Memorium Melody

Project: Memorium Melody

Melody's funeral was beautiful. But there was only just so much time for her life and legacy to be discussed. She was so much more than could be encompassed in just one hour. If reflecting on this, I realized that we all carry a piece of her story - the ways that she touched our lives, and the stories that describe her days. Memorium Melody is an attempt to collect these stories and reflections. It has two purposes: the first is to provide closure for those of us that she left behind by sharing our memories of her, and the second is to provide a witness of who she was for the people who were touched by her so that they may know her in completeness - at least as much as is possible.

The book will contain:

A broad chronological history of her life

Chapters on the various parts of her character (as a wife, a mother, a quilter, a gamer, a Christian, etc.)

Anectodes, stories and reflections from people she touched

I (Erick Brown, Melody's husband) will be writing content for Memorium Melody as well as editing and eventually publishing it. The book will be made available for free to anyone who is interested (the purpose of this project is not to generate revenue). I eagerly invite anyone who knew her to add their stories and reflections. I will edit them as minimally as possible (checking for spelling, ambigious grammar, etc.) and include them in the final product.

You have my assurance that:

I will do everything in my power to preserve your privacy - I will not share your email address, contact information, or even your real name if you were among Melody's gaming friends

I will do my very best to faithfully present your witness, anecdotes, stories, and reflections

When changes to your text are necessary, I will communicate them to you to ensure that your intent is preserved

I will notify everyone that I can think of who might be interested when the book is complete

I will publish the book electronically here on this site (on this very page, in point of fact)

I will publish the book on Amazon Kindle for as close to free as I am able to make it (Amazon imposes minimum price limits) - any revenue generated by such sales will go to Compassion International

I will get pricing information for physical printed copies, and sell them (at cost; I'm not seeking profit) to those who want them

How To Contribute

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to contribute. Feel free to send a link to this page to anyone that you think might be interested in writing for this project. Please observe the following guidelines when writing:

Please let me know by July 2nd, 2021 if you want to write something; we can deal with deadlines for the actual writing later, but I need to know who is participating

Keep in mind that this will be available to all of Melody's friends, family, and acquaintances. Be respectful and don't violate confidences.

Avoid profanity (unless the commentary is somehow degraded without it)

When addressing any shortcomings of Melody or her friends and family, be honest but avoid being mean

Be sure to include your name (or the character name that Melody knew you by) and how you knew her (fellow quilter, Walk to Emmaus, guildie, etc.)

Send what you write to self@ejtbrown.com. Please include "Memorium Melody" in the subject to make those messages easy for me to search.

Thank you for your participation in this project!