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Readers Speak
As a young, hopeful, fellow writer/artist I do
believe what you are doing is marvelous. I shall be back often.
allofus1@deseretonline.com
before laughing about silicon alley think about your
design
anna.und@TalkNet.de
What a find. You say you're indifferent to criticism. I hope you don't fee the same about praise. You're bound to get lots of it. Now I'm going back to read more.
SAttki5868@aol.com
The more I see of the cartoons, the more I like them. They appear
to be quite original & they set a kind of mood even without the caption. The
caption kind of synergizes the effect, I think. The drawing style is
excellent.
These remarks are from someone who most people call excessively
critical, hard to please, etc. Eg. I didn't care for "Midnight iin the
Garden of Good & Evil, thought "East of the Mtns." a near dud, thought "Cold
mountain" beautifully written but got emotionally turned off on about half
way thru & didn't finish.
I think I know crap when I see it, but those
cartoons are by somebody who ought to get more recognition.
HPAThom@worldnet.att.net
Dear Ms. Mellish, I would like to take a moment of your valuable time to mention that I would like to ask you for a small request. If it is possible, I would sincerely appreciate receiving a personally autographed photo of you. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
rgl@xtn.net
This is just a quick note to let you know I've read every last episode of Five George Washingtons and enjoyed every word. I'm no expert at any of this, but I know what I like, and as a happy coincidence, what I like often happens to be very good. I like Five George Washingtons very much, and I think that if your agent doesn't like this book, it might be time for you to get a new agent.
The other thing is, I keep seeing film when I read this story. Has that idea entered your mind at all? A full-length animated film would be wonderful, and probably do good at the New York Film Festival or similar venue. And speaking of that I like the way you parody the whole Silicon Alley phenom and pay homage to it at the same time, sort of like you're poking sharply perceptive but loving fun at close friend or family member. I've developed something of an affinity with Veda, and I'm very sorry to witness the mess she seems to be stepping in. Whatever future forms this story takes, I'll be watching. Thanks for the read.
synergy@banet.net
What a surprise - gentleness on the net. It's like going on a sleepaway as an adult with a friend from first grade you had forgotten, all new and growingly familiar.
How do you do it? It's spiritualized, but then again not.
michael@marymaclane.com
Xander Mellish. I am a mexican young man (lowyer), and I live in San Jose, Ca.,...you are very fantastic and you carton so mach creativity...I love Amy.
noeltagle@webtv.net
I just wanted to start this out by saying I read your page every month, and enjoy it very much. I admire the way you bring life to your characters.
Please keep up the good work, because you are an inspiration to a future writer.
desm0nd@earthling.net
Hi Mellish
I've read through The Blue Flower of Happiness and it's real thing!
Beautiful and personal.
How can you write such story? But, why does it seem that the story stop
in the middle as it ends with 'unhappiness'?
But no doubt, I like the story.
I am from Indonesia (you know it? Perhaps our Bali is more
wellknown). Now I am reading your DOE.
To tell you, I am an editor for an English-based newspaper namely The
Indonesian Daily News base in Surabaya (East Java) and I like stories
very much. I read stories after the working hour when I am sick of
political news.
Regards,
Ribut Wahyudi (Ribut means 'Noise' in English)
rbt@jawapos.co.id
I have enjoyed reading your Golden Apple story very much. Thanks for
writing it!
mh@us.ibm.com
Dear Xander:
I absolutely adored your Golden Apple serial. I'm also a member of the (gasp) media, and so much of what you wrote rings true. I laughed out loud many times reading your work and praying that when I move to New York City this
June, I'll have saner colleagues (like in journalism anyone's sane--ha :) )
Gachpjrite@aol.com
Hello Xander! The next time some fool tells you that you can't write, send 'em to me! I've had great fun with your site.
cindy_penn@hotmail.com
For all of my 18 years I have been hoping to find stories with
characters so real and problems so trivial but important and you're it!
In away I see myself in some of these same situations but unable to act
out accordingly, and as some of these same characters. Your an
inspiration to modern day writers who long to escape the stereotypical
stories of a damsel in distress rescued by her handsome yet troubled
Prince Charming. I would love to turn you're stories into beautiful
short movies and be able to convey the feelings of your stories to all.
clhiday@student.gc.maricopa.edu
When I first stumbled across your site I was really taken aback. The
first three or four stories I read seemed fresh and innovative. However,
the more I read, the clearer the limitations of your stories become. For
example, White City is a story which absolutely did not need to be told.
It was a simple reworking of In A Lonely Place. In fact, virtualy all
your stories look at the same two characters. The insecure, naive,
unsure, and essentially colourless first person narrator, and the
'extraordinary' extravert he or she meets and keeps or looses.
One story that really should have been censored is
Extraordinary. The female protagonist in this one annoyed me beyond
endurance. Of course, I still have faith in you as a writer, because your style is
just so good. However, you seem to be standing still rather than
progressing in any real way. You need to stretch yourself. You need
fresh challenges. Your stories basically feel a lot like your cartoons:
aestethically pleasing, instantly charming, but ultimately confined by
their own simplicity.
gerald.naughton@ucg.ie
Hi Xander, LOVE YOUR WEBSITE!! It's really fresh, and I love the
cartoons! Black and white is a really striking combination, but here's a
suggestion-- you need to have your picture in colour! Lots of love, Dana
minret@slt.lk (Minret High School)
To me, all Xander's stories are exactly the same, except with
different names and different occupations for the characters. The
personalities of most all her characters are the same; they're people
(primarily women) who are unhappy with their lives and do very little
about it except get involved with unfortunate people who are probably
bad for them. They're unhappy with their jobs yet settle for them.
