"From the richness of castle living to the poverty of abandoned farmhouses, an inventor's daughter depicts the fear and neglect clinging to a childhood lacking simple human touch."

"Get it. Verbout is a gifted storyteller."

-Kirkus Reviews

"I wish you all the best on your memoir."

-Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle

"Your entry placed in the top 1% in our national Personal Essay competition."

-Moriah Richard, Managing Editor, Writer's Digest

"I wish Melanie great success with Go Pick Peas-what a poetic title!"

-Laurie Albanese, author of Blue Suburbia

"Verbout's memoir is harsh and heart-breaking, but also deeply appealing-it is the presence ofthis little girl, spunky and resilient, in the midst of breathtaking family chaos, that makes for a winning story."

-Lisa Dale Norton, author of Shimmering Images: A Handy Little Guide to Writing Memoir, and Hawk Flies Above: Journey to the Heart of the Sandhills

Melanie is a writer, dancer, and artist, and received her B.S Ed. from Illinois State University. She lives in Central Illinois where she edits books and writes for magazines. Her writing recently won awards in two Writer's Digest national essay contests. She volunteers at the humane society, and hosts tours at the local zoo. Go Pick Peas is her first book.