Melissa W. Hunter, author of What She Lost and other works, is a writer and blogger from Cincinnati, Ohio. She studied creative writing and journalism at the University of Cincinnati, receiving a BA in English literature and a minor in Judaic studies. She was awarded the English Department’s Undergraduate Essay Award and Undergraduate Fiction Award over two consecutive years. In her senior year, she received a grant to study and write about the Holocaust at the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. Her articles have been published on Kveller.com and LiteraryMama.com, Booksbywomen.org, and her short stories have appeared in the Jewish Literary Journal. She is a contributing blogger to the Today Show parenting community, and her novella Through a Mirror Clear was published as a serial installment on TheSame.blog, an online literary journal written for women by women (now available in its entirety on Amazon.com). Her novel What She Lost is inspired by her grandmother’s life as a Holocaust survivor. She works as a freelance writer and blogs about the writing process and motherhood.  When not at her computer, Melissa loves spending family time with her husband and two beautiful daughters.

From the Author: "Writing has always been an essential part of my life. I discovered my passion for writing when I was in the seventh grade. As a class assignment, we were told to keep a daily journal. After a few “Dear Diary” entries, I decided to try my hand at a story idea that had been brewing in the back of my mind. Putting pen to paper was a cathartic experience, helping me deal with the adolescent emotions I was feeling at the time. The words just seemed to flow! From that moment on, I was hooked."