Melanie Holmes

Blog

I'm honored that my 1st book, The Female Assumption, will be awarded Best Book of 2014 in the Global Media Awards...

Where We Roam Reflects Our Values

Even homebodies roam. Perhaps to a local theater, store, or restaurant. Wherever your meanderings take you, the places speak volumes about what you value. To be clear, we may love our home region and still yearn to explore areas farther flung. During the Covid-19 shutdowns, the message was, Shop local!” That mantra holds true today. Your local stores, eateries, museums (and so on) need your patronage. Your local parks need your volunteerism. And the history of this state waits to be revealed to passersby who stop and read storyboards about the National Women’s Professional Baseball League, the Sauk warrior Black Hawk, the I&M Heritage Corridor, or the Viking ship that sits in a small Illinois town (cared for by volunteers). Every state offers a great deal, and Illinois is no exception. In fact, it is exceptional.

If your time is finite, and we know that it is, how will you…(click the title to continue reading)

WHAT I LEARNED DOING TEN STATEWIDE BOOK LAUNCH EVENTS

10, 9, 8, 7, 6....the new book has been launched into readers’ orbits and it is sparking ideas all around Illinois to visit statewide gems. We know time is precious…does the way you spend spare time reflect this adage? As the Land of Lincoln, we are…. (click title to continue reading)

And Then There were Five

Someone recently said to me that I make writing books look easy. I'll take that as a compliment even though it's far from true. Behind the scenes of any nonfiction book you'll find thousands of hours of research, interviews/polls, travel, plus the writing, editing (and more editing!). That last part -- the editing -- is both crucial and can drive a writer to tears. As in, "You must kill your darlings!" — a phrase for writers that means you must delete phrases (often whole pages) or turns of words that you love but really don't work!

So, here I am, at the end of a year that began with me in a serious burnout from writing 3 books in 3 years (2019 - 2021), and I'm announcing a fifth book to come out in spring 2023. I’m not crazy! Bear with me as I explain.

I had planned to……. (please click blog title to continue reading)

Peaceful Musings

Managing a blog comes with responsibility, and sometimes, I’m not up to the task. As a writer, the words don’t necessarily flow from my fingertips. It’s not like Facebook. This forum comes with its own “push” mechanism that pushes it out to subscribers’ mailboxes. And so, when I post a blog that I end up later kind of hating, it’s a wake-up call to stop trying to write for writing’s sake. That’s called a journal (or diary). Here, I endeavor to give people something to think about, and hopefully the topic is related to one of my passions — women’s rights, mental wellness, and a whole host of history topics.

But sometimes... (please click Post Title to continue reading)

When Burnout Sizzles...ttsssss

I was convinced that no one was reading my words. It was December 2021, and something had crept into my psyche. It seemed that no matter how hard I tried, or how much I wrote, or how many people I invited to discover something I’d written, that no one cared. They call it hitting a “wall.” And I hit it hard. I was cranky. Despondent. Deflated. And I felt like quitting. Completely. (CLICK BLOG TITLE TO CONTINUE READING….)

Here’s the link. Writer’s Shed—Writer’s Burnout with Melanie Holmes

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Here's Why Writing & Speaking go Hand-in-Hand

Unless your name is J.D. Salinger, in order to successfully market a book, you will need to speak in front of an audience. When I watched the great Delia Ephron (bestselling author, screenwriter, playwright) speak in front of a group of 400 people at the Chicago Humanities Festival (2013), it reinforced what I already suspected….(Please click on the Post Title to continue reading)

On Betty White, and other 2021 Musings

2021 has been a tough year for America and the world. A pandemic. A siege of the Capitol in Washington. A vaccine that is being ignored by many as Covid-19 mutates and continues. A man (and others) who wanted to overturn election results at the eleventh hour, despite state after state having re-certified results. And now, Betty White has died at age 99, just three weeks shy of her 100th birthday.

Like oodles of young girls of the 1970s, I grew up watching the Mary Tyler Moore Show, with Betty as a….(Please click the Post Title to continue reading)

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In The Company of Our Better Selves

The title of this piece brings to mind virtues that are often hard to adhere to; namely, compassion, gratitude, and forgiveness. Having compassion for those with whom we disagree can bring a certain inner peace; it allows us let go of the idea that others will see things as we do. Focusing on gratitude for what we have means letting go of expectations of perfection. Yes, we all have visions of sugarplums in our heads; we want peaceful families, friends who call us just to say hello, and we want to be able to forgive or be forgiven when the mess-ups happen. And they absolutely happen.

