Melissa Keil

I was born in Melbourne, Australia, and have been a giant book nerd for as long as I can remember. I studied Cinema and Anthropology, and then spent a few more years dabbling in a bunch of graduate stuff, including Professional Writing and Editing. In between I have been a high school teacher, Middle Eastern tour guide, waitress, community theatre dogsbody, and IT help desk person (hands down, my most unsuccessful job to date). Now, by day, I am a children’s book editor, and I spend most of the rest of my time reading, writing, buying comic books, watching YouTube, and wrangling a cheeky spoodle named Hugo. My debut YA novel, 'Life in Outer Space', was the winner of the 2013 Ampersand Project. It’s a young adult romantic comedy that combines some of my many loves – movies, music, karate, the Astor Theatre, 'Star Wars', and all things geek. My second YA novel, 'The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl', is out now.