Melissa McPhail is a classically trained pianist, violinist and composer, a Vinyasa yoga instructor, and an avid Fantasy reader. Her debut novel, Cephrael's Hand, is the winner of Best Fiction and Best Science Fiction Novel by The Written Art Awards and was a ForeWord Book of the Year finalist.

A long-time student of philosophy, Ms. McPhail is passionate about the Fantasy genre because of its inherent philosophical explorations.

Ms. McPhail lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, their twin daughters and two very large cats.