author
-
Unexpected Hero: Winnie-the-Pooh

The world is a mess. Whatever your political views, we can all agree that it’s a rough world out there. However, while the news is increasingly depressing, I found an unlikely hero to cheer me for a few hours: Winnie-the-Pooh. Somehow I grew up reading everything in reach yet missed this classic! So I decided,… Continue reading
-
Misshelved: Winnie the Poe
Went to the children’s classics section in search of some light reading…now I am just wondering how many poor young Winnie-the-Pooh fans have been traumatized by Poe instead… Perhaps Eeyore likes Poe’s stories. “Nevermore” seems like his type of vocabulary. Still, “Welcome to your nightmares” is a daunting phrase to put on a book beside… Continue reading
-
Book Lovers’ Day Announcement
It’s Book Lovers’ Day! Perfect timing to have my first draft printed! My mom was so amused at my excitement that she turned a picture of my manuscript into a baby announcement. 😂 Continue reading
-
Sing, Muse

Dear reader, Please read the following poem. Then, please click the link and listen to me read it; I have of late found great value in reading poetry aloud. Once you do those two things (it should take but two minutes of your time), you are welcome to read my explanation of the poem or… Continue reading
-
Writing a Child
I often refer to my novel as “my baby” and I know this is a tiny bit weird. But, being a writer, I really could not care less if I’m weird. Still, I think I have a valid point when I call my novel a baby, as… “Writing a Child” It changes each… Continue reading
-
10 Going on 30

I turned twenty on November 14th, 2016. It was weird. Every day I was thinking, “one more week until I am no longer a teenager” or “three more days until I am a real adult.” But then, when the day came, I felt the same. This should not have been surprising, but I could not… Continue reading
author, Biola, biola university, bookish, books, bookworm, extraordinary, faith, Fantasy, inspiration, journal, literature, Music, not normal, odd, old, ordinary, piano, teenager, truth, twenty, twenty-something, unusual, word, work, young -
Writers’ Confessions (a sequel)
I have already blogged a series of writers’ confessions, but find I must once more come clean about some things… I (somewhat) enjoyed my term papers. Yes, they were torturous and I singlehandedly contributed to deforestation when it came time to print them (all 40 pages of them….), but there is something so satisfying about… Continue reading
-
Well-read and Caffeinated: 10 Ideal Coffee/Tea and Book Pairings
It is a truth universally acknowledged that all readers in possession of a good book are in want of a delicious beverage to sip. But why settle for just any latte? In my opinion, books and coffee are like fine wine and cheese; you must pair them properly so as to derive the fullest enjoyment… Continue reading
-
Reflections on Writing a Novel Draft
During my journey home from Italy, I was super bored and, thus, my brain went crazy and came up with a novel idea that I am ridiculously excited about. Thankfully, I hit 50,000 words on my other novel draft, so I was able to set that one aside without too much guilt to begin this… Continue reading
-
Writing Victories
Just had to brag a little bit: Today marks the two-year birthday of my baby novel. On this day in 2014, I was inspired to write a book about a quirky little town that I stumbled upon and, to my delight, today I reached the word count required for my manuscript to qualify as a… Continue reading
-
Miss Darcy

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single woman having read or seen Pride and Prejudice, must be in want of a Mr. Darcy.” – Jane Austen and Ryanne McLaren* *Note: The above quote does not actually represent the entirety of this post, but I did think it rather apt in capturing the feelings of Austenites… Continue reading
AP Literature, author, authors, blog, blogger, Book, books, bookworm, character analysis, characters, classic literature, darcy, elizabeth bennet, great books, inspiration, INTJ, Jane Austen, literature, meyers briggs, mr. darcy, novel, pride and prejudice, reader, Reading, romance, torrey honors institute, writer, writing -
Melanie’s Lemon-Berry Muffins

It seems that every year around the beginning of summer I reread or at least skim parts of Gone with the Wind. I even venture to take the 959-page tome into the pool, to the horror of bookworm friends who doubt my ability to keep from dropping it into the water. (Seriously, people, I am an… Continue reading
Recent Posts
- In All Things Thee to See
- The Singing Love of God
- Last Things First: February–March 2026
- The Narnian Magic of “Boring” Testimonies
- Church Body Dysmorphia
Subscribe for Free
Support
If you enjoy my work and would like to keep the music playing and words flowing, consider buying her a coffee using the button below.