melibee7's Xanga

2 Videos I made for my friend's music to go up on Youtube

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:15:36 GMT

~Walking In The Air~

~Heaven's Number~

We are working on more songs, plus I have others he's written that I'll also be making into videos.

Hope you enjoy! God bless.

A New Venture in Music

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:27:53 GMT

So I've recently discovered my favorite form of poetry, and it happens to be writing lyrics for hip-hop songs!

Thanks to my friend Verse, of Young Royalty Records, for getting me into this when he decided he wants his music to go in a Christian direction. It's wonderful how many musical avenues can be used in reaching out and spreading God's message!

You can check out Verse's myspace at www.myspace.com/verseyr to listen to his music! Feel free to download and spread the word if you like him as much as I do!

He just posted up lots of songs. I helped write the one titled "Walking in the Air." :)

Hope you enjoy!!!

Much love to you and thanks!

Hitting the trail once again, book in hand

Thu, 14 May 2009 19:54:40 GMT

Because I've been last blogging about my picture book's publication, I thought I should update.

The original aim was to have it out on the market by Christmas this year.... But now that we've gotten to the point of the final illustrations, there have been some hurdles to overcome with the publishing process. Andrew (the artist) and I are looking for a new publisher.

Our publisher was so new and not yet established enough. He wanted us to do all of the prepress work, including high resolution drum scans of the images in correct layout and size, adding in the text, and sending it printer-ready on a disc. (Things the publisher normally does.) This would cost us thousands- one drum scan at our picture size could range between $40-$200....for only ONE picture. The publisher would have covered publication, printing, advertising, marketing, shipping, etc. But we do not have the funds or experience to do half of the process ourselves.

He would have given us a fairly high royalty rate for the extra work, but that doesn't matter. With his market still being small, we weren't even sure if we'd sell enough copies to pay ourselves back...let alone make profit. There was no contract, yet, so legally we're fine. And my story has a registered copyright.

We parted as friends with the publisher and understand our positions, so although we aren't the right match, at least there is potential for both of our success in the future. Andrew's right when he says we have to do this right. It would've been horrible to lose money on the book just because it wasn't done in a favorable way!

While Andrew and I have our book on hold, we're working on a 2nd picture book project that we think might be a better debut as an author-illustrator team. It's catchier, and rhymes animals with their environments. If a publisher likes our style, we might have a chance at submitting the other story-with-art to them too.

Thanks again for your support and being excited about the book. It will get published- there's just a bit of a delay right now. I will keep you posted with news of another publisher accepting our books. :)

Hope you're enjoying the spring!

Photo Mosaic / Jill of All Trades

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 23:50:54 GMT

Something fun that came from Facebook. Yes, I know, Facebook... I don't intend on abandoning Xanga. I have just been quite busy on various projects lately. I've been like a Jack (or Jill) of all writing trades, with the continuation of some things and the addition of more...going places I never even imagined for myself a year ago. I'm getting a short story published in a new online magazine for teen fiction called The Tide Pool. This was my first submission to an online mag, and it worked! I'm thinking teens might read more online these days, anyway, than in paper magazines. My favorite new project, however, includes using poetry in songs with an old friend from high school--grade school, really--who records. I wish I would've known him better back then, but I guess it's the right time now. Another cheer for Facebook. haha. I used to think I'd put a book of poetry together one day, but this is better. I especially like it that the songs are going to be Christian. Otherwise, when my official writer's blog is running, I'll put a link to it on here. And I'll eventually have my own author website, when I have my picture book and others to feature on there. God bless you all in whatever stage that life has you journeying!

Okay, so back to the Photo Mosaic:

THE PHOTO MOSAIC:

Rules:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search (http://www.flickr.com/)
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s Mosaic Maker (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php)
d. Save the image and post it on this note!

