You found me through my art.

Now let me tell you the story behind it.

Tad Cooper

This piece began with a chameleon I came across on Pinterest. But somewhere along the way, it became something more.

“I painted Tad Cooper during a silent retreat at a monastery, using watercolor and layering in details from my novel The Love Operation: a scalpel, a human spine, subtle nods to Cordelia Wren, a spine surgeon learning that control isn’t everything.

Tad Cooper is her pet. But he’s also something more.

A reminder that we are allowed to change. To shed what no longer fits. To become something new, again and again.

If this resonated with you, you’ll find more in my stories.

The Love Operation: a scalpel-sharp, emotional romance/medical drama about ambition, memory, and the love that refuses to stay buried.

She can relive her past… but fixing it might cost her everything.

For readers who love Ali Hazelwood & Emily Henry…

Dr. Cordelia Wren, a brilliant spine surgeon with a disastrous love life, joins a cutting-edge memory study and gains the ability to revisit her past with perfect clarity. As one would do, she dives into her failed relationships, determined to finally get love right, all while juggling a forbidden romance with the hospital’s COO and her shot at chief of surgery. But when her memories begin to blur with the present and her first love reappears, Cord risks losing not just her future, but herself.

💕Perfect for readers who love:

  • Smart, ambitious heroines

  • Messy, complicated relationships

  • Forbidden tension

  • Emotional, addictive romance

MORE STORIES YOU MIGHT LOVE:

Pick your vibe:

Want humor, romance, tension, and/or emotional damage?

Grey’s Anatomy meets Ali Hazelwood

🩺❤️
A brilliant surgeon can relive her past, but fixing it might cost her everything.

JoJo Moyes meets Katherine Center

💔😭❤️‍🩹
A socially anxious financial planner starts over in Nashville and finds the life she never thought she deserved.

Prefer dark, twisty, can’t-sleep-after thrillers?

Coming soon…

Fatal Attraction meets Behind Her Eyes

🧠🔪🖤
A woman who shouldn’t exist, the man who might have to kill her, & the psychiatrist leading it all.

Not Ready to commit?

Join my newsletter and get a free read to see if my books are your kind of obsession.

Choose your vibe:

💕 Light & funny or 🖤 Dark & chilling


A heartwarming tale of betrayal, doubt, and sheet cake.

Just Desserts is a humorous women’s fiction novelette about love gone sideways, friendship on the brink, and the emotional chaos that follows when old wounds collide with new doubts, and dessert becomes a coping strategy.

    She raised him to believe anything was possible. He took it to heart.

      Everything Is Fine is a chilling psychological prequel to my upcoming thriller, exploring the quiet terror of denial, the seductive comfort of reassurance, and the danger of mistaking love for protection.

      Hi! I’m Melissa, a former spine surgery PA turned author of messy romances and psychologically unwell thrillers.

      Every story has two sides. These are mine…

      MELISSA R. COLLINGS

      Romance & Women’s Fiction

      Warm. Witty. Heartfelt. Hopeful.

      As Melissa R. Collings, I write humorous, heartwarming women’s fiction and romantic stories about the messy, beautiful ways we love and grow.

      M. R. COLLINGS

      Thrillers & Psychological Suspense

      Dark. Emotional. Psychological. Unsettling.

      As M. R. Collings, I write psychological suspense that digs into the shadows of the human mind, stories where reality bends, emotions run high, and every truth has an edge..

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