Melanie D. Calvert, a.k.a. "Dahlia Patton" is a professional photographer, book cover artist, freelance writer and television personality. She is a retired respiratory care practitioner who now works with her first loves, photography and writing. While running a successful photography business for years, she only recently turned to writing western romance fiction at the urging of author W.R. Benton . Melanie's photography has appeared on all four covers of Mister Benton's The Drum Series, as well as his latest book, Blood Mountain. Soon her photography will be gracing her own book covers.

Ms. Calvert is an active member of the Jackson Photographic Society, Mississippi Writers Guild, Women Anglers and Hunters, Mississippi Wildlife Federation, and is associated with Western Writers of America through W. R. Benton. Her work has not only appeared on W. R. Benton's books," but also the North American Hunting Club Cook Book, "Prizes of Autumn," and Mississippi Magazine. Additionally, Today's Mississippi Woman magazine recognized her as an outstanding Mississippi woman. Melanie is a 2008 Strong Woman Award Nominee, sponsored by Baptist Health Systems, Lifetime Television for Women and Comcast Spotlight. An avid outdoorswoman, she enjoys deer hunting, fishing, camping, and of course, outdoor photography. She prefers the smell of wood smoke, the crackling of a fire late at night and the serenity of nature, to a fast-paced life in a big city. Raised in Meridian, Mississippi, she is a true Southern Belle. This is her first book, however she's currently writing a book titled, "Fur Seekers" with her husband, W.R. Benton.

Contact Melanie if you have a professional inquiry or have an interest in her photography, writing, or other related subjects. She is not interested in establishing a relationship or seeing you on your web cam.

If you have a question about Melanie's photography, writing, or acting, please contact her.

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The Civil War

The four bloody years of the American Civil War was one of the most devastating events to occur in our nation's history and surprisingly, the real reasons for the war are still debated in universities today. Of all the reasons suggested the most often, to free African Americans, is in reality the one with the least merit. The decision to free black Americans was not actually announced by Lincoln until late in the war, so at least in the White House slaves were freed only as a second thought. The President may have very well considered it an excellent time to put the slavery issue to bed for good.

 

Some may argue intelligently that slavery was the very soul of the war. It surely had a strong impact, but the actual reasons are very complex, with issues like states rights, the Missouri Compromise, unrest and mistrust between the North and South over a variety of social issues to include slavery, John Brown's Raid, and the list goes on. While the real reasons for the war may never be known, there is little doubt the impact of the conflict affected every person in the nation, black, Hispanic, Asians, and white, to some degree.