intoxic (Alison Hayes) (Volume 1) Paperback – August 4, 2016

I could not conceive that a 75-year-old male, me, could really identify with a 16 year old girl, Alison, the book's protagonist. Couldn't be done I thought; I was doing my duty reading the book. It is a story of a troubled young lady with a ton of problems , with family, love, life, school; exactly the kind of tale that I cannot abide and could not possibly identify with. Guess what? This is a really, really well-written and well crafted book that is so well presented that anyone, even me, can identify with her. Alison becomes very dear to the reader and we might even recognize ourselves or someone we love in her. The writing grabbed me and did not let go. By the time I finished I felt I knew all the characters; some I liked a lot and some I hated and some I wasn't sure how I felt about them. But I can tell you this , I can hardly wait for the sequel and there must be a sequel, because I want to know more about all of them . Whether you are a teenage girl or an old guy like me , you ought to read this book. You will be glad you did.

Illinois born author Angie Gallion received her BA in English and wrote her first draft of this book INTOXIC in a creative writing class at Eastern Illinois University. Her love of theater propelled her to California for a while (Angie is a very beautiful woman whose presence on stage or film should have been a crowning achievement!) and now she lives in Georgia with her family where she is rising in the Indie Publishing world, aiding other authors by reviewing their works on her own website. As she so appropriately phrases it, ‘ I have been a lifelong writer, but in a private fashion.’Angie has produced a series she has titled The Allison Hayes Journey and form her own sources she shares the overall view of the entire series – ‘Growing up is hard to do, even in the best of times, but for Alison Hayes, growing up feels impossible. Her broken mother has left her to figure it out mostly on her own, and Alison’s anger and frustration at being one of the Have-nots, the biggest of the have-nots, is almost more than she can tolerate. Walk with Alison as she begins her journey in Intoxic from chaos toward calm, walk with her through her first adult year and feel her transformation in Purgus as she faces the most difficult decision of her young life, travel with her as she strives to find a balance between regret and responsibility through the canyon of her youth and join her as she prepares for flight in Icara.’ And as she adds in Who is Allison Hayes, ‘Alison Hayes is just a girl. Alison Hayes is fighting. Alison Hayes is frightened. Alison Hayes is angry. . . and confused. Alison Hayes is running from and to. Alison Hayes is flying . . .and falling . . . and trying again. Alison Hayes is your daughter . . .. your sister. . . your friend . . . your wife. Alison Hayes is you. Alison Hayes is me.’ The names of each of the three books in the series are obvious.The plot synopsis of this first installment in Allison’s journey – INTOXIC – follows: ‘When Alison Hayes walks into her storm-darkened trailer the afternoon of her sixteenth birthday, she has no idea that it will be the beginning of a year like no other. Her mother has lost her job, again, the most stable man they’ve ever had in their lives is looking for the nearest exit, and her best friend is dating the prom queen. She can’t remember the last time anything good had happened to her. If the rails still passed through the town, she would definitely be on the wrong side, always looking across to everyone else, it seemed, who had it so much better than she. Dirty. Trash. The words have followed her through her life in her tattered, rust-stained jeans. She longs to understand her mother--who is lost and broken, driven by her addictions, by her losses--and to reconcile the memory of MOTHER before with MOTHER now. In the chaos of their one acre in the world, Alison strives for sanity, forging a path through the wreckage into the light. She is alone and must learn to stand alone, or she will be swept by the same undercurrents of self-defeat that took her mother so many years ago. During these worst of times, she discovers her own strength and determination and a powerful drive to do something better.’This is strong writing from an author on the rise. Her love of theatrics aids the development of this tale of abuse, addiction, family strain and coming of age under duress. Yet she allows her Allison to gaze at her tormented life and say things like ‘The kindest people in my life have always been strangers.’ Fine insight, fine writing from a welcome new voice. Grady Harp, September 17

Here you have the story of Alison, a talented but troubled teenaged girl whose life is a tempestuous sea. She tries hard but is socked in the gut over and over again while living with an alcoholic mother, an absent father and a series of "uncles," from the dark side. The extra-familial characters who form her support system can't make up for what she lacks at home in this raging tale that will have you turning pages and letting the dishes pile up in the sink. Somehow, maybe because Alison, the teenaged narrator is proud and smart and basically good, she grips the reader's heart. You want her whole and healed.

I am a licensed professional counselor and a school counselor and I just have to write a review on Intoxic. First, I absolutely loved this book and I believe Angie Gallion will go far in her writing. Intoxic is an excellent book about a teenager, Alison, who faces many difficult challenges including experiences with living with an alcoholic and neglectful mother. This story is so well written that it is extremely easy to identify with Alison as she struggles with her relationship with her mother and with her self-esteem. However, there are lots of twists and turns and unexpected events that keep you on your toes throughout the book. As a counselor, I can say that Intoxic definitely "touches" on and explores experiences that too many of our children and teenagers deal with every day. Angie Gallion had me hooked from the very first page until the last page and wanting a sequel to see what path and where Alison goes in her life. Fortunately, Angie Gallion has published the sequel (Purgus) that is just as good, if not better, than Intoxic. However, I hope that she writes another sequel as I still want to know where Alison's story goes after Purgus. Angie Gallion's knowledge about the experiences and her ability to write about these experiences that many of us go through comes through brilliantly. You must read Intoxic and Purgus!

A fascinating glimpse into a life you probably don't understand, and have likely never experienced. I'm a 62 year old man - hardly what you would think of as the target audience for a book about the troubles of a 16 year old girl. As the father of two grown daughters, I wish I'd had this book when I was raising them. We never know what those around us have experienced or are experiencing. There are many who are hiding dark secrets, some through no fault of their own, yet they persevere.Beautifully written with just the right touch of descriptive language, Gallion's prose is a breath of fresh air. Amazing character development that will reach into your heart and have you wanting to scream, begging to help, or smiling at the amazing ability to keep pushing forward, no matter what life throws at you.