The Questions (with my answers):

1. What is your first name? Melissa
2. What is your favorite food? deep dish pizza
3. What is your favorite color? blueviolet
4. Favorite drink? water
5. Dream vacation? cherry blossoms in Japan
6. Favorite Hobby? painting
7. What you want to be when you grow up? author
8. What do you love most in life? God
9. One word to describe you? embracing

In The Publishing Clouds

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 19:40:56 GMT

^^^^NEWS^^^^

I'M GETTING MY FIRST BOOK PUBLISHED!!!!!!!

It's been quite a month of holding-my-breath-expectations and joy that can still, at times, seem unreal! God works in mysterious ways. There's a small publisher in VT who works with Adam's step-dad's printing company...and that same publisher was interested in seeing my picture book manuscript. After I mailed it, I got a call from him the following week, asking me to revise it with page breaks! It's really been a nice experience working with a small publisher, because it's more oneo-on-one, and I get to give my input. Right now, the process is at the stage of finding/deciding on the right artist for the job. I should know within this week. Since this is my first peek into the book publishing world, I'm not sure how long it normally takes an illustrator to draw 32 pictures, or what the printing actually entails, but it's all a step at a time and I'm loving each one!

The publisher works with book stores nationwide, like Borders, for one. I'm not certain if I'll work on more book projects with him in the future, but I would like to have a regular publisher one day instead of submitting all over the place. I have more picture book ideas in various stages, plus some chapter books- I don't know if he publishes those. I'm busy, but truly happy when I think of my book on the book stores' shelves.

I'll post more details about the book itself and the publication dates as I find them out. For now, I hope you're having an awesome ending of summer!

Don't ever give up on your dreams. It's not ALWAYS fun- but in the end, it is so worth it.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:34:22 GMT

A Few Quotes by C.S. Lewis That I Really Like

The pleasures in life are indeed good, just not good enough; they are "only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited." -C.S. Lewis (The Weight of Glory)

"We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea." -C.S. Lewis (The Weight of Glory)

"Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason once accepted, despite your changing moods." -C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity)

Just A Few Thoughts

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:59:49 GMT

~ No matter what, my hope and trust is in the Lord.
God sends guideposts, even when we might not have chosen change on our own.
Jesus loves me. He loves me--and you--so much, He'd die for me/you again.
The only true love is the love of Christ. Any other form of it in this world will only catch a mere shard of its fullness.

~ A heart may feel as easily broken as if it were made of glass...
But, that's where the One steps in Who turns hearts of stone into flesh.
There are so many bigger things going on in this turning world other than the breakup of Melissa.

~ For the second time, a satirical little music video has come to my attention, which almost comically sings how 2 roosters can't lay an egg. While I don't have a problem with its message, I do have a problem with its method of delivery. Here's why.

It reminds me of the tag line many Christians use: "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve."

While these phrases are true and catchy, I feel like it would help people more if a solution or guidance was given....pointing to God, and hope in Him....Who needs to be approached....which takes WILLINGNESS to want to go to Him.

Sometimes the "catchy" approach puts a trivial hue over an issue that's very real to many misguided people. If it's not dealt with seriously, I wonder how many don't take it seriously, and just ignore it as more loud, obnoxious "Bible thumping" riffraff that gets swallowed up in the sea of the loud and obnoxious gay rights advocates, and political party division, etc. It's a loud world.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.
But the greatest of these is love."

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 04:08:09 GMT

Well, I'm changing this Garth Brooks song to be from a girl's perspective....because some songs just say it right.

People say he's only in my head
It's gonna take time, but I'll forget
They say I need to get on with my life
What they don't realize

Is, when you're dialing six numbers just to hang up the phone
Driving 'cross town just to see if he's home
Waking a friend in the dead of night
Just to hear her say it's gonna be alright...
When you're finding things to do, not to fall asleep
'Cause you know he'll be there in your dreams...
That's when he's
More than a memory

Took a match to everything he ever wrote
Watched his words go up in smoke
Tore all his pictures off the wall
...This ain't helping me at all

'Cause when you're talking out loud but nobody's there
You look like hell and you just don't care
You're drinking more than you ever drank
Sinking down lower than you ever sank...
When you find yourself falling down upon your knees
Praying to God, begging Him "please"...
That's when he's
More than a memory

He's more
He's more...

