Melanie Barton-Gauss grew up in an adventurous family with parents who loved to sail the Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. She studied English and vocal music at the undergraduate level, and writing and rhetoric at the graduate level. She served as an English and music teacher in Florida.Her understanding of history is through the arts and travel, particularly music and literature. She is also a documentary and non-fiction addict.Melanie lives with her husband Jim, and her two dogs, Max and Sam in Melbourne Florida. When she's not writing, she loves to travel, paddleboard, and go to concerts.