Download my book for free during the COVID-19 crisis
I'm making my unpublished manuscript, Nothing Left But Dust, available for free. In the event of Coronavirus, we're all struggling to some extent with getting through a challenging time. This book helps to remind us of the strength we each have to get through hard times.
Donations graciously accepted via Venmo (@MelGeissinger).
Stories with meaning.

I didn't find writing, writing found me. Life influences fiction and in turn impacts my life, as I hope it will yours. Learn more about my crazy wonderful and sometimes epically tragic life and how it's come to inspire my stories.
The Survival Over Surrender Project
SurvivalOverSurrender.com has become the home for both my active blog and a conduit for those who have experienced trauma in their lives to tell their stories.
“With perspective comes opportunity by design.”
-Melissa Geissinger, Nothing Left But Dust
Journal
Sometimes I want to punch Marie Kondo in the face
Tidy This When you’ve lost everything in a fire, you kind of want to punch Marie Kondo in the face. Going through your personal belongings and only keeping what sparks joy? How about when you have to go to Safeway to buy a pair of leggings just so you can have something to wear other…
Read MoreMotherhood, PTSD and the Loss of Optimism
Strength and perseverance has always come easy to me. I’ve always been a ‘glass half full’ kind of person. To be fair, I haven’t had the hardest life, but I can usually find a very clear path forward whenever the universe decides to make things interesting. The universe lately has had one sick sense of…
Read MoreThe Hunt for Sweeny Observatory at Strawberry Hill
One of the things I love most about writing historical fiction is exploring the areas that I’m writing about. It’s fun to go to a place in a scene I’m writing and imagine what it must have been like during the period of my story. With historical fiction, I try to be as true to…
Read MoreTop 5 Things I Learned at the San Francisco Writers Conference
Last week I attended my first ever writers conference, the 2018 San Francisco Writers Conference. I went into it being pretty sure I wanted to make writing my new career. The experience affirmed this decision and then some. Deciding to be a writer, if you’ve ever been there or imagined what it would be like, is…
Read More
Let's get coffee.
Actually, I don't drink coffee. I'll have tea. But I'd still love to chat if you are either an agent or have an interesting bit of insight into one of my current projects.