Melanie Zuben

In 2009, I had to make a lifestyle changing decision: either I quit my stressful consultant job at a Melbourne art gallery or I will end up becoming a pathetic, kamikaze alcoholic on my way to total self-destruction.

To my great fortune - I thank God for looking our for me - once again, my inbred common sense prevailed.

One sunny morning, I made up my mind to choose freedom, come what may. I suddenly became FREE to paint my long overdue masterpieces and FREE to express myself in my other passion: writing. The two goes hand in hand with me, which must be the result of my bottled up emotions over the years, giving me a great collection of unopened bottles. My cellar is almost full and with great pleasure, I can honestly say that I have enough material to draw from for the next fifty years, hopefully to the delight of some of my readers and to the misfortunes of those, who happen to recognize themselves in my characters, dead or alive.

As a socially aware moralist, I'm interested in big issues concerning the future of humanity, animal welfare, French poetry, Hungarian history and politics and exposing crafty hackers who terrorize writers, like myself in the belief that they can get away with it.

I'm a Hungarian-born Australian, married and live in Melbourne.