Melia's Short Bio for TWAU

Bio for TWAU

Hi, my name is Melia (Mah LEE ah), but you can call me Mel if it is easier for you. It is a Hawaiian name and is a little, purple flower. It is also a variation of 'Merry.'

I live in the Oklahoma Panhandle with my husband and two kids. My son, Kevin, age eight, will have two poems in April issue and maybe more in the future. My daughter is almost two and is not old enough to write. I also live with six cats and two dogs, all of which think that they own us.

I am a kid at heart and really like to play games on the computer. When I am not on the computer, you can usually find me curled up next to one of my cats reading or crocheting. As a child and pre-teen, I would often ask when I could ride my favorite horses: Foxy Lady, Coo, or Jimbo. The horses were over at the American Riding Club for the Handicapped (ARCH) stables. Riding and volunteering were my ultimate pastimes.

I have been writing for years in hopes of educating children and young adults regarding the treatment of those around us. I especially like to write articles informing readers of disabilites such as my own cerebral palsy, caused by a brain injury at or before birth and affecting the right side of my body.

The one thing I hope to change is that there are not enough main characters who have hidden or unexaggerated disabilities. If a main or supporting character has a disability, the author usually places the person in a wheelchair. I am not in a wheelchair, neither do I need extra attachments to walk or use the computer.

I hope you are enjoying The World Around Us. I know I am!

Bye for now,
Melia