She spent her early childhood growing up in rural New Jersey with many fond memories of her best friend's dairy farm. In her late teens, she moved to Los Angeles and spent many years there as a "city girl." More than a decade ago, Melissa and her husband decided to move back East and settle on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. While working a half acre of cleared land in a suburban setting over the past six years, Melissa has shared her family's adventures on her award-winning blog, Tilly's Nest. Melissa also writes for HGTV, DIY Network, Grit Magazine, Community Chickens, and Keeping Backyard Bees and contributes to Country Living Magazine online. She travels around the country giving lectures about chickens, gardening, and beekeeping.