Mevelyn McCloud
Mevelyn's Face.jpg
The Ready Writer

I am a creative and multi-talented mature woman of Black African ancestry with extensive work experience. I am a graduate of the University of Phoenix with a Bachelor of Science in Business Accounting degree. I have also obtained an Associate of Applied Science in Journalism Arts Technology degree from Mt. Hood Community College.

At present, I am a Contributing Writer for Demand Studios and a Contributing Writer for Suite101. I have also written news and feature articles for two local special-interest publications, The Advocate Newspaper and Venture Magazine. I have also taken and developed photographs – I know my way around a darkroom in color as well as black and white – for these publications. I have written editorials and film reviews for a company newsletter, The Grapevine.

If I had to choose between writing fiction and non-fiction, I would choose fiction because it gives me a chance to create worlds. I have written poetry that the World of Poetry Society thought was good enough to award me with their Golden Poet award, but poetry is not my interest. I rather fancy song lyrics. However, a song lyric without a musician is merely a rhyming verse. One of my rhyming-verse song lyrics won an 8th place award from the Music City Song Festival.

I have written fiction of which one work was published in a local literary magazine, Perceptions, as well as one of my photographs. My other works of fiction I have self-published in digital web book format. I am looking to convert them to an mp3 format for my inventory. I have designed and written digital and print brochures for two local small businesses. I have also designed simple websites. I am listed on Facebook and LinkedIn.

I have always believed in earning my keep and paying my own way, so I have never been too proud to work a job that was not what I exactly desired. The bulk of my income has come from employment in the accounting field and the long-term care industry. For the last 28 years I have earned a paycheck by working as a bookkeeper, account clerk, or caregiver; 15 years in the accounting field and 13 as a caregiver. Six of those caregiving years were spent as resident manager of adult foster homes.

As an employee in the accounting field, I have analyzed transactions and posted to cash receipts and disbursements, purchase, sales, and general journals. I have totalled them and posted the totals to subsidiary and general ledgers. I have even used the peg board system. I have prepared trial balances, work sheets, income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, statements of financial position, and bank reconciliations. I have even performed internal auditing of previous and current period general ledger accounts in order to balance the manual ledger accounts with the computer ledger accounts. I have processed invoices and checks requests and entered accounting data into computerized systems. I have aged accounts receivables monthly, prepared invoices, and collected payments. I have prepared payroll and controlled petty cash. I have supervised subordinate staff.

As the Resident Manager of an adult foster home, I effectively ran the property over which I had stewardship by staying within budget. I trained and supervised relief staff. I accurately maintained legal documents such as Care Plans, Medication Records, Activity Sheets, Emergency Information, Doctor's Orders & Recommendations, Progress Notes and Fire Drills. I cared for 5 elderly individuals in varying stages of mental and/or physical impairment. When it was needed, I assisted with bathing, dressing, eating, grooming, toileting, mobility and transfers, behavioral interventions, communication and emotional support. I encouraged my charges to do whatever mental and physical exercises they could do. I planned and prepared appetizing and balanced meals. I administered medication daily. I performed RN delegated tasks such as blood sugar testing and monitoring, insulin injections, inserting and extracting catheters, and changing colostomy and urine bags. I kept my house clean, fresh smelling, and safe.