About
Melissa has been a storyteller since she was a child playing barefoot in the woods of North Carolina. She writes short stories and is seeking publication for a novel of upmarket, period fiction. Melissa earned a BA in creative writing from Penn State University and her MS in women’s studies from Towson University. She lives in Maryland between two streams that run under the Washington Beltway.
Featured Work
“Couch,” Finalist prize in the 2025 F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Festival Short Story contest, October 2025 (https://fitzgeraldfestival.com/winners-of-the-2025-short-story-contest/); “Killing It/Talent Show,” short story in Grit & Gravity, May 2025 (https://politics-prose.com/book/9781624295492); “Fair Winds,” short story in Pen in Hand, January 2025 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DV5HNWK3?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520)
2025
Realistic fiction, often Southern, from period pieces from the 1970s and 1980s through contemporary. Upmarket/literary.
Other Works
Awards and Recognition
- Finalist prize for "Couch" in the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Contest (https://fitzgeraldfestival.com/winners-of-the-2025-short-story-contest/)
