About Melanie

Melanie Pickering writes urban gothic thrillers and dark cosy mysteries shaped by atmosphere, history, and the quiet details that linger in old things and even older places.  

 By day she works as a high‑school library assistant; by night she follows the pull of forgotten corners, creaking floorboards, and the stories that gather in the shadows. 

 A long‑time cemetery wanderer, Melanie draws inspiration from the way memory settles into landscapes. Heritage spaces fuel her fascination with how the past brushes against the present, and how a single detail can unravel a mystery or spark a tale. 

Her own nearly century‑old Brisbane home provides the perfect backdrop for writing stories where secrets simmer, the uncanny feels possible, and the ordinary world tilts just enough to let the strange slip through. Her work has been recognised by Romance Writers of Australia, and her short fiction appears in anthologies including Mermaid Kisses, My True Love Gave to Me, and The Love Hexperts.

Melanie’s novels invite readers into worlds where mystery, emotion, and the gothic intertwine — places where the past is never quite finished and every story begins with a lingering question.