Mel Solle is an empty nester in the Mitten State with a husband, dog, two cats, and 16 chickens (and three grown kids). She loves Michigan, but hates winter, and dreams of adding more animals to the farm but keep getting told 'no.' Mel enjoys the simple things: lemonade on a hot day, watching her animals be animals, and gardening. She reads voraciously—mostly fiction—and loves to critique movies based on books. She hopes her habits will sombeday be financially lucrative so she can stop going to work.