Homestead Florida

Type: Member Writer
Categories: Writer
General Info:

I was born in Kentucky, 12/24/1945 into a military family. We moved to Homestead in 1948, and I attended the local schools, Neva King Cooper and graduated in 1963 from South Dade High. I always scribbled from childhood but had no formal writing classes.

In 1964, I married Private Thorp US Army, who was shipped in during the Cuban Missile Crisis. I raised three children and had no time for art; most were pencil sketches and I tried to paint, but oil didn't come out of the green shag rug very well.

We relocated in 1980 to Olympia, Washington and established ten book exchanges brick and mortar, and in 1997 moved into the digital online environment with 60,000 books covering a period of thirty years. We retired to Homestead, where my daughter encouraged me to publish my 1950 memoirs of Annabell and Ferdamay; then, she insisted I illustrate them. By 2010, I had turned out 9 True American children’s books, covering several decades including local history.

About the same time, Homestead Center for the Arts and the Lamplighters writers group became my second home. I was inspired to paint and found peace and harmony in all media. I worked in pastel, oil, watercolor, sculpture, and stumbled into photography.

I ran out of memories and wrote several books in fiction: mystery and science fiction, then poetry. I self-published and passed my skills to others, helping to publish Alligator Tales for the Lamplighters, established a small company, and dabbled as a Ghost Writer.

I don't know how much time I have left on this earth, but I can say, “Thank You” to Lamplighters and Homestead Center for the Arts for many opportunities and associates.

Contact Melody at novagem@gmail.com.