Gail A. Buntin
Gail A. Buntin Blohowiak (A.K.A. Anne Buntin and Betts Arney) is a playwright and author currently working on a middle grade series, Growing Up Alex, featuring Alexandria McKenzie Kelley. Her readers can always expect to find laugh-out-loud humor mixed with real life themes including navigating family dynamics, friendship, self-discovery, loss and grief, moral dilemmas and overcoming adversity.
Gail enjoys writing meaningful stories for youth who are navigating the transition from childhood to adolescence, facing new experiences, emotions, and responsibilities along the way.
Her writing background also includes two published nonfiction books Demystifying Leadership and A Reflective Journey – Connecting Your Head, Heart, Spirit, and Body in Your Teaching. Additionally, Gail has had three plays produced by a regional group of super dedicated actors, directors, and crew — the Wabeno Area Players – a troupe that has been in existence for forty some years. Gail also has two other series in the works for adult readers.
Gail resides in Green Bay, WI with her family, where she is known by the folks in her neighborhood for having pretty spectacular Halloween decorations and costumes every year.
Elusive Common Sense Book 1: Growing up Alex
I was looking forward to the spelling bee and the end of the school year. I wanted to win first place to make my parents proud of me, especially my mother.
But then, all heck broke loose!
The weeks before the end of the school year were turning out horribly. Almost every day my mom asked, “Alexandria McKenzie Kelley, where’s your common sense?”
I decided to look for an answer to my mom’s question, no matter how hard I had to search. But first, I made a terrible wish for a way to make my mom stop the constant questioning and blaming me for things I didn’t do!
Everything was falling apart and it was all my fault.
Could I fix the things that went wrong and make them better?
Alexandria (Alex) Kelley is finding that life seldom goes smoothly in Book 2 of the “Growing Up Alex” series for young readers. Growing up often involves a lot of effort, especially when it comes to balancing your own challenges with those of your friends. Sometimes, your own challenges are nothing compared to what a friend may be going through.
Author Betts Arney writes in eleven-year-old Alex’s voice as she navigates the challenges of pre-teen adolescence. As Alex explains:
A friend and his family were in serious trouble. Big trouble. I knew I had to help.
Common Sense wasn’t so sure that I should get involved, but I was reluctant to listen because my friend needed me, no matter what it might cost. Like grounding for life! Or having my bicycle taken away forever!
My heart pulled me in one way, but my head pulled the opposite direction.
Growing up meant learning when to stand up – even if it meant standing alone.
I wished growing up didn’t always involve painful choices. As Grandpa Ron would tell me, “You’re between a rock and a hard place.”
Growing Pains. I was between a rock and a hard place.