Born in La Mirada, California, Melissa M. Garcia has lived almost her entire life in the sometimes gritty, always entertaining, and ever-changing landscape that is Southern California. She graduated from California State University in Long Beach with a degree in English/Literature. She published her first crime novel, Falling Angels, in 2006. Her second novel, Stranger: A Death Valley Mystery was published in 2010. Melissa is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime and supports the Crime Lab Project. Her novels are available in paperback and ebook formats. She currently lives with her husband in Southern California and is at work on her next novel, Chasing Demons, the sequel to Falling Angels due out in 2012.