A series of related dreams Union Grove resident Alton Ellison had nearly a decade ago as he slept helped him achieve a different kind of dream this year.

Ellison said he has always wanted to write and publish a book, and on Nov. 9, his first novel made the transformation from a manuscript to a hard copy available to the public.

Ellison completed his work of fiction, “Holly Grove: What Happened to Jenny Bell?,” over a 10-year period and with inspiration from a string of dreams that came to him several nights while he was asleep.

“I started writing down the parts that I was dreaming, and it turned out to be an unusual story,” Ellison said. “Writing this book was like something on a bucket list. It was just something I wanted to do before I got too old.”

Set in Baker County, Ellison’s story chronicles the experiences of a local police officer as he tries to solve a case involving the mysterious, accidental death of a young girl.

Ellison said the significance of Baker County—the place where the story unfolds—is that it is Chilton County’s former name.

“It was written for my grandchildren,” he said. His and his wife Terry’s oldest grandchild, Madisyn, is in the book’s cover photo, along with the couple’s brother-in-law Floyd Glass.

“Holly Grove: What Happened to Jenny Bell?” is available at Books-A-Million, Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com and Ellison’s website, AltonEllison.com.

A company called Xlibris is publishing Ellison’s book, which is intended for readers ages 12–15 and older.

Ellison said he writes as a hobby and plans to continue authoring books.

He has another fictional book, “Common/Uncommon,” waiting to be published.

“It didn’t strike me the way I thought it would,” he said of having his work published. “It’s like telling people one of your secrets. These people are reading something that’s personal.”

For more information on Ellison and his work, go to AltonEllison.com.