Melissa Heckscher is a freelance writer and columnist living in Los Angeles. She is the author of nine books, including BE HAPPY THAT... This Book Isn't Coated in Poison (Random House, 2009), DIS-Missals: Do-It-Yourself Rejection Letters for Any Occasion (Random House, 2008), BE SAFE! Simple Strategies for Death-Free Living (Quirk Books, 2004), and The Mysterious Times: Strange Stories of 30 Real Life Mysteries (Scholastic, 2004). Her latest book, The Pregnancy Test (Quirk Books) was released in May.

She began her career long, long ago as an editorial assistant at the Times Picayune in New Orleans and went on to work as a staff writer for The Monterey County Herald, AOL's Digital City, New York 1 News, and the Daily Breeze. She has also written for Maxim Magazine Online, LA.com, The New York Sun, and the Associated Press.

She lives with her husband, son Gabriel, and a cat named Pax.