Melissa Ivanco-Murray

Melissa A. Ivanco-Murray grew up in southwest Virginia, where she developed a love of reading, painting, sewing, and walking through the woods singing to squirrels. Melissa graduated with two bachelors of science degrees in Russian and International Relations (along with a track in Nuclear Engineering just for fun) from the United States Military Academy in 2011. Her experiences at USMA as well as her subsequent service add a ferocity to her storytelling that sets her apart from other contemporary fantasy novelists. Across worlds inspired by Slavic mythology and folklore, Melissa pits realistic characters against fantastical odds they can only overcome through a combination of cleverness, creativity, and sheer grit.

Melissa currently resides in Blacksburg, Virginia with her husband Sean and a verifiable horde of fur children (and one human child). In between pursuing a PhD in Slavic Languages and Literature and working on her next book, Melissa continues to make art of all mediums, most recently music as lead guitarist and vocalist Malice in the metalcore band Olga's Burning Sparrows. Music to be released soon!