About me

After a career in corporate tax, where I wrote protests and research memos, I decided to hang up my day job and become an author. It was an easy switch because I was inspired to tell a story. The characters in Sorghum Winter are my South Georgia kin, and I am blessed to tell their story.

I live in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, with Peanut and Pistachio, my nutty buddies. We spend time walking, reading, writing, and hanging out. I have two personas, Miss Melanie and Pel Mel. They manifest themselves in relation to my bipolar II disorder. Miss Melanie enjoys sipping tea on the porch and savoring wine in the hot tub. Pel Mel enjoys spontaneity and adventures. Pel Mel writes the books and Miss Melanie edits them.

I grew up in Jacksonville and attended college in Greenville, South Carolina, where I graduated from Furman University and earned a Master’s degree from Clemson University. Growing up, we’d go to my Uncle Frank’s farm for Easter and Thanksgiving. It’s a magical place where the memories are good, and the longleaf pines are tall, and the fish are always biting—no better setting for a debut novel.