The Stuffy, Third-Person Version of Melynda's Biography

Melynda Beth Andrews’ first novel, The Blue Devil, was a finalist for a Golden Heart Award from the Romance Writers of America. Her work has also been nominated for a National Reviewers’ Choice Award.

The Regency Matchmaker Series, which begins with The Blue Devil, propelled her to a #1 spot on the Top 100 Regency Romance Bestsellers list on Amazon, and the series remained on Amazon’s Bestsellers lists for 24 consecutive months.

Andrews grew up in rural Florida “running happily dirty and barefoot through the wild” and now lives with her husband and children in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.

In addition to writing, she has taught English, Earth science, art, and drama, and she has worked as a web designer and graphic artist. She is also the founder of Deep Urban Fine Art gallery, and has created and sold almost 400 large-scale abstract paintings to collectors all over the world.

She loves adventure travel and describes herself as highly experiential, having tried everything from flying a plane to whitewater rafting. She also enjoys reading (of course!), hiking, painting, sculpting, and learning new musical instruments—most recently, the ukelele.

The Informal (and Therefore More Informative), 1st-Person Version

Who am I, really? I’m Melynda, and I’m going to tell you who I am—in five paragraphs, as I am much too complex to describe in just four. 😉

I’m very, very happily married to my own real-life hero, and we have three grown kids who are all wonderful people to hang out with. I’m geeky and adventurous, and I value honesty and kindness. I live in the foothills of the beautiful Cascades, half-way between Seattle and Mt. Rainier, on the edge of the wild, with elk, bear, cougar, deer, coyote, and five species of the cutest squirrels (counting chipmunks which, yes, I know aren’t squirrels, but they ARE TOO!). I’m also a sucker for cats and bunnies and piglets and birds, and my daughter’s service dog, Finnigan, a large, goofy, happy standard poodle, has stolen my heart.

I strive to be many things—a Jill-of-all-trades. I fancy that a well-rounded individual is more interesting everywhere, from elegant cocktail parties to the boudoir. Is safer in the unexplored wilds or on the well-trodden path. Is never bored alone or in the company of others. Is, by definition, clever and flexible, useful and bold. I want to be all of those someday, and I’ll never stop trying.

At one point in life, most people stop pushing themselves so hard. They’ve accomplished much, and it’s time to coast. Not me. When I smack into the wall at the end of my life, I intend to be going 120 miles an hour (about 100 kph) with my shoes on fire and laughing.

I’m here on the planet to 1), have as good a time as I can without causing harm to others and 2), to make the world a better place than when I came into it. I fulfill these purposes through writing, art, mothering, and a natural impulse to analyze and improve Absolutely Everything (I’m a Meyers-Briggs INTP, if that means anything to you). I stay busy, love to learn, thrive on challenge, and I’m extremely experiential.

One day, while rafting in a group of six boats, one of our guides announced that we were about to enter a rapid just gentle enough to allow us to slip into the water sans raft. Two seconds and I was out of that boat, the only one of thirty people who took him up on the suggestion. I think that’s a good metaphor for my life. I’m going to live until I die.