When we are in the company of our better selves, we try…. (CLICK ON TITLE TO KEEP READING)

My fourth book--yes folks, that's 3 in 3 years

Beginning a second career later in life means playing catch-up. And that’s what I’ve been doing since The Female Assumption came out in 2014. Followed by A Hero on Mount St. Helens in May 2019, then Manteno: Images of America in Feb. 2020, and The Secret Life of Postcards in April 2021. Each book has brought varying degrees of fulfillment, and is important in its own way.

This new book examines my grandmother’s vintage postcard collection (1906-1930s). At the height of their popularity, postcards cost half of what a regular letter cost. That was 1 cent for a postcard; 2 cents for a letter. Why would a penny matter? Let me spell it out….(PLEASE CLICK ON TITLE OF BLOG POST TO READ THE REST)

Change versus “Cancellation” of Old Ways

The new buzz phrase is “cancel culture,” which brings with it the gnashing of teeth and the feeling that the old ways just weren’t good enough. I call what happens from year to year, and decade to decade “change.” Or “evolution” of thought. But that’s me. I feel that words matter. The old, “sticks & stones” rhyme is something we learned in kindergarten, but we were given that argument by parents or teachers who wanted to make us feel better. In truth, words really do matter.

People hear that they should no longer revere Confederate statues, and they wonder…Why not? People hear… (CLICK ON THE TITLE TO READ THE REST OF THIS POST)

Losing My Mom Amid Covid

My mother died of Covid-19. That is the context in which I write this blog post. She was 90 years old and lived in a nursing home. Those two factors made her easy prey early in the pandemic. Before the staff were tested. Before masks were required. My mother’s roommate died first. Then my mom. A few days later, it was the woman across the hall. Her daughter and I are…

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Snow Globe

When we moved to our new home in 1994, we thought we’d stay for about five years. Twenty-two years later, we finally boxed up our belongings. Our old neighborhood was a good one for raising kids, but we were empty nesters and we needed a change. However, a house is more than walls and a roof. It represents one’s roots. One’s past. That home saw….

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2020, oh what a year

As 2020 dawned, I was planning for the 40th “eruptiversary” at Mount St. Helens in southwest Washington state, where the book I’d written a year earlier would receive the attention its subject deserved. David Johnston’s death and his last words (“This is it!”) are well-known, but the 30 years that came before it are not.

As planning for the May event was unfolding, which would have included Bill Nye and a wonderful art exhibit in Portland, Oregon, my third book hit the bookshelves. I had committed to….

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A Writer's Position Description: How I learned OJT

I am living the life many dream of. That of a freelance writer of books, blogs, and poetry. One book earned an award; another has garnered the praise of high-level scientists; and still another book has earned the respect of historians in my hometown. I don't relate all this to impress. Rather, to set the context for my next statement: Almost no one in my life understands that being a writer is a "job"—and a full-time one at that. Each invitation I receive on a weekday requires an assessment of my work schedule. Just like other demanding jobs I have held over the….

Another book on its way!

Writers are always writing. That may seem self-evident, however, it might surprise the average person just how much writing goes on behind the scenes. Emails. Verbiage for marketing pieces. Staying relevant on social media. And of course, notes for the next project. Even as the first book I wrote is near/dear to my heart (The Female Assumption, 2014 Global Media Award), and the Johnston/St. Helens book is still getting noticed by those who have a passion for history and geology, I have authored a third book, this time a pictorial history book to be published by Arcadia (The History Press) in their “Images of America” line. That book comes out February 10, 2020, and as soon as…

On Russia

ON RUSSIA

As a freelance writer, I’ve written hundreds of articles or poems that have never graced anyone else’s PC screen but my own. I revisited one I wrote in 2014 right after Malaysia Airlines #17 was shot out of the sky and crashed over eastern Ukraine. All 283 passengers and 15 crew were killed. Sanctions ensued. And acrimony and finger-pointing. Then Time magazine printed an article that stopped my eyes on their page. After which I delved into Russian-American foreign relations. I tried to place this article with an editor; she thought it a quality piece but not right for their venue. A freelance writer often cannot find a place for all their words, especially in the early years. I’ve given up trying to place this one, sharing it here so it doesn’t disappear.

