Heather Smith Meloche

I've written for television news, print news, and corporate marketing, and I taught English as a Second Language at the college level for over a decade. However, with the birth of my first son, I started writing children's poems and stories. After taking a course with The Institute of Children’s Literature, my first story, “Mrs. McRitter’s Cricket,” appeared in SPIDER magazine. I also published in ONCE UPON A TIME, and went on to have my short story, “The Fog Bell,” place 5th for the children’s/YA category in the 2007 WRITER'S DIGEST Annual Competition. Through work-for-hire assignments, I co-wrote two picture books, The Clubhouse Conundrum and Cubbie The Mackinac Island Bear. The latter book is currently selling well in Northern Michigan. Somewhere along the way, I found my sixteen-year-old writing voice and began writing young adult novels. In 2011, I won 1^st place in the children’s/YA category of the WRITER'S DIGEST Annual Competition for my middle grade short story, “The Emperor’s New Crows,” and I also placed 1^st in the HUNGER MOUNTAIN Katherine Paterson Prize for a young adult story in verse titled, “Him.” I am a member of the Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrators (SCBWI) as well as a member of Romance Writer's of America (RWA). I currently live in Rochester Hills, Michigan with my very witty and wonderful husband, two beautiful sons, my big fluffy white dog, and two curious cats.  

Current Projects:

Mending Medusa -- A YA historical fantasy about a girl plucked from the streets of Athens by Athena to become a slave to Medusa on the Gorgons' island.

The Crystal Walk -- In this dystopian YA novel, Analiv Collins has been chosen by the Gods to cross from her labor-intensive, smog-filled world into a world of divinity and perfection. At first, it seems like a miraculous blessing, but Analiv quickly discovers that the Heaven her people have prayed to for ages is far from divine.