With a Masters in Translation under her belt, Melissa has worked as a writer, translator, sub-editor and editor on magazines in several different countries over the past two decades. These include Elle Decoration and Marie Claire in the UK, Marie Claire and Style in South Africa, and Time Out in Bahrain, where she also wrote a travel guide to the kingdom called Streetsmart Bahrain. Food writing has featured prominently in her career, nurturing her passion for cooking, and adding flavour to Love Apples, which is her first novel. Melissa currently lives in Abu Dhabi with her husband.