Melaina Faranda

Melaina Faranda cashed in university prizes for literature to wander the world. She has trekked amongst tigers and Himalayan bandits, nearly been swept off a cliff by a griffin, slept on cardboard with an incontinent Italian baby rabbit, lived in a tree house on the side of a Hawaiian volcano, in a yurt filled with crystals, and as a ghost in a grand old Hudson river mansion. Melaina's spirits have been crushed by Majorcan snails' tenacious dedication to lettuces, and she has narrowly avoided being stampeded by middle-aged German Chicken dancers and attacked by a Balinese monkey with a light bulb in its mouth. Far, far wilder – she has enjoyed braving the asphalt gauntlet for over fifteen years as a trained English teacher in numerous secondary, Steiner, Special Needs and Primary schools throughout Australia.

The desire to be popular and a horror of the riot act, led her to tell stories as a form of crowd control where henchmen students hissed – 'SHUDDDUPPP! SHE'S GOING TO TELL A STORY!' A love for these students led Melaina to establish personal development groups for teenagers and from there – to writing an international Young Adult series: The Circle.

Passions for quirky travel, random facts, bizarre science, wicked wordplay and swashbuckling global adventure come together in her children's series: Abacus Aardvark, written under the pseudonym: MJ Holiday (to be published by Pan in 2009). She will have eight books published in 2008 and 2009 including Young Adult novels: Big Sky (Allen & Unwin), Jack No Name, Avatar, The Glass Boy, and Stand Up (Heinemann) and Freeman's Feats (Pearson).

Melaina is a popular speaker – in demand for her passionate, generous and inspiring style as well as her familiarity with young people and understanding of what students and teachers want. With special interests in just about everything – oddities, the supernatural, eating disorders and body image, the environment, fairy tales, genetic science, animal heroes, bull-throwing, mythology, Venetian glass-blowing and anything else that can make classroom walls fly away and imbue the world with wonder – her presentations are as entertaining as they are educational.

Festivals, School Visits & Writing Workshops

Melaina designs and delivers workshops for specific curriculum or organisation needs. Participants have fun and learn key writing techniques and tools in workshops and presentations that are accessible, sparky, informative, practical and empowering. Workshops regularly requested include: Dueling with Dragons – Fantasy Writing for Kids, Story-starting through the Senses, Kick starting Creativity, Making Bad Writing Better and Good Writing Great – Self-Editing Essentials, Catch a Rising Star – Tools and Tips for Writing Young Adult Fiction, Conjuring Stories – The Imagination's Inner Magician, as well as mentoring and writing workshop intensives for senior secondary students geared towards improving Core Skills or HSC performance.

A typical testimonial: 'Thank you for your passion, your talents and your wonderfully human touch! We have thoroughly enjoyed your presentations and your personal insights. You will resonate with us for long after you leave us… the Year 12s said you were a must for Core Skills prep.'

Teresa Kennedy – Head of English – Lourdes Hill College.