'Cause when you're dialing his number just to hang up the phone
Driving 'cross town just to see if he's home
Waking a friend in the dead of night
Just to hear her say it's gonna be all right --
When you're finding things to do, not to fall asleep
'Cause you know he's waiting in your dreams....
That's when he's
More than a memory

People say he's only in my head...
Gonna take time, but I'll forget

Life Changes

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:48:40 GMT

. . .And so does xanga.

I used xanga the most between 2006-2007. Realizing my life no longer reflects that, and 2008 reflects...pretty much nothing...since I've been on here under ten times all year...I deleted a lot of past entries.

They're still in my journal, where life goes on...

But, as far as xanga goes, I don't really want any random browser to get an impression of "2006 me" - when, honestly, things have changed on all fronts in my life, from relationships, to family, to my own thoughts, perceptions, and faith-life.

Is it now less personal and scant? Somewhat. Less of an open book, is more accurate. Journal-type entries are now My Journal's property. But, I still kept poems, random thoughts, and pieces of writing on here.

I like accuracy. And realistically, I have no idea when xanga will see me post again.

So I'd like to thank my xanga friends, who are much more to me now than the fellow bloggers we were when we met:
Ley, Romie, Mike, Randi, and Ryan

God bless, and Happy trails!

Three

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 21:56:19 GMT

* My New Combination Theory. I just thought of this yesterday (well, Adam started the ball rolling...or should I say, pointed the ball in the right "rolling" direction...) After a long email, which followed a long phone conversation, my thoughts arrived at a very simple conclusion. Not only did I have to learn to believe in my 100% recovery and in myself during this journey of healing - my faith as a Christian had to grow. Big time. There was a LOT of negativity I had to unlearn...from the non-believing doctors to even some of the things my own family members hammered into my head in the ways they viewed things and treated me. Some of the things I had to unlearn traced back to my severe lack of faith from growing up Catholic. I had to learn to become my own person regardless of what others said...regardless of the past. Thank God He guided my every step - especially over these last three years of being a wholehearted Christian! And, He still guides me as I know He always will. Yes, our pasts lead us to where we are now. But we mustn't let it dictate who we become. My faith came mainly from needing God's righteous instructions and truth so desperately that I no longer cared what I'd have to change...and the differences that started happening in my life from then on. That's why God is first in my life, and always will be. Now it's time faith meets the physical. Faith needs action or it is dead. "Action" can mean learning, believing God, speaking words in faith, etc. Willing the physical recovery process can't stand alone; just as my stepping aside and waiting on God can't do it all. Mind set and believing He will do it must come together. Neither is separate anymore, and I am involved in both. This is the combination. "Faith (literally) in Action." In everything I do--exercises, daily routine stuff, you name it--I am believing that I can voluntarily move that muscle...and that I can reach beyond it to the next one...and the next...because God and I want my muscles to obey, and want me whole and completely healed for His glory! He told me in my heart to believe long ago. Now that His Word taught me HOW to believe, I am instilling that into EVERYTHING I do - with a joyful and thankful spirit rooted in God Who never changes. (He would never have to change - He is perfect.) And in my life, I want to not only carry Him in me as He holds me in Him - I want to bring Him to others as well.

*Character. I think what defines a person's character most of all is what he/she spends most of their time focusing on.

*Old Picture. Have you ever stumbled across an old picture with you in it from years ago, and looking at your younger self, you tell it, "Boy. You had no clue what was still ahead for you."-? Funny that that's how God always sees us.

It just thundered! But now I'm looking outside and it's snowing again.

Have a lovely night!