Christmas might be over, but the madness isn't! Christmas Lites II is a great read ANY time of year.
Today, we have a special New Year's treat for you, the beautiful Melynda Fleury...
Melynda: Well, let’s start this with a loaded question! Haha…
You asked for it.
I’m the mother of three overactive kids whose only purpose
in life appears to be to give me a heart attack before I reach thirty. That
should be a hard goal for them since I just turned forty. I am married to the
love of my life and the best man a girl could ask for.
I have three books published and am in three anthologies.
I’ve also written several newspaper articles and have been in one magazine. I’m
also a huge animal lover, and I believe that children should be protected above
anything else on earth.
JJ: Your books, Just Nonsense, More Nonsense, and True
Nonsense is a very funny series based off your own blog. Can you tell us how you decided to publish
these books?
MF: I actually had no idea these books would be published.
My friend EC Stilson had the first one published when I was going through the
adjustment stage of losing my eyesight. She though it would cheer me up. She
was right. The other two were also picked up by the same publisher, Wayman
Publishing. They are an amazing group to work with.
MF: Who are you? Santa Claus? How did you know that? Haha.
I do have a few causes that I am fervent about.
I support BACA, Bikers Against Child Abuse. They are an
amazing group of people that help children that have been abused. They go to
court with these kids to make sure their predators do not intimidate them and
they help these kids through everything. Even when the court cases are closed,
they continue to be there for the kids no matter what. The beauty of the whole
thing is they work on donations and most of it comes from their own pockets.
Great people.
I also work with Safe Harbor, which is a women’s shelter.
Many of these women flee to safety with just the clothes on their backs and
their children under their arms. It is heartbreaking that in our day and time
Safe Harbor is even necessary. I help raise money for these women around
Christmas time to make sure they and their children have the things they need
and some of the things they want.
I want them to know that just because they are a victim,
they don’t have to stay a victim. They should move forward to being a survivor.
They cannot do that without help from others.
By the way, before anyone thinks I am being judgmental here,
I was at Safe Harbor eight years ago. I know exactly what they are going
through.
JJ: How long have you
wanted to be a writer?
MF: I decided I wanted to be a writer back in the Stone Age.
My mother would get angry at me as I carved pictures into the stone walls. It
was hard going with the charcoal and rocks I had to use, but I would chisel
away every time she would leave the cave.
Seriously, though, it was a time before computers, when I
was about eleven. I had to handwrite everything and it hurt my hands, and let’s
face it; I’m lazy, so I gave up that dream for a bit and went back to it years
later.
JJ: This is the
second year you have participated in Christmas
Lites. What made you come back?
MF: Actually, it is my first year participating as I found
out about it to late last year. However, who wouldn’t want to be a part of
this? It’s for a fantastic cause and anyone that doesn’t want to be involved
might want to check their pulse and make sure they’re human!
Thank you not only for allowing me to contribute but also
for doing this!
JJ: Many people know
from following your blog that you are clinically blind. How has that affected
your role as an author?
MF: It was hard at first and very discouraging, but I
decided to face it as a challenge and find some humor in it.
I told my husband once that I needed to learn to write in
Braille. The only problem is my handwriting is so bad I don’t know if I could
read it. I was laughing so hard I had to sit down.
He did not find it amusing at all.
It has been a challenge, but it’s just another mountain to
climb. I have a huge and wonderful support group. My husband rigged my laptop
to a 42-inch monitor and even though it’s blurry, I can work with it. Also the
typo’s can be hilarious and believe me, that support group I was just telling
you about is more than happy to point out and laugh at my mistakes. Buttheads! :-)
JJ: Any Christmas
traditions that you love every year?
MF: I love everything about Christmas but two of my favorite
traditions are:
1.
I love to bake treats and dip pretzels with my
kids. Then we go hand them out to everyone.
2.
I buy the kids plaster ornaments every year and
we paint them. It’s a wonderful memory for me and when they move away, I will
give them to them to decorate their own trees.
JJ: What was the best
present you ever gave or received?
MF: The best present I ever received was a small grey rock.
It had a flower painted on it and simply said “Thank you.”
I received it from a little boy that had never owned a bike
before. In fact, when I gave him his first bike he was so excited, but then
fear set in. He had no windows in his house and he was afraid someone would
come in and steal it. It broke my heart. His windows got fixed too.
I will never forget how he hugged that little bike. Every
time I look at my rock I see his little face and thank God for everything I
have.
JJ: What do you want under your tree this year?
MF: Okay, this is going to be weird but here goes.
I want a bottle of Dr. Teals lavender bubble bath, an
old-fashioned record player—yes the one that plays viny—and an hour of peace.
Remember I’m a mom, so this IS really wishful thinking. Sigh.
JJ: What can we
expect to see from you in the future?
MF: My fourth book, Pure Nonsense, will be out in February. After that I have a novel
in the works and finally, I will be co-writing a book with my daughter on how
to be a survivor and not stay a victim when you are raped or molested. This
last one is super personal, but it will be our own stories and everything we
had to go through from those drastic days on.
JJ: Thanks so much, Melynda! We wish you all the best, and have a wonderful New Year!
About the Author: Melynda Fleury is the author of the best selling Nonsense Series. She has also written for newspapers, magazines, and recently been published in several anthologies within and outside of Wayman Publishing.
Her books bring humor and laughter. Although she has struggled with diabetes since youth, loss of eyesight, as well as increasing neuropathy, she always strives to be positive and uplifting.
About the Author: Melynda Fleury is the author of the best selling Nonsense Series. She has also written for newspapers, magazines, and recently been published in several anthologies within and outside of Wayman Publishing.
Her books bring humor and laughter. Although she has struggled with diabetes since youth, loss of eyesight, as well as increasing neuropathy, she always strives to be positive and uplifting.
Feel free to visit her blog.
Or learn more about her books on Barnes
and Noble as well as Amazon.
If you're having a hard time and just need a laugh, pick up
one of her books. You won't be disappointed.
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