Melinda Copp grew up in rural northern Ohio, and lived there until she went to college at West Virginia University in Morgantown. Always playing with words and writing as a child, she started taking her work seriously in college, where she wrote arts and entertainment for the student paper and studied journalism and creative writing.

After graduating and moving to South Carolina, she worked as an editorial assistant in an editorial and publishing services firm, where she worked her way up to edited and ghosting manuscripts and articles on behalf of clients. When her son was born in 2005, she began freelancing, which is what she's still doing now.

She recently launched a blog, called Life List, and has written for a variety of local, regional, and national publications, both in print and on the web. Her byline has appeared in Fit Yoga, Massage Therapy Journal, The South Magazine, SC Biz, Real Estate Resource Book, and ePregnancy. She has also written for iParenting Media, Hilton Head Monthly, and Lowcountry Monthly. She has also written for numerous newspapers, including The Business Report & Journal, The Savannah Morning News, The Charleston Regional Business Journal, and The Bluffton City Sun. Melinda also copyedits the fiction department of the online journal, Literary Mama. 

In August 2009, Melinda completed her master’s of fine arts in creative nonfiction at Goucher College. Now she's working on a book proposal to try to sell her thesis, which is about her experiences as an alligator wrangler’s fiance and subsequent exploration of North America’s most formidable predator.

She is the founder and executive editor of an editorial consulting business called The Writer’s Sherpa. If you are a self-employed professional, speaker, or entrepreneur, you may be interested in subscribing to her biweekly e-zine, The WRITE Path. It provides information on writing and publishing strategies that will help grow your business, and you can subscribe at www.WritersSherpa.com.

Melinda lives in Bluffton, South Carolina, with her family.