Melinda Haynes (born December 3, 1955) is an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

. She grew up in

Hattiesburg, Mississippi Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County, Mississippi, Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County, Mississippi, Lamar County. The city popu ...

. For much of her adult life she was a painter. In 1999, she wrote her first published novel, ''

Mother of Pearl Nacre ( , ), also known as mother of pearl, is an organicinorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer; it is also the material of which pearls are composed. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent. Nacre is ...

'', while living in a

mobile home A mobile home (also known as a house trailer, park home, trailer, or trailer home) is a prefabricated structure, built in a factory on a permanently attached chassis before being transported to site (either by being towed or on a trailer). Us ...

Grand Bay, Alabama Grand Bay is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Mobile metropolitan area. The population was 3,460 at the 2020 census. History According to local accounts, ...

. Melinda Haynes currently resides in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

with her husband, Ray. Her writing has a close relationship to Mississippi in the 1950s and 1960s.

Works

In June 1999, Haynes' first novel, ''

'' (1999, , hardcover) was chosen to be a member of

Oprah's Book Club Oprah's Book Club was a book discussion club segment of the United States, American talk show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', highlighting books chosen by host Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey started the book club in 1996, selecting a new book, usually a nov ...

. The novel also was a ''New York Times Best Seller. Her second novel ''Chalktown'' (May 2, 2001, , hardcover) was published by Hyperion Books in

Hardback A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as case-bound) book is one bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other cloth, heavy paper, or occas ...

(317 pp) and

Paperback A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...

(368 pp). Haynes's third book is titled, ''Willem's Field'' (2003, ). Willem's Field is a 432-page print hardback and paperback book.

References

External links

Melinda Haynes at The Mississippi Writers and Musicians Project of Starkville High School
1955 births Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American women novelists 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers People from Hattiesburg, Mississippi People from Grand Bay, Alabama Writers from Mobile, Alabama Novelists from Alabama {{US-novelist-1950s-stub