Justin L. Melot

Born in 1978, Justin grew up in a rural town in central Oklahoma. His adolescence was typical for a child of the 80’s, consisting of bicycles, little league baseball, bb guns, trampolines in the backyard, and basketball goals in the driveway. As a teenager he loved riding motorcycles, and having adventures around the farms of his grandparents. Though both of his parents worked, they always found time to be together, and growing up around his extended family of aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents was a constant. His brother, four years his senior, has been an influence from his very beginning, and his approval and acceptance never wavered as they grew older. His high school career had its struggles like most experience. He was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was a freshman, and by the time he was a junior, was told the college entrance exam wasn’t necessary, as college just wasn’t going to be an option. So, being limited on future career paths, his mother encouraged him to go to a vocational school his junior and senior year, So he took computers. This was one of the most impactful decisions of his life. Justin has done many, MANY jobs over his life, but his knowledge of computers has always given him a way to succeed. Out of high school he worked as an apprentice for a heating and air conditioning company. Then he roofed houses. He went to a vocational school to learn additional computer skills with computer aided drafting. He worked on computers in two different hospitals. He’s been a secretary for a church, a brick layers’ apprentice, a welder’s apprentice, a software consultant, an aquatics director for two different facilities, a volunteer fireman, and an I.T. Director for a public school. In his early 30’s, to prove something to himself and to disprove previous opinion, he went to college. He graduated in 2013 with honors from Oklahoma Baptist University. One of his proudest achievements. His other proudest achievements have been raising his two boys. He’s always so impressed with how amazing they are, in spite of his best efforts at parenting. His divorce from their mother was hard for everyone, but he thanks God every day that all parties have overcome. He did eventually find his ride-or-die, and married to Shae in 2021. Today he enjoys their adventures together, and all the blessings they’ve been given.  His writing endeavors have complimented this new chapter in his own life as he looks forward to many more chapters, both literally and metaphorically, to come!