Flying on a Golden Moon: Poems from the Eyes of a Dreamer by Robin Lynne Melet

An Interview with Ohio Author Robin Lynne Melet

Meet Ohio Author Robin Melet, the author of a new poetry collection Flying on a Golden Moon: Poems from the Eyes of a Dreamer. This collection is engaging and endearing as Robin writes of life, love, and her ambitions. Recently I caught up with Robin and we talked about her writing career and more.

Welcome, Robin!

GM: What is the premise for your new poetry collection?

RM:  I wrote a cute, short poem about a treasure I found when I was twelve years old. It was a beautiful rock with sparkles. I liked the poem so much that I decided that I would write and publish my own poetry book one day. That day has finally come to fruition and I am literally "livin' the dream!"

GM: The cover is beautiful! Does the cover have special meaning to you?

RM:  Thank you for the nice compliment on the cover. Yes, I agree, it is quite beautiful. The cover is Annie M.'s creation. She designed it after she read my signature sestina poem, "Flying on a Golden Moon." I expressed to her my idea and she came up with her interpretation.

GM: When writing poetry, do you have a muse or other motivation that fuels your creativity?

RM:  Yes, I always pray to God with my hands open before I create anything. I say, "God, use my work to glorify you. Thank you for my hands, God; they are the lyrics of my soul." I love to look at pictures of friends smiling in pictures. And, I have a favorite photo of my high school English teacher, Mrs. Lillian Keith, giving me a hug and a rose at my graduation. That meant THE world to me. When I was failing my best and favorite subject in her English class, she requested I come to her desk. She said, "I believe in you. I will help you bring up your grade." I will always be grateful for those heartfelt words. 

GM: Do you have a favorite poem from this collection? Why is it your favorite?

RM:  I truly love every single one of them, but my absolute favorite is definitely the sestina. It is unique and a definite poetry masterpiece. A Sestina is a formalized kind of poetry. It contains six paragraphs, with six words, all used separately in each of the six sentences of the paragraphs. The seventh paragraph only has three lines, using all the words. I learned how to write this while I was in a college writing class. I love the final outcome. It is very inspirational to me. 

GM: What other books have you written?

RM:  I wrote my autobiography, "Through the Sliver of a Frosted Window-A Story of Hope and Faith." It launched in 2020 and is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and through Higher Ground Books and Media. It's all about my journey with bi-polar disorder and how I have coped and learned to manage this mental health challenge for twenty God-given years. It is truly a book about being a survivor, thriver and perseverance.

GM: Congratulations on NAMI 2021 Volunteer of the Year! What is NAMI and what is your volunteer role?

RM:  Thank you so much for the kudos! NAMI stands for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It is wonderful non-profit group located all over the United States to provide support, education and advocacy to people with mental health challenges, as well as their caregivers, family and friends.  I am a facilitator and public speaker for NAMI. I lead peer-to-peer groups and everyone who attends these particular groups have a mental health challenge. I present speeches about my journey to police officers, correctional officers and C.I.T. (Crisis Intervention Team) members with the intentions of finding better solutions about handling people while they are in crisis. "Help, not handcuffs" is the main theme.

GM: Now that your poetry book is out, are you writing anything new?

RM:  Yes! I have had the honor and privilege of caring for the elderly population and my specialty has been with people who have brain challenges, like forms of Dementia such as Alzheimer's, Aphasia, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, just to name a few. My next book is dedicated to the wonderful "in" moments that bring joy and laughter to people at a quick glance. The short stories are so fantastic. One lady was a "runner." She put her white tennis shoes on early in the morning. I was working an overnight shift and I heard fussing in the bedroom about 4:34 a.m. I ran out to find her heading toward the door, so I ran in front of her and said, "Where are you going, Annie?" She replied, "I don't know, but I'll tell you when I get there!" I had to quickly re-direct her attention and bring her into the other room where I encouraged her to sing with me and then she forgot all about the run. 

GM: List 10 things your fans may not know about you...

RM:

1) I enjoy being alone to write. 

2) I'm a super photographer.

3) I'm very loyal to my fans and friends.

4) I am cranky in the morning for the first hour after I wake up.

5) I love to encourage, empower, enlighten and inspire people to live their dream. Whatever their dream is, then do it.

6) I love applause.

7) I still love classic rock and roll, jazz and 70's disco music!

8) I love to learn about people and their stories. 

9) I am a super listener and I pay attention to what people say.

10) I have always had golden blonde hair. Now, I bleach because I like to. My childhood nickname is "Shinepunim." It is actually spelled differently in Yiddish, but that's the way I learned it, so it stuck. It means, "pretty, smiling face." 

Connect with Robin…

Amazon Author Page