Melissa Ginsburg was born and raised in Houston and attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop. She is the author of the poetry collection Dear Weather Ghost and two poetry chapbooks, Arbor and Double Blind. She teaches creative writing and literature at the University of Mississippi. Sunset City, her debut novel, was nominated for the John Creasey Dagger, was a Mail on Sunday Thriller of the Week, and was described by Laura Wilson in the Guardian as 'sexy, boozy, poignant and funny'.