An Interview with Melissa Speed

Fighter for life

Melissa at Rochester Castle in Kent (Photo Credit: Caelan Speed)

One day, I met another bee while buzzing around on Facebook. I remember observing this bee interact with grace and saw what her, her son, Caelan, and other writers had done to raise money for a charity called FirstLight Trust. They all collaborated on the creation of a book of poetry called Our Lights. I felt so blessed to witness the giving nature of a fellow bee and everyone involved.

It didn’t take long before we both flew out towards one another. I read a story Melissa wrote about her son setting writing challenges for her. She challenged other writers to join in — so I started working on something to contribute!

It just so happens that on the day I published my poem, Melissa’s neighbor gifted her with a pot of hunny, and she was reading about the decline of the bee population. The three events within twenty-four hours inspired Melissa to write a story. The sweetest story of two bees — us. My heart was filled with joy as I related to the story entirely.

Time went on and we started talking and bonding more. I published my biography (so much more comfortable writing about others), and Melissa loved it. She said, “It’s great! Now can you do mine?”

I laughed, said sure, and now, here we are!

So without any further ado, Let’s get into Melissa!

Up-bringing and family life

When were you born?

I was born in the summer of 1983, the hottest in years, and my poor mother endured two days of labor in that heat. My brother always jokes that my head was the same size when I was a baby as it is now and I just grew into it. I was a big baby, but I’m a small adult. I stopped growing when I was young.

Where were you born?

I was born in England in a place called The Black Country, an area of the West Midlands known for its industry — in the Victorian era there was so much black smoke from the factories you could hardly see, which is when it got its name. The region has its own dialect, and it’s so strong that most people from outside the area struggle to understand it.

Who are your parents?