About

Melissa Brinks is a writer, editor, and podcaster. Raised on a rich diet of fantasy novels and pop music, Melissa developed an early taste for the intersection of magic and modern society. Her stories tackle the magical and the mundane, ranging from procuring a cup of coffee in the Apocalypse to a succubi who can’t flirt.

Her debut book, THE COMPENDIUM OF MAGICAL BEASTS, is out now from Running Press. Illustrated by Lily Seika Jones, the book contains the field notes and illustrations of the fictional Dr. Veronica Wigberht-Blackwater, an early 20th-century folklorist and biologist whose observations of cryptids earns her the ire of both the cryptozoological and mainstream scientific communities.

Her second book, THE LITTLE BOOK OF VIDEO GAMES, is an adorable and approachable introduction to video game history illustrated by Paulina Ganucheau. Covering the 1950s to 2000, THE LITTLE BOOK OF VIDEO GAMES touches on some of history’s most iconic and influential games, creators, and moments, such as the video game crash of 1983.

Melissa graduated in 2014 from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in English with a creative writing emphasis, having spent several years editing and writing for newspapers and a literary journal. Since graduation, she has pursued writing as a career and has published many articles for a variety of entertainment sites, including Forbes, Bitch Media, WWAC, Unwinnable, and Sidequest. More information about her publication history can be found on her Portfolio page. She edits Sidequest, a gaming critique site, co-hosts a pop culture criticism podcast, and tweets about cats and Sailor Moon @MelissaBrinks.

4 comments

  1. How can buy your book on video games and can u autograph it listing your fave game of each decade ? Paul Australia.

    • Hi Paul! Thanks so much for your interest. I’d be happy to send you a signed copy and I’ll do my best to come up with a game for each decade! Feel free to reach out to me at contact at melissabrinks dot com to work things out.

  2. Can you please expand on lThe Compendium of Magical Beasts” book?! Maybe a
    sequel with more creatures, or more information on specific creatures (I really want to know more about the mermaid, I’m a real mermaid nerd 😅😅), or maybe even a biography of Dr Weighbert Blackwater?! There is so much potential!!

    From a fan,

    Youssef

    • Hi Youssef! Thank you so much for saying so! I would love to write more either from Dr. Wigberht-Blackwater’s perspective, or even about her, at some point in the future! I don’t have any concrete plans at the moment, but I hope it helps to know that she’ll still on my mind. 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.