About Me

Hey there...I'm Melissa Jean Rod, but you can call me MJ.

I'm a #1 international bestselling, multi-award-winning author, professional speaker, sunset-chaser, and accidental detective of my own family tree. I speak and write on forgiveness, father wounds, and the kind of family secrets that don't stay secret...with honesty, hope, and a healthy dose of humor, because someone has to laugh about this stuff.

My book, The Daddy Files: A Story of Secrets, Forgiveness, and the Search for Identity, tells the true story of what happened when, at 45 years old, I discovered the man I thought was my father...wasn't. What followed involved family secrets, DNA, a mother who doubled down with a story that I'd been switched at birth, and one very determined daughter who apparently missed her calling as a private investigator.

But underneath the mystery is the real story...forgiveness, identity, and discovering that even when I didn't know who my earthly father was, God knew exactly whose daughter I was all along. It's part memoir, part mystery, and all about how God shows up in the middle of our mess.

I'm also currently writing Exhibit A: A Mother's Testimony, the story of walking through my son's arrest and plea deal... and learning, in the middle of the hardest chapter of my life, that grace doesn't have an exit clause. If you've ever felt left out, let down, blindsided by a phone call you never saw coming, or like you're carrying questions no one's answering...I see you. I've been there, more than once. And I write for you.

I grew up in a tiny Texas town with the unforgettable name of Cut 'n Shoot (yep, that's real), the oldest in a big sister squad...though the actual childhood mischief was a two-girl operation with my sister, Christina.

I've been married for a long time to a man who first hired me as his son's nanny (there's a story there, and yes, I'll probably tell it eventually). Together we've raised six kids...through birth, adoption, and marriage...gained a few "daughters-in-love" along the way, and now I proudly go by "Honey" to five grandsons who keep me on my toes (and keep multiplying faster than I can update this bio).

I'm a big fan of chocolate, long flights, unexpected plot twists, and photos of the sky, especially at sunset. But more than anything, I'm passionate about sharing God's love and forgiveness, and reminding women that no matter who walked out, who let you down, or what verdict got read out loud in a courtroom...there's a Father who never will.

Thanks for stopping by. I’m so glad you’re here. You belong.