Melanie is the daughter of Cambodian genocide survivors, the event from which most of her writing is inspired. She was raised in City Heights, a diverse, low-income neighborhood within San Diego, where she first observed the need to advocate for her community through her writing.

She is a UCLA alumnus and received her MFA in Creative Writing from SDSU. She has worked with The Old Globe, where her plays were featured at the New Voices Festival, as well as with Asian Story Theater as a playwright and Stage Manager. Her experience living with anxiety and migraines fostered a passion for holistic health advocacy.

​

This led her to discover an opportunity to merge this fervor with her love for writing through AcuSuccess. Recognizing the transformative power of storytelling as a tool for healing, she seeks to create wellness-based narratives that she hopes will empower readers to seize control of their health and to better understand the various benefits of acupuncture as it pertains to natural healing.

When not writing, she runs an Etsy-based craft business, coaches a high school badminton team, and teaches high school math, public speaking, and creative writing. She enjoys singing, tending to her houseplants, reading, thrifting for vintage goods, all things tea, and spending time with her partner and pup named Oliver.