Melinda Hammond was born in the West Country and now lives in Yorkshire, on the edge of the Pennines with her husband and family.

Born in Bristol, Melinda Hammond grew up in a happy family atmosphere and attended a local grammar school. She left at sixteen to work in a cigarette factory but soon moved on, gaining office experience in companies as varied as Stockbrokers, Marine Engineers, Insurance Brokers, Biscuit Manufacturers and even a quarrying company. Melinda married at nineteen, but continued to work until the birth of her first child. It was at that time that she decided to try her hand at her first love, which was writing, and shortly after the birth of her daughter her first book, Fortune's Lady, was published. This was quickly followed by two more historical novels, Summer Charade and Autumn Bride, but with the birth of her twin sons the demands of family life meant that writing had to take a back seat for a few years.

A compulsive scribbler, Melinda never stopped writing and continued to work on research for her novels, experimenting with contemporary scenarios as well as writing pantomimes for her children's school. In 1989 the family moved to Yorkshire, to an isolated Pennine farmhouse not far from Bronte country. The dramatic scenery is a constant source of inspiration, and with the family growing up Melinda has now returned to writing.

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