Melody Carlson
6 min read ⭑
“I often feel like God is my silent partner in the writing process. My prayer is always that his grace will shine through my stories. Fiction is such a great vehicle to show how human relationships work or don’t work and why forgiveness, understanding and patience are vital to healthy relationships.”
Before becoming an award-winning author, Melody Carlson was a preschool teacher and, later, a senior editor at a publishing company. Since then, she has written over 250 books for women, teen girls and children. Her works range from “Diary of a Teenage Girl” series to Christmastime novellas like “The Christmas Tree Farm” to picture books like “The Prayer of Jabez for Kids.” Several of her books, including “All Summer Long” and “The Happy Camper,” have been turned into TV movies.
Today, she’s sharing with us a glimpse into her life, including the joys and struggles of caring for her husband with dementia, her secret garden and how she connects with God in the quiet hours of the early morning.
QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT
There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?
For starters, I live in a very small (touristy) town near the Oregon Cascade Mountains. It’s so small we have no stoplights. We’ve lived here for 30 years, including a long period of time with very few restaurant choices. That’s changing now, but so is my life. Just when it would be fun to go out and enjoy these choices, I’m limited by my husband’s FTD (frontotemporal dementia). Eating out has become quite a challenge! But on a sunny day, when we can be outside, we sometimes go to a restaurant that has been here for decades. We usually see someone we know there and the wait staff know us — and are patient with hubby. To be honest, I grew up with a single mom who loved going “out to eat,” and I was never that big of a fan, so on one hand, I’m not missing much … but on the other hand, it suddenly sounds very appealing! Oh, that “greener grass!”
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QUESTION #2: REVEAL
We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activity (or activities) do you love engaging in, which also helps you find essential spiritual renewal?
Since I’m more confined at home than ever, my “secret” garden has become my revitalizing place. We built a home during COVID (nutty, I know) before my husband’s diagnosis (although he was showing clear signs). Anyway, landscaping was a necessity, and getting it together was completely on me. Nature’s beauty is important to me. I love to garden, even though it’s hard at our elevation, with challenges from invading voracious deer and extreme weather conditions. Somehow (with God’s help!) I’ve managed to create deer-proof spaces with raised vegetable beds, flowers, shrubbery and two courtyards with protected seating areas people can enjoy — even in winter. I have a fish pond and feed hummingbirds and cottontail bunnies — and I have a big crop of cheery sunflowers! I get rejuvenated every time I go out there.
QUESTION #3: CONFESS
Every superhero has a weakness. Every human too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite, and how do you hide it?
I have never been naturally patient. Whether it’s a blessing or a curse, I have always been a fast learner, completed tasks in short amounts of time and juggled multiple projects successfully. Consequently, I have crazy high expectations of myself. But I do admire patience in other people. My husband is, by nature, very patient — even with me! My impatience begins with me but trickles on to others. It seems I’ve always been working on it. But now, with my husband’s dementia demands, I feel like a beginner student in Patience 101. Every single day. It’s the hardest course I’ve ever endured! And without God’s help — his strength in my weakness — I’m sure I’d fail.
QUESTION #4: FIRE UP
Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your current obsession? And why should it be ours?
I’ve always liked writing about relationships and the human condition, including all kinds of mental health issues, which have been abundant in the course of my lifetime. I think fiction is an amazing tool to teach about real life. I’ve written about schizophrenia, OCD, addiction — you name it. But my latest novel involves a secondary character with FTD (frontotemporal dementia), which is my husband’s diagnosis. He’s surrounded by loving, if not challenged, family members attempting to rebuild their own lives, save a floundering farm and restore relationships. I’m hoping through the magic of story (and a bit of humor) to inform readers about this debilitating condition. “Welcome to the Honey B&B” releases in March 2025, and I’m currently considering adaptation for screen.
QUESTION #5: BOOST
Cashiers, CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?
I often feel like God is my silent partner in the writing process. My prayer is always that his grace will shine through my stories. Fiction is such a great vehicle to show how human relationships work or don’t work and why forgiveness, understanding and patience are vital to healthy relationships. I doubt I could write what I do without his help. Or that it would touch hearts in the way I hope it does. It also helps me appreciate the difficulties I’ve lived through with family members because I see how God puts these life lessons to good use in my books. He doesn’t waste anything!
QUESTION #6: inspire
Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied habits that open our hearts to the presence of God. So let us in. Which spiritual practice is working best for you right now?
In quiet, reflective moments, often in the wee hours of the morning with no interruptions, I will silently “sing” old praise songs or mentally recite Scripture I’ve memorized over the years to center myself. And I try to just listen to God. Sometimes it’s just one word like “rest” or a short phrase like “come to me” or “I love you” or “be still” that gives me the nudge of inspiration I need to face the upcoming day. I believe in the power of small things.
QUESTION #7: FOCUS
Looking backward, considering the full sweep of your unique faith journey and all you encountered along the way, what resources stand out to you? What changed the game and changed your heart? What radically altered your life? What changed your reality?
Early in my writing career, I belonged to a critique group — three dear writing friends — who really taught and encouraged me. Then we moved two hours away, my writing took off, and for 20-plus years, I wasn’t part of a critique group. But about seven years ago, a friend mentioned she wanted to start one and — longing for more community since the writing life is a solitary one — I offered to help her with it. As a result, I so look forward to our monthly meetings. Not so much for the critique but for the fellowship and encouragement of other writers. And I love helping them on their journeys! I’m always invigorated afterward and am convinced, especially as we age, we all need community. Now more than ever!
Taking care of a loved one full time may be more common — and challenging — than you think. In 2021, around 38 million family caretakers provided 36 billion hours of care to an adult.
Generally, these services are done free of charge, but that doesn’t mean they’re easy. Between around-the-clock care, deciphering medical insurance policies, keeping track of doctor appointments and prescriptions, and advocating for proper medical care, it’s little wonder caregivers often struggle with chronic stress and depression — especially if they’re caring for a loved one with dementia. What’s more, many caregivers feel alone in their duties or feel uncomfortable asking for help.
So this week, we encourage you to pause and ask yourself: Do I know anyone taking care of a sick or physically limited loved one? What are some practical ways I could extend support and love toward them?
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of more than 250 books with sales of more than $7.5 million, including many bestselling Christmas novellas, young adult titles and contemporary romances. She received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award, her novel “All Summer Long” has been made into a Hallmark movie, and the movie based on her novel “The Happy Camper” premiered on UPtv in 2023. Her latest is “The Christmas Tree Farm,” a romantic Christmastime novella. She and her husband live in central Oregon.
