My name is… Melissa (or Mel or Lissa).

I am a… mom of two, writer, English teacher, potter, passionate reader, enthusiastic baker, loyal friend, cookbook collector, infrequent gardener, and great fan of long walks down country roads.

As a kid, I was… in my own little world. Not much has changed.

Writing is… like lucid dreaming and precisely what I love to do in the wee hours of the morning when my family is asleep and the moon still shines in the sky and the coffee is hot, fresh, sweet, and creamy.

Reading is… vicarious adventuring, solitary, connecting. A good opportunity to practice caring. The best way to learn to write. An edifying, transformative, transporting pleasure. And an addiction that is practically free of bad side effects.

Books are… life-changing, life-affirming, beacons, and warnings.

Did you know… I don’t just read widely; I like to write widely, too? YA fiction is my first love, but I relish books for people of all ages and have crafted many short stories that have made their way into various literary journals. I think it’s good for me to challenge my scope. Years before I ever found an agent or finagled a publication, I wrote six novels that covered the genre spectrum, from psychological thriller to romance. The Beloved Wild, my debut novel, is historical YA fiction. I’m currently in the process of revising a YA fantasy series about a fictional land in crisis, six scattered teens in grave danger, and a binding spell that goes awry. I’m also excited to have a second book coming out on March 26, 2019. It’s a contemporary YA, entitled Unleaving.

You can find me… on Twitter (@melostrom) or through my website http://www.melissaostrom.com/.