Melissa Ashley

Melissa Ashley (born 1973) is an Australian novelist. In the 2017 Queensland Literary Awards, her novel The Birdman's Wife won the University of Queensland Fiction Book Award.[1] It also received the Australian Booksellers Association Nielsen BookData 2017 Booksellers Choice Award.[2]

Biography

Ashley was born 1973 in Christchurch, New Zealand[3] and arrived in Australia aged eight. Ashley has two children and is a self-confessed committed "twitcher".[4]

Ashley's interest in birds motivated her 2016 historical novel The Birdman's Wife, about Elizabeth Gould who illustrated and drew specimens of birds for her husband John Gould's various books on birds.[4] Ashley wrote the novel as part of her PhD whilst studying at the University of Queensland.[5]

The Bee and the Orange Tree was shortlisted for the 2020 Davitt Award for best debut crime book.[6]

At the 2022 Queensland Literary Awards, Ashley was awarded a Queensland Writers Fellowship valued at $15,000.[7]

Works
  • Cvetkovic, Lidija; Johnson, Ruth; Ashley, Melissa, 1973- (1996), Desire In Difference, Hetaira Press, ISBN 978-0-646-29022-5{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Ashley, Melissa (2003), The Hospital For Dolls, Post Pressed, ISBN 978-1-876682-50-7
  • Ashley, Melissa Jane (2009), The Girl Without Hands: Extract From The Manuscript Of A Novel. The Maiden Without Hands: From Folktale And Fairy Tale To Contemporary Novel, St. Lucia, Qld, retrieved 9 October 2017 (M.Phil Thesis)
  • Ashley, Melissa Jane (2016), The Birdman's Wife, South Melbourne, VIC Affirm Press, ISBN 978-1-925344-99-8
  • Ashley, Melissa (2019), The Bee and the Orange Tree, South Melbourne, VIC Affirm Press, ISBN 978-1-925712-01-8

References
  1. "Winners and finalists". Queensland Literary Awards. 2017. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  2. "The Nielsen BookData 2017 Booksellers' Choice Award". Australian Booksellers. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  3. "Melissa Ashley". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  4. Baum, Caroline (14 October 2016). "The Birdman's Wife by Melissa Ashley: Elizabeth Gould's forgotten talent". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  5. "UQ graduate brings trailblazing woman out of shadows". UQ News. University Of Queensland. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  6. "Davitt Awards 2020 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  7. "Queensland Literary Awards winners for 2022". Queensland Government. 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
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