(Header Artwork by Author and Illustrator, Edward Hemingway, 2008)

Welcome to Melindaville, a site I first founded in 2008. During a long depression, I destroyed the blog, for which I have always been sorry. As you get to know me, you’ll understand some of my more self-destructive tendencies, such as ripping to pieces a creative piece of work that meant the world to me. For more about why these issues exist, please see the ‘About Me’ page on this site. I think you’ll understand more once you read that.

While I discontinued blogging, I never have stopped writing. Writing has always been my true calling, ever since I can remember. And it was something that I believed I could do because of one marvelous teacher in my high school, Mrs. June Safford, who loved my creative writing piece so much that she sent it in to an adolescent literary magazine who actually published it! (I don’t remember the name of the magazine—way too much has happened to rust my memory) but I do remember the title of the short story. I named it ‘Only In My Mind.” Looking back, I realize what a great title it was because so much of my life I kept hidden from others, either from shame, embarrassment, or fear of being ostracized if people knew certain aspects of my past.

Today, I don’t care. I laid everything out for real in the original 2008 Melindaville and I shall continue that purpose today. What has changed is the narrow focus I used to have will now broaden to include people, from all lifestyles, who have had hard journeys and who have overcome. I applaud each person who overcomes a difficult past and finds the courage to move on to better and new directions.
Changing the direction of my life has been my greatest accomplishment but I didn’t do it alone—no one does.

I have many people to thank—some of whom l will mention in the blogs. However, the one person I must acknowledge now is my beloved husband, Les Tyler. I never dreamed such a man could exist—one who would honor, respect, love, and support me no matter how difficult our stretch of life.

I dedicate this site to him.