Posts by Melissa McKay
Winter Sabbatical 2022: Week Two
Buenas tardes! I want to begin with an apology. While my Nashville friends endured temps in the teens and twenties last week, and several inches of snow, I was out here in the tropics complaining that things weren’t perfect enough. I sounded ungrateful for this wonderful opportunity I’ve been given to maintain my mental health.…
Read MoreWinter Sabbatical 2022: Week One
It’s a day late, but welcome to the Winter Sabbatical 2022 blog post series! If you saw my Facebook post last night, you know that things haven’t gone quite as smoothly as I’d hoped in Mexico this year. We are currently without WiFi, and God knows when it will be restored. This is an issue…
Read MorePopular
I never have been. As a kid, I was tiny and sucked at kickball. As a teen, I was a shy, scrawny, book worm and band geek. I feel more comfortable in my own skin as an adult, but I am still a textbook introvert. And this suits me just fine. I haven’t needed popularity…until…
Read MoreQueried Away
I know I’ve left everyone hanging for a couple of months now. I’m still here! And I have a printed copy of my manuscript. Holy. Freakin. CROW. I had FedEx print a couple of copies, and this thing is massive. It’s on 8 1/2” x 11” copy paper and spiral-bound. Right now, there are 299…
Read MoreNow What?
I have a fever. And no, the only prescription is not more cowbell. It’s the first time I’ve been sick in nearly two years, which is pretty amazing. I had a COVID test yesterday and got a negative result. This appears to be a stupid cold. As Monday is my usual day off, I tried…
Read MoreSeptember
I don’t have a clever title or any huge revelations to share today, but I thought I’d give a couple of updates. I have two projects vying for my attention right now, and my focus shifts from one to the other by the day, it seems. I have made a lot of progress on my…
Read MoreMel’s Cutting Garden
“There is nothing to writing. All you have to do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” -Ernest Hemingway Friends, I’m feeling a little anemic. I’ve been writing about some really heavy stuff the last couple of weeks, like the arduous journey to Pierce’s autism diagnosis, and my multiple depression diagnoses. In order to…
Read MoreSo Hyped
Work is slow, but I have been busy. One of my essays was picked up for publication! Most of you know this already. You’ve read it and given me the most wonderful feedback. Thank you so much for sharing with me the emotions this essay provoked. I can’t always tell if I’m adequately conveying my…
Read MoreSummer Lovin’
Summer is officially here, and I’ve survived another spring season at Bates. Yesterday was our last Sunday to be open, so I’ll have two days off for 3 blissful months, until we open on Sundays again in the fall. I’m still plugging away, writing my little heart out. I have 9 essays that have made…
Read MoreMay Days
Now that the threat of frost has finally passed, I’m enjoying lots of spring flowers that I’ve been able to cut and bring indoors. I’m hoping for a bigger and better cutting garden this year. I’ve planted more lilies, dahlias, snapdragons, and gladiolas. A few of the perennials I planted last year have already tripled…
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