Welcome to our final Friday Faculty Five post before the 2017 conference. We hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know some things about our faculty members and feel confident about meeting them this weekend!
BRMCWC Conference Directors Edie Melson & DiAnn Mills
Edie Melson
1. I am creative in self-defense. My mother is an internationally known watercolorist and marbling master, my father was a classically trained musician who was a woodwind professor and sat first chair for 20+ years in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Beyond that, his second career was as a black & white nature photographer. I truly believed they’d have kicked me out of the family if I hadn’t proved true to my bloodline.
2. I am a home-improvement TV star. At least I was…before HGTV was ever invented. Back in the early 80s I was a regular guest on the nationally syndicated Al’s Super Handyman program where I taught viewers tricks and tips regarding wallpaper – from hanging it to repairing it.
3. I have always been a writer. My mother will tell you that I began writing as soon as I could hold a crayon and walk to a blank wall. And I wrote my first full-length novel in eighth grade. One of the coolest things about getting published was when one of those eighth-grade classmates found me on social media and reminded me that he’d signed my yearbook with the prediction that he’d one day find my books on a bookstore shelf.
4. I was featured in a five-page spread in McCalls Magazine as a needlepoint designer. Vanna White was on the cover (to give you an idea of when this transpired). I was in business with my mother and our company was called, My Mother & I. We designed and hand-marbled needlepoint canvases. We sold our work all over the US and attended several national needlework shows—where McCalls discovered us. We finally closed the business when I had our third son. I just couldn’t keep up with the demand and raise three young boys.
5. I married my high-school sweetheart. Kirk and I met when I was just sixteen. We met when I was singing in the church choir and he winked at me from the congregation. We married when I was nineteen. He taught me how to drive a stick, and we’re still together! LOL We’ve been married almost 36 years and known each other 39 years.Bonus Fact: I was a costume design major in college (rebelling against being a writer). After I graduated I worked as a costumer at several community theaters and designed and sewed costumes as a sideline business.
DiAnn Mills
1. I always dreamed of becoming a Hollywood actress, but I decided writing stories would be more fun than acting the part.
2. My favorite place to write is on the treadmill. But I refuse to be called a hamster.
3. I am admittedly, a picky eater. I prefer fresh veggies, fruits, whole grains, and dark chocolate. I’m building my own food pyramid.
4. I once took an African Safari by myself. Sleeping lions didn’t bother me. Neither did the charging elephant. But the crocodiles gave me nightmares.
5. The oldest piece of clothing I own is my high school jacket – the one with a boot to show I was a majorette.
BRMCWC Conference Assistants Bethany Jett & Alycia Morales
Alycia Morales
1. I won the sixth grade spelling bee because I was the only one who knew Arctic had a C in the middle of it. Then I lost the next round to a really brilliant fifth grader.
2. I’ve lived in 7 states. Five of them were in a span of 6 years. My husband’s in construction, so we went from national project to national project … Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, New Mexico, New York (while he worked in DC), back to South Carolina. If you ever need to have a yard sale or pack tight, I’m your girl.
3. My husband took me too a fundraising event for Way of the Master ministries. Kirk Cameron was there. When Kirk was alone for a couple of minutes, Vic asked if I wanted to meet him and proceeded to walk me over to him. I was nervous enough to begin with, and as my husband walked away from Kirk and I to take our picture, he told Kirk not to let him forget to tell him my report story. I had written a biography report about him in eighth grade and still have it in my possession (I got an A+). When he told Kirk about that, I turned bright red. Kirk said I looked a bit like Bob the tomato. But I met my childhood celebrity crush!
4. The summer between my freshman and sophomore year of high school I attended my first writers event. My freshman English teacher had entered my writing in a contest and I won 1/18 spots to attend a weekend-long writing intensive program at a local college. High school kids from all over the Northeast entered. I was shocked when Mr. Burns told me I’d won.
5. My favorite summer job was being hired as a stand-in for Cherry Jones on the set of The Tears of Julian Po. The stars? Christian Slater and Robin Tunney. I got to sit around for hours eating delicious catered food until they needed me to sit or stand on set for ten minutes, and I got paid SAG rate to do it! I bought my first car.
Our faculty is looking forward to meeting you! We hope you’re as excited as we are! We’ll see you in two days!
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I already loved you three gals. Now I’m in AWE of you – great backstories! Get to hug you TOMORROW!
LOVE these! What great facts — you guys are super talented and have awesome stories!!!