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Mel Morton was born in the 70s' and raised in Wiltshire, England. Her childhood inspiration came from the 80s' Brat Pack movies: St Elmo's Fire, Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club and, later on, Top Gun.
When reality hit and she realized that real life would never be like the movies, Mel turned to books, relying on authors such as Jilly Cooper, Nora Roberts and Jackie Collins for both her education and a welcome distraction from the realities of life.
In hindsight, Mel now sees that if she'd revised for exams rather than reading fiction, her grades may have been better. That said, without the down-to-earth, emotional education of Maeve Binchy and Joanna Trollope novels, she's not sure how she would have got through the growing up years and beyond.
Today, as an author, Mel strives to offer the same emotional exploration in her own writing, choosing to peek beyond the still, smooth façade and get knee-deep in the emotional grunge, picking at the bones of a situation or relationship.
Perspective, a collection of short stories, does just that. As does Unravelled, Mel's first novel, which will be available on Amazon Kindle later this year.
If you'd like more information about Mel Morton, you can visit her website at www.melmorton.com or find her on Goodreads.
Reviewed by Jean Hall for Readers' Favorite
I thoroughly enjoyed this British story although it brought many deep issues to the surface. In Holding On, Mel Morton writes about the village of Heatherton, with a woman named Beth who is holding on to a secret. I wanted to know what happened next as I read Beth's story and how she managed to cope with surviving childhood sexual abuse.
The story starts out innocently enough with the Heatherton committee planning an event. The good folks of the village plan a festival to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee. They want a celebrity to kick off the festivities and they choose a renowned war photographer named Don. Beth puts two and two together and she realizes that the photographer is her feared abuser. She was just a fragile girl of eight named Lizziebeth when her innocence was deviously stolen. Beth has a disapproving Mum and an understanding Dad. Beth's husband Peter is kind and thoughtful. Will Beth be believed and will justice prevail?
The story of childhood abuse bubbles up through the work of the committee and more comforting everyday events. The British English and slang gives Mel Morton's Holding On its distinctive flavor. I thought that this British story was very appealing and that deep subjects were approached with great humanity.
