Allison Serrell

As author and book packager, Allison pitched the concept, assembled the team, and wrote all text for At Home in the Hudson Valley (Chronicle Books).

About the book: Heralded as “the landscape that defined America.” New York’s Hudson River Valley is a region rich in history and culture, with farmlands and picturesque homes nestled into the valley’s dramatic countryside. At Home in the Hudson Valley invites you inside 20 private homes, from lovingly converted treasures of the 18th and 19th centuries to gorgeous modern structures anchored by their beautiful surroundings.

As developmental editor, Allison worked closely with the author to forge a compelling voice and point of view for The Berkeley Bowl Cookbook (Parallax Press), overseeing recipe and text development as well as selecting a photographer and determining the look and feel of the book’s design.

About the book: Celebrating the unfamiliar yet extraordinary produce from California's most iconic market, Berkeley Bowl, this cookbook offers recipes for a panoply of fruits and vegetables that have been largely overlooked or forgotten in popular cuisine.

As substantive editor, Allison worked with the authors to hone the concept and shape the text, establish the voice, and develop a visual language for Wonder Year (Wonderwell).

About the Book: Part inspiration and part how-to, Wonder Year demystifies the seemingly outrageous prospect of embarking on a long-term family trip and using the world as a classroom for your kids—a trailblazing approach known as worldschooling. Packed with practical information and enriched by colorful, first-person travelogues, Wonder Year is a friendly companion that will show you how to fund your travels, plan and enjoy the journey, teach your kids on the road, and travel sustainably and safely.

As substantive editor and project manager, Allison worked with bestselling author Annie Grace, a leading voice in the sober curious movement, and illustrator Mary Purdie to bring this ground-breaking kids’ book to life.

About the book: The older children get, the tougher the questions they ask their parents. Questions like:

Why do people drink? Why do some get in trouble with alcohol? Is alcohol fun? Is alcohol really that bad for you? Making it even more difficult to answer these questions is the fact — believe it or not — most parents probably know far less about what alcohol truly does to the human body than they do about about the harmful effects of soda, antibiotics, and fever reducers. Here’s your chance to teach your kids more than you knew at their ages (and maybe more than you know right now!). Let bestselling author Annie Grace arm you with evidence — no rules, just facts (not boring!) and easy to explain brain science — all the things she wishes she’d known before her first drink

As developmental editor, Allison worked closely with the late author’s husband to realize this visually rich, multigenerational lyric memoir.

About the book: Circle Way is a bittersweet memoir of a father, daughter, and a prominent California family. Written in an evocative, expressionistic style, this work of creative nonfiction flutters somewhere between journalism and poetry.

At the heart of the story, journalist Mary Ann Hogan grapples with identity, family, and the creative calling. Sifting through her father's notebooks after his death, Mary Ann discovers a man whose unrealized dreams echo her own.

As developmental editor and author coach, Allison worked closely with award-winning social entrepreneur Madeleine Shaw to articulate the vision and message behind The Greater Good (Wonderwell, 2021).

About the book: Award-winning social entrepreneur Madeleine Shaw shares insights from her 25-year journey and offers tools and encouragement for others considering starting their own impact-based projects or ventures for the greater good.

The Greater Good is a 21st century call to action for everyday people—particularly women and others who have traditionally been excluded from the mainstream business community—to tap their unique perspectives to found and lead successful social impact ventures.

As developmental editor, Allison worked with the author to hone the activities, establish a consistent voice, and ensure both educational and ecological integrity throughout Exploring Nature Activity Book for Kids (Callisto Media).

About the book: Track, explore, discover, and create! This nature book for kids is full of activities they can bring on their adventures through the backyard, the park, the woods, and beyond. No matter the weather or where they live, kids can dive into fun and games like crafting bird feeders out of fruit, pressing flowers, or building a sundial to tell the time. Let them get their hands dirty and their imaginations revving as they get active outside.

As book packager for Callisto Media, Allison pitched the project, assembled the team, oversaw creative direction and served as developmental editor for Essential Succulents.

