecobeco and Amicus Green Building Center, we designed a kitchen with recycled countertops and FSC certified wood, sustainable cork floors and no-VOC paints, LED lighting and recycled backsplash tile, and 95% recycled bronze knobs and handles. (Learn more about our environmental friendly choices and healthy construction practices.) We designed a kitchen with high countertops for my tall husband, round countertops to protect the kids, and drawers where I can always find the tupperwares and pots I need within reach. The cabinet doors close softly, so they never slam, and are always closed.

The journey took longer than we expected. At last, the work was complete.

Now, we have a kitchen where recycling is properly stowed away, we can all eat at the same table, brooms are stored in a broom closet and we have ample space in cabinets which do not peel into our plates. In this kitchen I can reach into the silverware drawer while my husband is at the sink, and there is enough counter space for our compost canister. This kitchen reflects our values and that our money went toward our values, rather than away from them.

I’m deeply grateful we had the opportunity.

When considering the environment, sometimes the best choice is to buy nothing at all. But when the time comes to make a big purchase, the natural world needs us to make healthy, environmental, sustainable choices now. The next time you plan a significant purchase, I invite you to send your resources in the direction of your values too — toward a healthy and sustainable world.

*Disclosure Note: I requested and received small discounts from ecobeco and Amicus Green Building Center to promote local businesses I believe in.

Kitchen In Progress

Everyone told us to expect delays on a home improvement project, and while I kind of knew they would probably happen, at the beginning of this project I was still overly optimistic, hoping we’d get away without them. No such luck.

The flooring that has made everything take a bit longer. Hopefully it will be worth it when done.

The real challenge for us has been our (sustainably grown cork) flooring. Scheduling the people to lay the floor took longer than expected, and then when the tiles came, unfortunately some of them were damaged and the job couldn’t be finished. We’re waiting for the remainder of the tiles to come and hope to see them installed by the end of this coming week.

Still, we saw some significant progress on our Sustainable Kitchen Project last week. On Monday we got our new (recycled material) countertops. The middle of the week included drywall and ceiling painting. On Friday the new tile backsplash (made of recycled ceramic) was installed.

Backsplash tile. Isn’t it pretty?

As we enter week 8 without a kitchen, I must admit it’s been a bit more challenging than I expected. We had originally hoped to have this done already and we hadn’t made sufficient arrangements for this long without a kitchen. From cooking to eating to just getting around the dining room, everything seems to take just a little longer than usual in our house right now, and we’re feeling a bit exhausted by the process.

But there is still so much to be grateful for. First there is the incredible generosity of our friends and family, who have been inviting us over and cooking periodic meals to help us. Second, of course, is the very opportunity to have a new kitchen, something we’ve dreamed about for years and is very nearly within our grasp.

And third is the diligence and attention from the businesses supporting our efforts. In spite of the delays, I feel they are constantly working to figure out ways to make things go more efficiently without sacrificing quality. I’m still proud to be working with local and sustainably-minded contractors and suppliers.

This is the test zone Jim created for us so we could pick paint colors. Counter, sink, cabinets, backsplash and flooring. Still much more to do, but it’s coming together!

I created this project originally with the values of sustainability, self-expression and gratitude. As we move through the project, I am continuing to root myself in these values — and proud and grateful to be able to share with you as it evolves.

So I hope you will continue to wait patiently with me for the results — and G-d willing I will post pictures when it’s done.

*Disclosure Note: I requested and received small discounts from ecobeco and Amicus Green Building Center to promote local businesses I believe in.

What Makes This Kitchen Sustainable? Part 2

Thanks for following along with me as we continue our Sustainable Kitchen Project! Last week was the low point for this project, in that we’d had three weeks without a kitchen and nothing but permits and drywall to show for it. But week four was very exciting, because our cabinets arrived! They are now in the appropriate places along the walls and we’re starting to get a feel for how this kitchen is actually going to work in real life. So far, so good.

The cabinets are here! It may not look like much, but last week this was an empty room.

In a recent post, I shared about the sustainable and recycled materials we’re using to make our project environmentally friendly. In this post, I’ll describe the benefits of working with a local and environmentally friendly contracting company, and the processes they are using to make this kitchen project healthier and more sustainable.

With many companies today, the environment is an afterthought — if it’s a thought at all. But we are working with ecobeco, a local company that has a Green Business Certification from my county. We first started working with ecobeco with a home energy audit several years ago, and were very pleased to hear they had branched into home remodeling.

For this project, our contractors have sealed off our kitchen from floor to ceiling with plastic, to prevent dust from entering our home. They also often provide a depressurization system to suck air of the house and keep construction dust contained. As a result of their efforts, we’ve had minimal disruption (except the lack of access to a kitchen, or course) and only a small sawdust mess in the basement (under the kitchen) from the construction process.

The kitchen is completely sealed off to prevent dust and debris from entering the rest of our house.

In demolition, ecobeco removes debris quickly and donates and/or recycles any elements that can be reused. Since volatile organic compounds (present in many paints and sealants) can cause bad smells and health effects, they use low VOC sealants and primers where available. For paint, they use a special brand with no VOCs and no fumes, that also seals against humidity to prevent mold growth.

I’m as much an Amazon addict as the next person, but one of my commitments in this project was to keep our money in the local community. In the process, we discovered the benefits of working with local businesses.

For example, Amicus Green worked hard with us to design a kitchen that met our somewhat complicated needs and within a budget we could afford. This extra effort came from what seemed to me to be a high commitment to quality and satisfaction — as if my project was of specific and individual importance.

Jim. My child’s favorite part of this entire kitchen project.

But I think one of my favorite memories from this time will be the mornings when Jim (our head contractor from ecobeco) arrives in the house and I’m still taking care of my youngest child. My son always welcomes him, “Hi Jim!” and Jim responds by saying “good morning” to him, by name. The other day, when he was curious about the sounds coming from the kitchen, the men took time to show their power tools to him. I found this friendly, human relationship to be one of the best aspects of working with a local small business.

We’re aiming to have the project finished by Thanksgiving, so stay tuned! I’ll share more pictures and updates next week.

*Disclosure Note: I requested and received small discounts from ecobeco and Amicus Green Building Center to promote local businesses I believe in.