Who is she?

My name’s Melanie Saward (pronounced Say-ward) and I’m a Tulmur (Ipswich) based author and publishing all-rounder (more on what that means in a second). I was born in a little town called Burnie in lutruwita (Tasmania), grew up in an even smaller town called Perth (also in lutruwita) and was dragged kicking and screaming (sorry Mum and Dad) to the Brisbane suburb of Bracken Ridge when I was fifteen.

What’s she written?

My debut fiction novel Burn is out with Affirm Press now and my first romantic comedy novel Love Unleashed will be out with Penguin Books Australia on August 6, 2024.

I’ve written a bunch of essays and short stories too and you can read about them on my portfolio page.

What’s a publishing all-rounder?

A publishing all-rounder is someone who has done it all. I’ve worked in one of the big 4 publishing houses; been a freelance editor on books, audiobooks, and literary magazines; been a marketer and publicity person; a researcher; and a sensitivity reader. These days I spend most of my time teaching university students about the Australian industry at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT).