Interview Today at Creativists in Dialogue! 🎊

Super excited to share that I’ve been interviewed by talented author Elizabeth Bruce at the amazing Creativists in Dialogue—clickety-click to read the entire interview .

Here’s a little excerpt:

CREATIVISTS: In show biz, an artist’s life is a study in rejection. How do you sustain your confidence and faith in your own artistic and career development--how do you hold your own hand--when faced with rejection and disappointment? What keeps you going?

MELANIE: While I’ve been so fortunate to be published, like all writers who sustain a long writing life, the rejection slips still arrive on the regular, so perseverance is a quality I keep practicing. One thing that keeps me going is being candid with my students about how even professional writers are rejected the majority of the time, so it’s vastly important not to let one rejection slip (or even a fifth or sixth rejection slip for a piece) keep a writer from publishing or self-publishing and continuing to write. A lot of very well-written work is rejected on the regular, and so in addition to learning our writing craft and sending out our work in its best form, there are a lot of uncontrollable variables that affects a yes or a no. I love encouraging fellow writers to keep writing and to not stop sending their work for consideration to new editors.

For copies of my latest book, check out: The Price of Breathing.

Signed copies also available: clickety-click.

Book Birthday for The Price of Breathing! 🎂

Super excited that it’s book birthday time! Welcome to the world of readers, The Price of Breathing!

Get your copy of my book at Vine Leaves Press. Signed copies available at my Etsy store, WritePathProductions.🌟🥳 Also available at Amazon as an ebook or a print copy,

Also, check out a piece that will be published today to celebrate at Women Writers, Women[‘s] Books!

Copies for Signing Have Arrived! 🥳

Great news: my copies for signing have arrived. If you’d like a signed copy, here’s the link to my Etsy shop:

Does It Look Like Her: Signed Poetry Book— Clickety Click!

Copies [unsigned] are also still available through Amazon: Book Clickety Click!

I also had a ridiculous amount of fun creating this self-portrait with my book. 😁

Thanks for all of your support, and here’s to books and poetry! 📔

Sneak Peek: "Does It Look Like Her?"

Care for a glimpse at my poetry collection’s plot? Ta-da! 🎊📚

Alix briefly meets an accomplished artist at a coworker’s dinner party and subsequently sits for a painting that becomes well-known. But Alix is neither a one-trick pony nor an ingénue; she’s 47 and embarking on her own painting and teaching journeys while starting her life over with her young son.
 
This collection of narrative poetry spans years and POVs—including Alix; her son, Sam; her ex; and her colleague, Meghan—and explores what it means to pursue artistic passion, the personal meanings we overlay onto art and artists in a society not conducive to art-making, ambition at midlife, the indirect route to so-called overnight success, and more.
 
Includes Questions for Discussion, Reflection, or Journaling as well as Additional Reading Suggestions.

New Project: Does It Look Like Her? Cover Reveal 🎊

Surprise! Time for a cover reveal of my new poetry collection, Does It Look Like Her? Also known as: my first self-published book project and a grand adventure.

Next week, my book will officially have a book birthday and be available for purchase (stay tuned for more details!), but I couldn’t wait any longer to share this first glimpse at my little first-born, self-published book baby.

For a few years now, I’ve loved teaching a university course about submitting work and publishing, getting to share my own knowledge as an indie and small-press-published writer and editor, but the one aspect of publishing I didn’t know a lot about was self-publishing. I previously had no firsthand experience with self-publishing a book through KDP, which was a shame because I’ve long been meaning to learn. #goodintentions  

When I started writing these narrative poems early last year, in the back of my mind, I thought, “Hmm, maybe this is the perfect time to learn a thing or two about self-publishing with one of my own manuscripts, so I can share with my students and friends.”

Fast forward a few months #lifeflies and a rollercoaster learning curve, and I finally nudged myself into gear and am so grateful I did. #stepbystep #perfecttiming   

If there’s anything you’ve been dreaming of doing or thinking about starting for a few years, begin here and now. This is your gentle nudge; you’ve got this first step.

My collection may not be perfection, but I gave it my all, and I can’t wait to share these poems about a painter, her son, and the artistic process!