Melanie Presson
Melanie (M.K.) Presson, author of The Itara Trilogy, was born in California's central valley and grew up in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains where, surrounded by the history of the Gold Rush, and the famous mining towns of the Mother load, she gathered her inspirations for the settings for Itara. Growing
up, her favorite stories were always those of fantasy adventures, science fiction and magic. Her first computer held the neophyte scribblings of a 12 year old, and bad Emo poetry.
The idea for “Itara: Son of C’reseth” began as the daydreams of an unpopular 15 year old. While on repeat travels to see her father, she got an image in her mind of a boy bearing a sword strapped to his back, striding down a dirt path in the daylight. That one moment sparked an idea that would become her longest-running writing endeavor. At age 17, she began putting her
thoughts to paper, drawing maps, outlining family trees, staying up late to draw concept art, and writing the first draft. Her junior and senior years were spent with this story in her mind. While meant to be one book, it later on became a trilogy. During that time, she was able to use the internet to aid in research and character development.
Between her graduation from school, and the present, she has lived on the central coast, had a few jobs, worked in the theater, graduated from Cuesta College, became a Renaissance Faire actor for research, and completed her manuscript. The World of Itara came to an abrupt halt when the inspiration for her main character passed away. Unable to write more than a few short stories and
poetry, the manuscript was locked away until the muse saw fit to rekindle the spark of Itara once more. It saw its completion in 2006.
In 2009, after signing with Lilleypress Publishing, she found her aspirations crushed when the company went bankrupt. However, in 2010, she was signed with Black Rose Writing and now lives in Southern California where she continues to pursue her dreams along with her writing.
