In the spring of 2007, I finished the first draft of a novel called Tinimi. The super short summary of Tinimi is that it’s about a woman whose love interest disappears into another reality. The not-as-short-summary is as follows: Ollie Finn, a former circus performer...
Dear Meli, About six years ago, I had a health crisis. In response, I cleaned up my diet. I started exercising. I stopped drinking and smoking weed. Last year, I made it to the five-year remission marker. Ever since then, I’ve been letting things slip. I...
Dear Meli, My best friend is a writer. She has had a really successful career. She doesn’t do anything to provoke this, but I often find myself comparing myself to her. I haven’t focused on my career at all in this lifetime. I have a steady job, but...
Dear Meli, A few years ago, I had an incident with a friend. The incident is so embarrassing to me, I can’t even tell you what happened. My friend and I are good now, but I can’t let go of my embarrassment. I’ve tried meditation. I’ve tried...
Dear Meli, What do you think about lies? Do you think we should never lie? I ask because I sometimes find myself telling white lies. Like, I have a coworker who wants to be good friends with me and I don’t feel the same way. When they ask me to get together, I...
What’s your relationship to the word “No”? Are you best buds, hanging out on the regular, painting the town with your ability to set firm, healthy boundaries? Or are you and “No” estranged, with little understanding of each other, suspicious and afraid to build a...
