Melissa Ashley is the author of best-selling historical fiction novels The Bee and the Orange Tree, The Naturalist of Amsterdam and The Birdman’s Wife, which won the Queensland Literary Awards Fiction prize and the ABA Booksellers Choice Award. She has published a collection of poetry, The Hospital for Dolls, as well as short stories, essays and academic articles. She is passionate about historical women’s forgotten lives, particularly in science. Melissa teaches creative writing and poetry workshops and is an experienced editor and mentor. She lives in Brisbane with her family.