The only woman I recall who does something about her work situation
(Lana--I forget the story) gets ahead by looks & devious means, so
it's fairly stereotyped as well. I think most of her female
characters are pathetic and sad, and her male ones don't do anything
for me, either.
Having said that, I thought Extraordinary and Glory In The Golden Apple
were the most interesting and there was another one whose title I
can't remember that I liked a little.
vwebb@minx.net
I love your writings. I think you are a very clever woman. It is very
rare that you meet women with such a creative mind.
northington@juno.com
I like your vignettes, Amy Beauty Rose and Blue Flower, because they're
infinitely sad in some ways but without pathos. Reading them, I feel
vicariously, through the writer, the sensation of being down, out,
ripped off, thwarted, frustrated, but not dispirited. The leimotif
running through the tales is the cry of ambition, however modest, and
also that for dignity.
bfong@asianet.net.hk
I was expecting so much more. It reads like primetime television. Your illustrations are very appealing
and they usually entice me to read what is behind them...only to be left
with the sence of being underwhelmed. This is, in my opinion, geared for a young female group.
paul.greenfield@cor.dowjones.com
I wish to use some text from your site above in a sermon illustration
magazine to which I contribute. It would appear like this:
"Xander Mellish writes, I came out of the office and it was morning.
The sun overhead was brilliant, but the shadow of the tall buildings
blocked the light to the street. In New York, there are buildings all
around you, so no matter what direction you pray there is always
something between you and God, and you end up praying to that.
What barrier stands between us and the mystery of incarnation?"
The Lord be with you as you continue to provide a breath of fresh air in
cyberspace with some very creative writings and drawings.
jburnham@bootheel.net
My name is Lana Rutter. I am from England. I'm 13 yrs old.
I think your site is really good. I don't normally read stories on the net, but for my English homework we had to write a short story, and your page really helped me. THANK YOU.
I didn't copy your work, I just got ideas from it.
melvyn@rutter.clara.net/h4>
I stumbled across your work during a half hearted Sunday night meander across the Web, and was captivated. The words that you claim to have stuck onto lamp posts, into laundromats and into pizza parlours, should have been flown from flagpoles, snuck unde
r welcome mats as pleasant presents, and have had pizzas named after them (the Glory Pizza - slightly acidic, but juicy and tasty and full of colour? Many calories, for energy to be consumed means calories).
garymac@iafrica.com
I don't think Charlotte's Mirror is very good. Actually. the story is ok....
it's Charlotte that doesn't seem very well developed. She seems like a
character based on someone you know and hate, and so you end up making
her crazy and unlikeable. Her dialogue is a bit surreal. However, I did
find In A Lonely Place to be almost unbearably moving in a way I can't
express.
prannoj@rabident.com
In a Lonely Place would make a great movie, but only if it were done
like a European film rather than a Hollywood one. I think it has a lot
to say without hitting readers over the head. I could imagine all the
scenes in my head. If I were a filmmaker, I'd ask you for the rights!
twincities@usinternet.com
I want you to know how much I enjoyed your stories, I printed all of them
and I am putting them in a binder so that they can be enjoyed forever.
You are an excellent writer. I hope you will soon get a wonderful contract by
one of the best publishing houses. I am surprised that one of them has
not grabbed you already.
vhawkins@hejira.Hunter.CUNY.EDU
I linked to your page in an amusing way. Having remarked to a friend, "If you have a fetish for sex with air conditioners, there's
probably already a newsgroup for it on the Internet," I got to thinking, "I wonder if it's true?"
Next time I logged on, I went to Alta Vista, which is a service that
searches millions of Web documents to match key words. The service lets
you look for words near each other, so I entered "sex NEAR air NEAR
condition*."
There were 23 matches, one of them your story Amy Beauty Rose. The
quote:
"I can't have sex with the air conditioning on," I said finally.
"It's too cold. There's no sweat."
Upon reading your story, I realized that some people DO have sex with
air conditioners and while people prefer sex without them!
deepriver@worldnet.att.net
Just a thank you for making a late-night web-browse very pleasant indeed. I greatly enjoyed your stories.
Best of luck out there on the cutting edge.
Robert Olen Butler, winner of 1993 Pulitzer Prize for fiction
dewbutlr@sprynet.com
I enjoyed your story about Amy. I'd give up on the cartoons, however.
They're not very good! Don't mean to be snooty, but take it from an artist...
artcet@astral.magic.ca
I read the comment from a ARTIST about your drawing ability and would
like to refer that @#$! to some of James Thurber's cartoons.
Dave Thurber
dathurber@penn.com
Read the story about the guy in the band and his ambitious
girlfriend, the engineer. Entranced by the feeling of love lost
and love gained. I was thinking the author was a woman, before finding
out you are a woman!
ay hpuck@aol.com
That's a lovely story about your lady. You say "nobody important has
heard our band's tape" - I thought you might post a small clip on the
Internet. You should make a WAVE file of your music that people can
download and listen to!
mikeaa706@durham.org
Your short stories are really fun to
read. The characters seem like real
people, and the matching cartoons
are great. You are fantastic! and I
predict you will be a very
successful writer. Love, Mom.sandcastl@aol.com
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