Anti-American Sentiment

Hate of America is “spoon-fed to Russians along with mother’s milk.” This assessment came from editor-in-chief of Russia’s only independent news channel in 2014 after ….

New Book coming out May 2019!

BOOK COVER, UIP-DUSTIN.jpg

Pre-order book & View Endorsements

To tell someone’s story is a great honor; a privilege to approach with great care. This book comes out in May 2019 from University of Illinois Press (UIP). A Hero on Mount St. Helens: The Life & Legacy of David A. Johnston is about an (Oak Lawn) Illinois boy who made his way to volcanoes where he thrived as a scientist. His death on the mountain ridge that now bears his name may appear to be the end, except that it isn’t. Legacy unfolds in ways sometimes unimaginable, and often completely unknown. This book brings David Johnston’s stories together for the first time through his own writings, through anecdotes shared by friends, family, and colleagues, and most important through a lasting legacy that is apparent today…if you look.

Books that Shine Bright!

How can one book cover 13.5 billion years of history? Ask Yuval Noah Harari, who combines physics, biology, culture, economics, and other disciplines in his book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. Harari uses easy language to ensure laymen “get” these heavy topics. And as he explains one of the 3 great revolutions of humankind, the Agricultural Revolution, he translates the “iron clad rule that luxuries become necessities” into 21st century examples. Many people expound on bits and pieces of history, but this book enlarges the picture…for all to see. I was honored to write a Book Review for Laura Carroll’s website, where she highlights nonfiction books that help us “live true to oneself, others, and the world.”

Another book you may appreciate is Ursula Le Guin’s No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters. Sadly, the title couldn’t be more appropriate—Le Guin died 33 days after the release of this book; she was 88. Her essays are funny, deep, and thought-provoking. Le Guin spent her life as a writer, and the world is richer for her efforts. This is another book included on Laura Carroll’s website, and again, I was honored to write a Book Review for it. Even though Le Guin is known for her fiction and poetry, her nonfiction is on-point. Born in 1929, she lived through and saw a lot. I discovered her heroic writing mere days after she penned her last words, and I'm very glad I did. I think you too will appreciate reading about "what matters."

How do you define success?

Robert Louis Stevenson and Ralph Waldo Emerson and the New York Stock Exchange all define “success” differently. I’ve been asked to write about my answer from the perspective of the writer that I have become. That last statement is part of my answer—I now refer to myself as a “Writer.” It took decades for that aspect of who I am to bubble to the surface. Even as a person who wielded the pen in powerful ways throughout my adult years (e.g., a well-worded letter about bad customer service led to free brunch for four at a fancy restaurant, another letter led to a free night at a resort…you get the picture), even as I put words in the mouths of others by writing speeches and letters I never signed, it took a magical spark to push me toward where I’m at today. What began seven years ago as a fervent desire to match words to my thoughts, to say what I wanted to say to the person I wanted to say it to, led to…a book. When my fingers started slamming into my laptop keys, little did I know a New York City agent would be interested in the text that flowed from my fingertips. Nor did I envision that my little book would garner an international award. I was lucky. I received support and the courage to move forward. And here I am, years after the first pounding out of my ponderings, and I have a second book in the works. A very different book than the first, with words that are just as necessary to share. But here’s the thing—and there’s no getting around it—I do not feel like a success. Partly because...

NY Critic's Pick Director recommends The Female Assumption

Maxine Trump is a powerhouse, who does the kind of meaningful work that resonates within her soul, whose creative spark comes from her heart. I was honored when she asked me to sign one of my books (The Female Assumption) that she intended to give to her mum (her mum is in the UK). I wrote this book to open the door to conversations that often don't get started. Maxine listed 10 books on her website that she recommends for gifts (for yourself or someone else), and she included mine. Again, I'm honored and humbled. These books speak to various experiences from women who may have wanted, or may not have wanted children. It's the "hot topic" of the day, but it doesn't have to be. We can accept that each of us need and want different things. And for those who wanted the motherhood journey and didn't find it, you're not alone. Join your sisters; they are...