Melanie spent her formative years in the sailing town of Cowes, on the Isle of Wight. The tightly-bound community, maritime history and captivating landscapes of the southern Island were all sources of inspiration for the fictional town of Wellow in which Mistress of the Storm is set. Melanie lives in Suffolk, near the seaside town of Southwold, with her husband Lucien and their two sons, Joe and Ben. Mistress of the Storm is her first book.