About the book: From simple houseplants and drought-friendly landscaping to decorative wreaths and trendy mason jar terrariums, Essential Succulents is the ultimate guide to learning which succulents are best for beginners, along with a basic understanding of how to care for and creatively design with them.

As developmental editor, Allison worked withe the author to develop appropriate pacing, drama, and context for A Daughter’s Kaddish (Wonderwell, 2022).

About the book: A Daughter’s Kaddish recounts Sarah Birnbach’s year-long odyssey to persevere through an unfamiliar world of Jewish prayer. To honor her beloved father, Sarah commits to reciting the Mourner’s Kaddish twice a day in synagogue for eleven months—a Jewish mourning ritual that was historically reserved for sons—despite her father’s initial request that she hire someone male to do so. A novice worshipper and single working mother, Sarah encountered many obstacles—including gender-based objections to her prayer practice, her own daughter’s near-fatal car accident, an incident that tore her synagogue apart, and her mother’s dismissiveness.

As developmental editor, Allison worked closely with the author to shape the text and recipes for The Herbal Medicine Cookbook (Callisto, 2019).

About the book: Your kitchen is the heart of a holistic life. The Herbal Medicine Cookbook infuses everyday cooking with the healing power of everyday herbs to nourish your body with healthy, homemade meals.

As substantive editor, Allison worked with the author to bring Near Enemies of the Truth (Wonderwell, 2023) to an audience of “advanced beginners” on the spiritual path and bring a contemporary context to the material.

About the book: Have you ever been told, “You create your own reality”? Have you been encouraged to “be your best self” or “follow your bliss”? Nowadays these slogans are everywhere, but what if they’re doing more harm than good? After over thirty years as a scholar-practitioner of meditation and Tantric philosophy, acclaimed author Christopher Wallis (also known as Hareesh) explores the most widespread distortions of spiritual teachings present in our world today. Rooted in the Asian wisdom traditions, Wallis’s book uncovers why these oft-heard platitudes are “near enemies” to the truth, often detour us off the spiritual path, and can even cause unnecessary suffering.

Allison worked with Connected Dots Media as consulting editor to help shape the voice and vision for Foraged Art (Weldon Owen, 2018).

About the book: Art, meditation, and nature meet in this adult focused activity book, with projects that take inspiration from the natural environment, using blooms, pods, branches, stones, and other natural elements. Divided into chapters by natural elements -- flowers, leaves, rocks and pods, and more, the book will encourage readers to forage and play outside using nature's seasonal art box. With quotes by artists on nature and creativity, the book is about making art from what you find and finding art in what you see.

As developmental editor, Allison worked with the author to shape the voice, vision and prompts for Welcome to the Family! (Callisto, 2020)

About the book: There's big news . . . You're going to be a big sister or a big brother! Welcome to the Family!: A Celebratory Journal for a New Big Sister or Brother is here to help a big sibling-to-be get creative and make big plans as they welcome a new baby. They can play games, write, draw, and color to express their feelings. There are even fun ideas to get the rest of the family involved, too.:

As packager and author, Allison pitched the project, assembled the team, oversaw all photography, and wrote all text for Haven (Chronicle Books, 2005).

About the book: Haven brings together unique homes in which the dream of retreat has been made a reality. Each of these twenty hideaways offers something for every tastefrom a rustic barn to a desert oasis, from a modest tent cabin to an architecturally significant modern masterpiece. Throughout, the focus remains on communion with our natural surroundings and the peace it brings, on sanctuary from the noise and frantic pace of every day, on the sounds of nature and the gentle art of doing nothing.

As substantive editor, Allison worked closely with the author to develop the teachings and shape the text for Parent Goals (Wonderwell, 2021).

About the book: In your prime child-rearing years and mulling the question Am I ready to have a baby? Millennials contemplating kids can now turn to Parent Goals, a guide to emotional preparedness for parenthood. Child welfare and adoption specialist Lindsay Garrett leverages her professional expertise and experience as a new parent to lead readers through the mental prep work needed before embarking on this important life choice.