Melody Horrill

Melody Horrill is an award-winning Australian environmental journalist, freelance media manager, speaker, and author of three books. She is well known in South Australia for raising awareness about dolphins and marine conservation. She is co-chair of the Jane Goodall Institute’s Cetacean Committee and Ambassador for Kangaroo Island Dolphin Watch. She lives in Melbourne with her fourteen-year-old rescue cat, Q, and partner Grant. She is a passionate animal and nature lover and likes nothing more than spending time beside or in the sea.
Although Melody spent many years writing for broadcast media, her memoir ‘A Dolphin Called Jock,’ was her first book. It was published across Australia and New Zealand then internationally under a new title - ‘The Dolphin Who Saved Me.’ The book focuses on connecting with nature and her extraordinary friendship with a wild, injured dolphin which helped her heal from a childhood deeply impacted by domestic violence. Dr Jane Goodall endorsed Melody’s memoir book – which led to her involvement with the Jane Goodall Institute’s Cetacean Committee.
Her debut young adult fantasy ‘A Cat Called Q and the Magic Globe’ also focuses on the theme of connecting with the natural world. It also explores the power of discovering and believing in your magic, even during challenging times. The feline hero of the novel is based on Melody’s thirteen-year-old rescue cat, Q who is also her constant writing companion. As a young girl, Melody loved reading fantasy and escaping into worlds such as Narnia in C.S Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. She dreamt up the ‘Globe’ story as a child and is thrilled that, many years later, it has come to life. Melody is passionate about animals and protecting the natural world and loves nothing more than spending time on and in the water and hanging out with her favorite feline friend! Her third book, a non-fiction titled ‘Sheltered’ will be published in September 2024.