Melanie Murray is a Canadian author.
Early life and education edit
She was born in the Northumberland Strait Peninsula of Malagash, Nova Scotia[1] where her father worked in the salt mine after he returned from the Second World War.[citation needed] When the mine shut down in the mid-fifties, Murray's father re-enlisted in the military.[citation needed] While he was a soldier at CFB Gagetown in the 1960s, she grew up in the military town of Oromocto, New Brunswick.[2]
Murray attended the University of New Brunswick to pursue her love of literature. After earning an Honours B.A. in English, a B.Ed., and an M.A. (Canadian literature),[3] she travelled to British Columbia. Drawn to the temperate climate and fruitful abundance of the Okanagan Valley, Murray settled in Kelowna in 1987 where she taught English at Okanagan College and raised her two sons.[4]
Writing edit
Murray began writing her first book, For Your Tomorrow: The Way of an Unlikely Soldier, after her nephew, Jeff Francis, was killed in Afghanistan in 2007. She felt compelled to write his story, to create meaning out of his life and the chaos of his death.[3][5] Quill & Quire's reviewer described it as "a worthy volume not just for those searching for catharsis, but also for a nation looking to bear witness to the full measure of our soldiers' sacrifice."[6]
As of 2013[update], Murray was writing a book of historical fiction set in late eighteenth century Scotland.[4]
Her 2017 book Should Auld Acquaintance: Discovering the Woman Behind Robert Burns describes the life of Jean Armour (1765-1834), wife of Scottish poet Robert Burns.[7] Publishers Weekly's reviewer described it as a "compelling portrait of Armour’s enduring commitment to Scotland’s bawdy bard".[8]
Murray's unpublished Nineteen Sixty-Eight was longlisted for the 2019 CBC Nonfiction prize. [9]
A similarly-named author edit
Note that a different author named Melanie Murray, born in Massachusetts and living in Brooklyn, United States, is the author of Miss Bubbles Steals the Show (Red Dress Ink, 2005: ISBN 0373895275), Good Times, Bad Boys (Red Dress Ink, 2006: ISBN 9780373895946)) and the story "Emma Townsend Saves Christmas" in the collection Scenes from a Holiday (Red Dress Ink, 2005: ISBN 9780373895373).[10][11]
Selected publications edit
- Murray, Melanie (2011). For Your Tomorrow: The Way of an Unlikely Soldier. Random House. ISBN 978-0-30735-978-0.
- Murray, Melanie (2017). Should auld acquaintance: discovering the woman behind Robert Burns. Nightwood Editions. ISBN 978-0-88971-328-4.
References edit
- ^ "Melanie Murray: books, biography, latest update". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- ^ "Melanie Murray". Penguin Random House Canada. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Murray Melanie". abcbookworld.com. ABCBookWorld. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Okanagan College/ Arts/ Departments/ English/ Faculty". Archived from the original on 13 January 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- ^ "Captain Jefferson Clifford Francis". The Chilliwack Progress. 4 July 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- ^ "For Your Tomorrow: The Way of an Unlikely Soldier - Quill and Quire". Quill and Quire - Canada's magazine of book news and reviews. 26 July 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- ^ Stark, Patrick (25 January 2017). "In Conversation with Melanie Murray". SAD Mag. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- ^ "Should Auld Acquaintance: Discovering the Woman Behind Robert Burns by Melanie Murray". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- ^ ""Nineteen Sixty-Eight by Melanie Murray". 2019 CBC Nonfiction Prize longlist. 11 September 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ "Melanie Murray". freshfiction.com. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- ^ Graff, Laurie; Lissner, Caren; Murray, Melanie (2005). Scenes from a Holiday. Red Ink Press. pp. [2], [5]. ISBN 9780373895373.
