“All books, all the time,” is how writer Melanie Dugan describes life. She’s authored four novels, numerous short stories and book reviews, and has spent much of her career in publishing houses, bookstores, and libraries–including the Kingston Frontenac Public Library, where she works.

Bee Summers, Melanie’s latest book, is “a coming-of-age novel that buzzes with intelligence and a deep understanding of human nature,” writes author Merilyn Simonds. It’s the story of 11-year-old Melissa Singer, who travels with her beekeeper father, and struggles to unlock the secret of her mother’s disappearance and cope with her loss.

Melanie’s previous novel, Dead Beautiful, is a funny, fast-paced, and profound retelling of the Persephone myth. “Heartwarming, amusing and…downright sexy,” was how Midwest Book Review described Revising Romance. Her first book, Sometime Daughter, was a “stunning début,” according to the Kingston Whig-Standard.

Melanie is a former Associate Publisher at Quarry Press, and has been Managing Editor for Poetry Canada Review, Canadian Fiction, and Quarry Magazine. She is also a cherished member of the Festival family, volunteering in 2009 as Marketing and Promotions Manager.

Born in San Francisco, Melanie grew up in Boston, Toronto and London, England, and now lives with her family and her feisty dog in Kingston.

Website: www.melanie-dugan.com