Meet M. H. Mundy | Novelist, Writer, Humanitarian

We had the good fortune of connecting with M. H. Mundy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi M. H., how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
When it comes down to balance, I hone in on my emotions. With me, it’s the core of a balanced life. It’s not something I figured out right away. It’s even possible I started out far behind the curve. As a child, I had a tendency to pout, mope, and most of all just not get it. Everyone considered me a melancholy child. That’s the word they used—melancholy. By the time I headed for college, my parents had helped me to stay in control. At least, I stopped ripping things apart and having temper tantrums. I was still a brooder. My college years weren’t easy. I was highly emotional. There was no one around to say, “Stop that.” For the most part, I had learned what not to do. Don’t have a tantrum and don’t act crazy. It was a good foundation.

Still, I needed more. I started running. It helped a lot. Then in my sophomore year, I started to meditate. I ran sometimes twice a day and at 7:30 each night, in the same spot for almost an hour, I sat quietly and meditated. I can still see that spot on the floor, under the window of my dorm room. Those precious minutes of blocking out all worries helped me to find balance.

There are so many aspects to doing this life thing. People are flawed. I am flawed. No matter what, we all need to care for our fiscal selves, have relationships, eat and work. At times, due to life circumstances, any one of these things gets skewed. It happens. For me, remembering, I’m simply not in control helps. But more than that, its attending to my emotional well-being that matters. It starts with a clear vision of who I am, knowing my life philosophy and staying true to those things and letting whatever else happens—happen. In order to do that, I stretch, meditate and keep the company of good friends. It is those things that help me to feel emotionally well. Things will get done. So, I just let myself slow down. Sometimes, I slow down too much. Say, couch-potato mode. That’s why, when things get out of balance, regulating my emotions works best. Sometimes, it means putting down my pen, leaving my computer and just going out for a walk.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a writer. I write as a way to talk about the human experience. What sets me apart is my focus on stories inspired by goodness. My stories have at their core a love for wellness and kinship. A lot of my understanding of what makes life as it is, comes from my years studying religion, sociology and psychology. These subjects are all about how we do humanity. So far, we’ve managed to not cause our own extinction but I’m not yet banking on us. I write from this desire for an improved humanity. We can learn to love one another.

I’m most proud of my ability to accept things as they are. It doesn’t matter how things should be or how I wish things to be. Everything is as it is right now. This is the basis for writing my stories. Stories guide us, change us and give us hope. They expose us to new ways of seeing things. That’s why reality is only true in real life. In books, all bets are off. There’s not a better reason to write. My professional story is a little cloudy. I started off in technology. I wrote stories as a hobby. Letting go of technology and deciding to write full-time was not an easy choice. I have my partner to thank for making it possible. They encouraged me and supported my decision.

Writing my first novel, Private Matters, was the most challenging. It was a big aspiration. Originally, Private Matters was a short story. One that many wanted or asked me to expand. I decided to do it. There were many moments of weakness because I questioned my ability to write a whole novel. Patience helped. During the writing process, I faced my shortcomings head-on. In this way, I overcame the challenges as they presented themselves. When it seemed necessary, I took writing classes, attended seminars or took workshops. Sometimes, I just revisited the classics and other books I liked. My vigor went into figuring out what they had done and to get a sense of what I lacked. In the end it was putting in the effort and not giving up on myself that led to a successful first novel. Now, I’m on to the next one and have no intention of stopping anytime soon.

One thing for sure, it’s difficult to lead a balanced life when you’re consumed with writing a novel. The lessons I learned along the way are too numerous and specific to list here. For that reason, I offer the overall, lesson learned. Stick to it and set a daily minimum word count. Write at least that many words per day. Your minimum will get you to the finish line.

Essentially, what I want the world to know about me is that I write fiction & creative non- fiction. I’m a little quirky and without wavering, I consider myself part humanitarian, part philosopher, part geek and 100% storyteller. My love of words, and reading has helped shaped my life, given me countless insights and is the best part of who I am in the world. We are all here doing this crazy thing called life. If possible, I’d like to add a good story to the mix. A story that might do for others what good stories have done for me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When my best friend visits, I want them to have a great time. Doing that starts right in my kitchen. I love cooking. For a whole week, I’ll treat my friend to some of the best breakfasts they can find anywhere. Whether it’s fluffy pancakes or grilled salmon. They will have a meal filled with good food and lots of laughter. No one should visit Tuscon in the height of the summer months, so I’m going to give an itinerary for any of the best visiting months. Almost everything I like to do is outside. That means, my friend and I will get cozy with nature. I begin most mornings with a two-mile hike in Tucson Mt. Park. So before that delicious breakfast, I would invite my friend to walk with me. Of course, they can sleep or sit it out if they want.

During that week we’d go to at least three of my most favorite Tucson spots. Those are the Desert Museum, Sabino Canyon and Agua Caliente Park. Over the weekend, we might spend some time on Mt. Lemon. Now, feeding them out there presents a bit of a challenge because I like cooking so much. But even I need a break. The choices I’d give them on any day of the week would be Jung Dynasty because it’s one of the most delicious Szechuan style cuisines with excellent flavoring and menu selections. The other place I’d like to treat them to would be Tuk Tuk Thai. The curry dishes and grilled meat are my favorite and I hope my friend would like them too. If they come during the 4th Ave Street Fair or perhaps Second Saturday, we could just have some of the vendor food or stop in one of the many great restaurants on 4th Ave.

Another fun option might be going for an afternoon stroll and finding our way over to the Mercado District and if it’s not during the Gem Show, we could take a long break, have some tea or even tacos at Seis Kitchen. During the Gem show, we’d shop, shop, shop at the African village and eat some of the delicious street food.

When it comes to night life, I’m games at the table and lots of laughs. But my friend might like the night life and beers too. It’s a lucky break for them because I’m always the designated driver. No booze for me—ever. Perhaps we could hangout downtown. For drinks there’s Playground or HighWire. If they want drinks and dancing, we could go to Club Congress. Yet, if they’re feeling charitable, maybe they’d make room for baby and go to the Hub, where I could have some ice cream.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my parents. My mother because she gave me a love for words. My father because he gave me a love for ideas, reason, logic and critical thinking.

Website: https://mhmundy.com/blog/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author.mhmundy/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mhmundy/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/author_mhmundy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.mhmundy