Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Mel Menzies on Writing A PAINFUL POST MORTEM

I am continually impressed by what difficult subjects writers in this group are willing to tackle, even when the subjects often arise from pain in their own lives. English author Mel Menzies is a good example of this on both counts. I'm so delighted to introduce her to you today. Mel, tell us your story.

A Painful Post Mortem is a novel (my first writing as Mel Menzies) and, in a way, the title says a lot about why I write. Inspired by the loss of my daughter who was a heroin addict for years, the story begins with a death.

The death is that of a young woman, Katya. The Pathology Report suggests that her demise is self-inflicted. Aware of changes in Katya's lifestyle, her mother, Claire, is determined to prove otherwise; especially when the police arrest two people whom they suspect of being implicated.

Claire is a woman with a past: a broken marriage. She is, also, a woman of faith. People prayed for Katya throughout the years of her drug-addiction: is Claire now to believe that the promises offered as a result of those prayers are broken? Has she failed, not only in her marriage, but also in parenting her daughter? 'Where did I go wrong?' she asks herself.

Prayers, and questions like that, are seen as a sign of weakness by Katya's father, Mark, who prefers to drown such thoughts in an alcoholic haze. Nevertheless, he is drawn into the quest to clear Katya's name. And so begins the solving of a mystery.

In raking through the painful post mortem of their marriage, Claire and Mark discover certain truths: that love never dies; that forgiveness - of yourself and others - is the redeeming factor; and that from pain and suffering comes the offer of grace which, if accepted, brings peace, renewal and restoration.

There's a reason why A Painful Post Mortem attempts to air social issues via the media of fiction. Bedtime reading, when I was a child, was from my father's leather-bound Great Short Stories of the World. I adored him, and I loved the discussions that followed those bedtime rituals, about the themes that underlay Wilde's The Selfish Giant; Chekhov's The Bet; Maupassant's The Necklace. Those stories taught me more than anything about good and evil, morality and integrity: which says a lot about why Jesus used parables as life lessons.

I was not sufficiently academic to please my father, however, nor sporty enough to satisfy my mother. It was clear that I was a disappointment to both. Which is why I escaped into my own world and began to write: plays which, like the children in Ian McEwan's novel, Atonement, my cousins and I acted for our parents; and finally, my first submission, a short story, and my first rejection slip at the age of fourteen.

Eventually, I began to write in earnest, to be published, to be commissioned. And as 'fan mail' to my early memoirs showed, the 'painful post mortem' of my own life produced truths that resonated with my readers.

My goal was, and is always, to: comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.' 2 Cor 1:4. Paraphrased for my website as An Author's Look at Life: Resources to Inform, Inspire, Encourage, it is intended to reach out to unbelievers. To this day it remains the engine that drives my writing forward; the rudder that keeps me on track; and the anchor that binds me to God's truths. It is, in fact, the basis on which my writing is founded.

Mel Menzies (one of the pen names of Merrilyn Williams) is a multi-published author with a Sunday Times No. 4 bestseller, and keynote speaker. Her first job, as PA to American author, Paul Gallico (Snow Goose, Thomasina, The Poseidon Adventure) helped to shape her interest in story-telling. Since then she has written memoir, biographies, how-to-books, magazine articles on relationships, and short stories for radio. She has run workshops on Creative Writing and Publishing and blogs, regularly, on this and a variety of topics. She has recently been elected national Chairman of the Association of Christian Writers and looks forward to informing, inspiring and encouraging excellence among Christian writers across all media.

Download A Painful Post Mortem for Kindle here: ALL PROCEEDS ARE FOR CHARITY: Tearfund (child victims of HIV/AIDS); Care for the Family (educating children against drugs).



Posted by Donna Fletcher Crow whose newest release is A DARKLY HIDDEN TRUTH, The Monastery Murders 2 http://www.donnafletchercrow.com/

11 comments:

  1. Thank you so much, Donna, for posting my article about why I write in general, and why, in particular, I wrote my novel, A Painful Post Mortem. I do hope it will help others to ask life-changing questions in their own lives.

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  2. Wow! Sounds like a powerful book. Thank you, Donna, for telling us about it and thank you, Mel, for sharing so honestly. May God use this book in a special way to grant understanding and maybe even to turn someone's life around.

    Looks like it's not available for Nook yet. I'll have to buy the Kindle version to read on my phone. (Donation to Tear Fund is a major motivation to buy now and not just put it on a to-read list. I too have a heart for African kids affected by HIV&AIDS having lived there and done story hours with them.)

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    1. Sorry it's taken me a day or two to reply, LeAnne, I've had visitors staying. And thank you for your intention to buy now. You can download a FREE Kindle app onto a PC or laptop, or the paperback edition is available (details on my website). All proceeds are for charity, just the same.

      Your experience with HIV/AIDS children must have been heart-rending. I'm afraid I'm pretty useless and end up a blubbering wreck these days when I see children suffering.

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  3. Sounds a powerful book. Makes me wish I had a Kindle. It also shows the great advantage from your father of reading with children and what a legacy that is.

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    1. Dale, you are soooo right about the benefits of reading to children. Not only does it encourage them to read (my twin grandchildren were reading novels about American presidents last year when I visited them in Washington, before they were seven years old) but it's also a powerful bonding time. You can download a FREE Kindle app to your computer/laptop/phone. Or the book is also available as a paperback.

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  4. Thank you Mel for being so honest about your life. The truth does set people free and I pray the truth in A Painful Post Mortem will do so for many.

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    1. Thank you for your prayers, Fiona. Isn't it amazing the way that God uses stories about people in such a powerful way? I wrote the book with unbelievers in mind, so your prayers are particularly pertinent.

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  5. A very good interview. I have read A Painful Post Mortem and not only was it a compelling story, but it aroused all sorts of emotions in me, as the mother of a 17 year old daughter, and seeing how Katya's story unfolds towards tragedy. Nevertheless the outcome of the novel was one of hope and redemption. I greatly admire Mel Menzies' courage and skill in writing a novel out of a painful personal experience. I too have had painful experiences which would probably make a good story and yet I feel the level of objectivity and scrupulous honesty and self-examination required would be extremely testing; in other words, a painful post mortem!

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    1. Thank you for your kind comments, SC. I can't tell you how much pleasure it gave me doing this for Donna. She is such an amazing lady.

      As you know, I asked her to show me how it's done so that I can reciprocate by inviting authors to guest blog for me. As Chair of the Association of Christian Writers, I want to do all I can to promote good books that are well-written. So thank, you, too for your contribution to my website.

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  6. Mel, thank you so much for being my guest--and my writing friend across te miles! God bless all your work for Christian writig!

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    1. Thank you again, Donna. It's my privilege to be your friend across the Pond.

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