Our Story
Melissa
Writing has been part of my life for as long as I’ve had reason to craft a story, which as the fifth of five children is pretty much always. At the hands of my three brothers, I explored action-packed tales of intrigue (theirs) and survival (mine). I dictated scripts for my three imaginary friends – Sally Carter, Quince and Mr. Nobody –to act out with me. In school I discovered that pairing wide-ruled paper and bread wrapper twist ties would allow me to self-publish two stories, The Invasion of the Gloobles (sci-fi) and Dracula. Playing Barbies with my sister Julie gave me all the background research necessary for romance novels, although these will never see the light of day. Exploring my neighborhood with my partner in crime-fighting, Janet, sharpened my skills as a writer of heart-stopping mystery and suspense. My own real-life romance with Phil produced new chapters and two beautiful sequels, Molly and Maggie. I’ve had professional stints in technical writing as a polymer chemist and in freelance as a stay-at-home mom. Writing for a parenting magazine seemed like a great idea until my girls became teenagers and showed me how little advice I had to give and how much I needed to take. When pen meets paper, I have always expressed thoughts. But it took Maggie’s diagnosis with stage IVb colorectal cancer for me to find my true voice and God’s design for the creative force of words in my life. I’m blessed to call Mississippi home (as many notable writers have, thank you) and Temple Baptist Church, my family.
Maggie
I, unlike my mother, have not always viewed writing (or reading for that matter), as a way to entertain myself. I did dream up exciting storylines to act out with my trusted Polly Pockets; however, I never put pen to paper to document our adventures. My failed attempt at keeping a journal through middle school only recalls the time I discovered white cheddar Cheetos and my 12th birthday party at the bowling alley. Following my diagnosis with colon cancer, a small group leader from church encouraged me to start writing my thoughts and feelings down. I heeded this advice and discovered a newfound love for writing. Although I write for my own personal blog, I now also write for a Disney tip-oriented blog. Now, if I’m not writing, you can find me watching The Sound of Music, taking pictures of my precious dogs or playing piano. My experiences with surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments have allowed me to understand how much I need to depend on Christ, not medicine alone. I hope that every paragraph of my writings leave you encouraged, inspired, or humored, but hopefully all three.