November is coming to a close, but I’ve still got a couple more interviews for you before the month ends! I absolutely love the diversity of writers I found to share. (Yes, I even found a guy for you – look for that one soon!) For now, allow me to introduce the next writer – Melody Lark!
1. Please tell us a little bit about you as a person.
My name is Melody and I am a 61 year old woman who lives in a 425 square foot room above the garage at the house my daughter and her husband own in Johns Island, South Carolina. I am a Gemini; left-handed; a Whovian and a Sherlockian and I like to shoot pistols.
I have two wonderful children–my daughter, Lindsay (who is the Charleston WriMos Municipal Liaison), and my son, Robin–a tattoo artist up in Richmond, VA.
I retired from the Town of Hilton Head Island Fire and Rescue as a 911 Dispatcher last year and now work for Charleston Water System as a night dispatcher. In addition to writing, I do a lot of reading; I go to the shooting range with my son-in-law and play at being a Zombie Hunter and I am involved with an up and coming paranormal group consisting of family and friends.
2. Tell us about you as a writer.
I was in junior high school (that is what middle school was called in California) and my English teacher asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up. I said I wanted to write the ‘Great American Novel’. My teacher laughed and I remember her saying, “Don’t we all?”. But that was my dream—it still is. So I wrote—I took all the creative writing classes they would allow me to take in junior high school and high school. I was on the school paper—I took journalism classes. Throughout college, I continued to take writing courses in addition to my required courses in my major of Anthropology.
A few years ago, I had surgery on my foot and was sitting on my front porch in Port Royal, SC and suddenly, a simple sentence manifested itself in my brain and I was off…. and I wrote and I wrote until I realized I had ended up writing a novel. Wow!
Still unpublished, I keep plugging along and know that one day, I *will* write the ‘Great American Novel’.
3. What types of writing have you written? Which is your favorite to write and why?
My first novel was “Harper’s Road”. Set in Port Royal, SC, it is a little bit mystery; paranormal; romance. Just a fun book and I am proud of it. It was my first. I sent out queries and even had an agent request the first 50 pages. That was a thrill. But I haven’t been published yet. Yet.
My novel for this years NaNo is about a 63 year old serial killer. I suppose that is categorized as “horror”? LOL… it will be fun.
I also have tried a detective novel—that was last years NaNo entry…. “Who?”, but I got stuck so I put it away. Sometime next spring, I will pull it out, dust if off and start plugging at it again.
I have a couple other writing projects on the back-burner right now—one I am writing with my daughter about our trip to New Orleans a few years ago. It’s a “She said; she said” kind of book: her impressions v. my impressions as to what we experienced on our trip.
4. What are the three things you need at your side as you write? Why?
1 – A good cup of coffee because a good cup of coffee is inspiration.
2 – Clarence, my tiny monkey finger puppet. He is my whipping boy and my conscience; the little guy I run my ideas by. He is my “pen monkey” (credit to Chuck Wendig for the word ‘pen monkey’!)
3 – My commonplace book which serves me in many, many ways.
5. If you were to give other writers one piece of advice, what would it be?
Write. Write everyday. Write nonsense or poetry or short stories or haiku’s or letters to your mom or your kids or your friends or your enemies. It doesn’t matter what you write, just as long as you do. Write: It will keep your muse young and happy!
6. Where can we find out more about you?
On Facebook–“Melody Lark – Writer”
Twitter–“Melody Lark”
~ or ~
www.melodylark.com
