may everyone who shoots off fireworks in a neighborhood tonight have a very nice shut the fuck up forever you selfish fuck

Jo is disabled! So am I! Dynamic disabilities mean every day can bring its own kind of spiciness, and we both deal with that. #indieauthor #disability #disabilitypride #disabilitybooks #nonbinarybooks

This painting would be for her.

There are many good and noble reasons to read widely as a writer, but a small and petty one is that sometimes you will read a book so hilariously bad it will massively boost your confidence.

another day, another fun pride event! see ya at Mt Hood pride until 4pm today! 🏔️🌈

in Seattle? come see me today at Lovestruck in Seattle from 11-3pm!!

hot tip when you’re stuck write your story on your phone get out a crappy notes app and just go to town it takes the pressure off

2 events this weekend! Seattle, WA on Saturday at Lovestruck in Seattle from 11-3pm Welches, OR (Coffee House 26) on Sunday at Mt Hood Pride from 10-4pm See y’all soon!

fun event yesterday at a pride block party! I sold some books, met some good people, and was asked if my books have sad endings (I was horrified! of course they’re happy! haha).

spotted my ladies at Always Here Bookstore in PDX! Here for an event tonight.

The AG is wrong. Protect libraries as the public good that they are. Licensing to libraries is already onerous for the libraries. Libraries are no enemy here.

Also, most disabled artists and writers are even more reliant on the income from their creative work (which can be done from home) than non-disabled artists/writers are - and genAI stole from ALL of us. 😠

Tomorrow in Portland! I’m moderating a whole panel about aro/ace spec books! Come hang out with us at Always Here Books! 💚💜

I queried one trad publisher in a moment of doubt and immediately regretted it, so I knew sticking with selfpub was the way for me. I like maintaining control over my creative projects—from text to covers—and I want to be able to write from my heart, not write what is “trending” or “marketable.”

Went to an author event at Grand Gesture last night with Anita Kelly—it was so lovely! I can’t wait to read “among the wild flowers.” The vibe is exactly what we all need—soft, gentle, spicy. Indie bookstores are a lifeline keeping us indie authors alive, and they’re important community spaces! 💜

Have you got 5+ copies of any of your books just hanging around? Want to raise money for VoteRiders and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice? We want YOU! form.romancingthevot...

A GREAT DAY TO BE THE WORLDS GREATEST AUTHOR. THATS RIGHT IM TALKING ABOUT YOU

And those weren't even supposed to be perks! They were supposed to be part of the absolute basic agreement for every book because that's how you run a business that sells books! Now it's like "No we only want SOME of our books to sell" which means those things ARE perks. :\

Every author should do this btw. Seeing even one novel with your name on it published is a massive achievement. The odds were overwhelmingly against you. Anyone who makes you feel bad/vain about displaying your books isn’t your friend. They wouldn’t say that shit to an athlete about their trophies.

when you start your morning with a neurodivergent meltdown and you still have to be a grownup all day 😬

3 events in June! More info at MelELemon.com Hillsboro, OR on the 14th for the Westside Queer Resource Center’s Pride Block Party from 11-3pm Seattle, WA on the 20th at Lovestruck in Seattle from 11-3pm Welches, OR (Coffee House 26) on the 21st at Mt Hood Pride from 10-4pm See y’all soon!

the gay agenda? please. I’m way pushier about making people listen to enhypen.

US library sales are a HUGE part of an author's earnings, too. Not as good as the UK, but still better than a lot of people think. We want readers to get our books from the library. It's a good deal for us and you!

Portland!! Come see me tomorrow at Literary Arts for the in-person launch of Being Aro! Sydney and I are gonna have such a fun convo and I can’t wait to chat about this book with them (and hopefully some of you!)

I know insta is blah but I post there more often and I’ve recently decided to marry my hyperfixations on werewolves and kpop in all my reels sooooo find me at mel.e.lemon over on insta if you’re there, too. the only way I can post more is if it’s fun, and this is fun

You're trapped in the last TV show you watched, where are you? I’m in Xigu alley wondering when these two pretty people in town will admit their feelings for each other!

There are so many ways to get an affordable cover that aren't the theft machine. Using AI is a *choice*, not a necessity. By doing that, you're saying that only your art is sacred, and you have no problem stealing from your peers. And yeah, it does make people think you wrote the book with AI, too.

Gotta tap the damn sign again, huh. If you're using AI for your book cover, you are part of the problem. When people call you out for that, it's not "gatekeeping", it's telling you that throwing cover designers under the bus isn't okay just because you're an uwu smol bean indie author.

Some of the authors that may have books in our blind date menu include.. @desiheart.bsky.social @danifinnwrites.bsky.social @dehm000.bsky.social @mel-e-lemon.bsky.social @rangeralthynia.bsky.social @rexburke.bsky.social @stevewestenra.bsky.social @nymcoy.bsky.social spilledinkcoffee.com

Any sales, including preorders, are so helpful right now!! #crochet #booksky #smallbiz

Hydrate your meat suit, and write more smut 💜

Newsletters! Give readers an easy, free way to follow your work and get updates about sales and new releases that isn't beholden to the whims of a social media platform. You own your own mailing list, and your updates go straight to readers' emails who actively want to hear from you.

Cultivate and treasure friendships with other authors, not for "networking" or to accrue clout, but because publishing can be an exhausting and demoralizing business and you need to be able to find joy in other people's wins as well as your own

two ideas! 1) Find your people. I created a writers group that has helped me grow so much. It helps to talk to other writers. 2) I just started doing in-person events and, if you can, reach out strategically and give them a try. People enjoy meeting an author, turns out.

I need 600 for rent and 300 for electricity. We are two months behind on electric and they will shut it down if we don’t pay by the 16th!! Please boost!! 💕💸

✨️ New slots for Fall & Winter 2026 available now! ✨️ If you're looking for an actually affordable editor with 17 years of experience and a reputation for becoming my clients' biggest cheerleader and toughest coach, let's talk about your story and your needs! I can't wait to see what you've created 💜

donated a little! I’m quote posting (didn’t see a way to comment or message—totally get it) so I can say hi 👋 I’m Mel, and I’m in the Portland area. I volunteer with a local queer center, so if you need help once you get here, feel free to reach out. Stay powerful, friend!

Still in need of moving funds!! Please consider helping a therian, disabled trans woman move to a sanctuary city for trans people~!! <3 💜 www.gofundme.com/f/help-melod...

here’s hoping today isn’t another yucky pain day 🤞 I’ve got enough going on in my brain. Why does my body have to join the dysfunctional party?

Pride & Prejudice & Grogu

blueberry arthritis

I write themuscripts.

happy #mermay! the love interest in my next book is a transmasc merman bc I can do whatever I want.

Frankenstein and Grogu

Bring back the ancient knowledge

Writers: what’s a solid piece of *craft* advice you wish you’d known sooner? Cook the food you want to eat, and you will find your audience.

$5.15/hr. I worked at the library.

we all know this classic way

when I say I try to write everyday, I mean that my goal is one sentence. literally just one sentence. it doesn’t happen everyday, even with a goal so small, but it does help me sit down and open my draft and actually work on it more often. just one sentence, y’all.

volunteering at the library this afternoon and, boi, what a wonderful place that exists. we are so blessed to have libraries for a million reasons.