Mel Lake is a writer, editor, and comic book fan. Her debut novel, a funny vampire mystery titled Bloodbath at VampCon, will debut March 2027 from Severn River Publishing as the first in a four-book series. In addition to vampire novels, she writes short stories and personal essays. Her short story was a finalist for the 2025 Quarterly West Prose Contest and she was a finalist for the 2024 Colorado Gold Literary Awards.

After working in various industries as a technical writer, Mel is juggling day jobs in the age of (ugh) AI. But she'll always daydream about vampires, aliens, ghosts, and gods.

Originally from Arizona, she now lives in Denver with her partner and the best dog in the world. When not writing or reading, Mel is probably on a mountain somewhere. (Or at mel-lake.com and @melofsometrades on Instagram and Bluesky.)