Mel B., a resident of Toledo, Ohio, since 1972, is a writer specializing in recovery, timely business topics, speeches, publicity and military history. Retired since 1986, he served in public relations for a major corporation headquartered in Toledo. Mel B. is a recovering alcoholic and a longtime member of Alcoholics Anonymous. He writes anonymously on subjects related to alcoholism and was a contributing writer for Pass It On, AA's authorized biography of co-founder Bill Wilson. In addition to Ebby: The Man Who Sponsored Bill W., he has authored two other Hazelden books, New Wine and Walk In Dry Places, as well as several Hazelden pamphlets. He has also contributed about fifty articles to The Grapevine, the international journal of AA.