Mel Cieslik Miskimen is an award-winning writer and Moth storyteller. When not crafting sentences, she’s checking in with her adult offspring, her 96-year-old father, and debating the popularity of Blue Bloods with her husband.

Her work has been featured in The Huffington Post, Rosebud Literary Magazine, Fetch, and the late More Magazine. Her book, Sit. Stay. Heal., chronicling how an underachieving Labrador helped her and her father navigate grief after losing her mother, was a Wisconsin Public Radio’s Chapter A Day selection and has been translated into German. Modern Dog Magazine called it a "must-read."

"My Life In Ruins," her latest book, was inspired by a trip taken to Ireland with her sister to fulfill their mother’s wish. It’s a tale of second chances, letting go and finding out what really matters.