She’s thirty-two years old, has been married for ten years, has three daughters and an itch that she cannot scratch. Heather Hall embodies every woman who has felt out of place, at work, in her neighborhood, in her own skin. In this debut novel, Stephanie Bavaro captures the essence of everywoman with insight, empathy and humor.
      Commerce World was a good place to work where you could enjoy the perquisites of corporate excess, like holding business meetings in the on site Bistro. Even after a change in management leads to a reduction in force, Heather and her best friend Regan notice no increase in their workload, allowing them to take three hour lunches and even accompany their children on field trips while on the clock. But, like all good things, it must come to an end and Heather is eventually laid off. She quickly recovers from the shock as she begins to enjoy her role as Mom, no longer having to hide her personal phone calls and shopping trips on company time.
      Of course, along with freedom comes poverty and Heather is forced to supplement her husband’s income with a variety of dead end jobs for ungrateful employers who begin to make her old nemesis Sayeed Penjab look good. Gradually, through all the craziness Heather begins to realize that she is a talented writer, that she wants to work at home, and that her husband and children are her first priority. No longer conflicted about her identity she makes a decision to follow through on her plan and begins writing her first book…life imitates art imitates life imitates art.
      No matter what your age you will find yourself identifying with some aspect of Heather’s life. This coming of age book for the late bloomer will make you smile and nod and maybe even encourage you to scratch an itch or two of your own.

About the Reviewer: Maggie Harding is a substance abuse counselor in Phoenix, AZ. who wanted to be Brenda Starr before life intervened. She reviews for www.bookreporter.com and www.womenonwriting.com To contact Maggie, e-mail Magster2@cox.net

"Working Girl Lit is fast becoming one of my favorite sub-genres of chick lit. These novels usually feature women struggling to find their right career path, and in the process, go over a lot of bumps or end up having to claw their way up the ladder of success. Chalking It Up by Stephanie Bavaro is definitely a wonderful example of such a novel..." More at Chicklitbooks.com

"This was a great book. Once you start reading it, you will have a difficult time putting it down. You want to know what is going to happen with Heather Hall and Regan Gallagher..." more at Suite101