When I came in to work yesterday, my colleague Peter Cannon shared some sad news: author, editor, and PW reviewer Melissa Mia Hall died of a heart attack on January 28th. Melissa had been reviewing for PW as long as I have, almost nine years now, and was a quick reader and prolific writer who contributed extensively to our fiction sections and was always happy to read in any genre and meet a tight deadline. Readers who keep an eye on our contributor lists will notice that Melissa’s name appeared in nearly every issue. We’re all quite stunned and saddened that she’s gone.
The memorial service will take place on Saturday Feb. 12, 11am at St John’s Episcopal in Ft. Worth, Texas.
Peter wrote a moving eulogy for Melissa, and has graciously given me permission to post it on Genreville.
I never met Melissa Mia Hall, and I spoke to her only once or twice on the phone, but I feel as if I knew her as well as any friend. She began reviewing for PW in 2002, referred to me by a mutual New York friend, horror writer Ted Klein, who published her first story when he was the editor of Twilight Zone magazine. Melissa contributed hundreds of reviews to PW, in all different genres, as well as dozens of Q&As. In recent years, ever reliable and diligent, she was reviewing three books a week for me, mostly light, cozy mysteries.
Melissa started the new year on a hopeful note. Early in January, she e-mailed that she had a funeral to attend, but a wedding soon after. Her birthday was coming up. The mild Texas weather cheered her. She needed to go over one of her novels before shipping it to a U.K. editor for a read. She still had no word from the agent who had her funny mystery, but she was already plotting a sequel just in case. She had another agent waiting if the first one wasn’t interested. She was excited about a new blog she’d launched devoted to author interviews.
The last week of January, Melissa reported that she’d thrown out her back trying to lift her dog, Daisy. Poor Daisy could not get onto her bed at night unassisted, so Melissa had to make a bed for the animal on the floor. Daisy was upset, but the cat of course was gloating because she had no problems jumping up on the bed.
At various times over the years Melissa mentioned how she would like to visit Ted and me in New York, but money was always tight and that trip never happened. I envy those who knew her in person. Still, it was my privilege to have been one of her editors. I will miss her. —Peter Cannon
[I've removed this comment following a request from a relative of Melissa's. --Rose]
The circumstances are heartbreaking, and yes very possibly avoidable.
Thank you, Peter, for your thoughts here. Melissa would have been so pleased by them. She absolutely loved her work for PW, and of course, words were her world.
Those of us who did know and love her well are all still in shock. She told me a few days before that she was not ready to leave this planet, so, a premonition perhaps?
The week before, she guest blogged for me. Those were to be the last words she wrote. A beautiful eulogy to what makes a memorable book.
Her insights will be so sorely missed. SHE will be so sorely missed . . .
Melissa was a long term friend though we rarely saw one another, only when I got to Fort Worth, which was not all that often. But we were in touch a lot and we had long, soulful conversations. We wrote a short story together we never sold, and edited one another over the years. She was simply one of the loveliest of friends, a true mensch.
I am appalled and devastated by her much-too early death which I lay directly at the feet of the ghastly health insurance scam we have right now in this country which punishes the poorest amongst us.
She would be alive today if she’d had been able to afford insurance.
Jane Yolen
I’m so sorry for your loss, Jane. She sounds like a lovely person.
I am sick at heart that yet another life has been lost because we alone among industrialized countries have no national health insurance.
I work with women who have heart disease and am very interested in more details regarding her health insurance status, in the hopes of making sure it doesn’t happen to others. Do you have any more information?
Susan Campbell
I don’t, and I’d prefer that this space not be used for further discussion of that topic.
Hi Susan,
I understand Rose wanting this space to not be used for this topic. I do have further information–email me privately and I’ll fill you in: maloneeditorial@hotmail.com
Missy would often tell me about her work at PW. She and I almost edited an anthology together; she bought a story of mine for it. We went sight-seeing in LA with my nephew; we had lunch at World Fantasy in Austin. She never forgot my birthday. We both loved our dogs. We had Egyptian names for each other. She was Mekuss. I was Nankuss.
How can she be gone? So many books…Melissa needed more time.
I love you, Missy.
Melissa was helping me edit my novel. Her feedback was fabulous. Very insightful. She saw things I didn’t. I received her edits in full on January 21st. She died a week later. I am left going through her various notes. She is still very much alive to me…brilliant…funny…insightful. I know she has several unpublished novels. I hope someone will publish them. She was and remains amazing.