NOVELIST · EDUCATOR · STORYTELLER
Meet Michel.
Michel Stone is an award-winning novelist, speaker, educator, and community volunteer whose work explores themes of resilience, belonging, and the human connections that transcend borders. Her acclaimed novels, The Iguana Tree and Border Child, have been compared to the writings of John Steinbeck and have both been optioned for film.
A proud 11th-generation South Carolinian, Michel draws inspiration from her deep roots in Charleston County and her lifelong connection to the Lowcountry. Her third novel, Fig Days, is forthcoming from Regal House Publishing in April 2027.
Michel’s work has been featured and reviewed by numerous national publications, including The New Yorker, The San Francisco Chronicle, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Booklist, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She holds degrees from Clemson University and Converse University and is an alumna of the Sewanee Writers’ Conference.
When she’s not writing, Michel remains actively involved in her community through education, leadership, and volunteer service.
And yes—her name is pronounced like “Michelle.” People ask all the time.
"I hope these stories bring you joy and resonate with your heart."
FROM MICHEL’S DESK
A note from the Author.
I’m so glad you’re here! As a writer deeply influenced by my roots, I want to share a bit about my journey. I was born in Charleston and raised on Johns Island, South Carolina, so my writing is deeply rooted in the landscape, culture, and stories that shape that region. Growing up in the 1970s, I experienced a unique era when the island was a tight-knit, rural community, rich in heritage and agricultural traditions. My formative years spent amid unpaved roads, lush live oaks, and a thriving saltmarsh ecosystem instilled in me a profound connection to the Lowcountry and the preservation of its special way of life. My siblings and I spent our summers crabbing, bogging in the creek, sweating as we picked vegetables, and always barefoot. In my memories, these were carefree, magical days.
My novels often begin with something unexpectedly captivating—like the chance conversation I overheard in a field on Edisto Island that sparked my first novel or a story from the evening news that inspired my second. Meanwhile, my third book sprang from childhood memories of growing up beside a river.
If you’re a beginning writer, take heart! Every published novelist was once an unpublished one with an idea. My primary suggestion is to make your way to the writing desk and write regularly. As Faulkner said, “I only write when I am inspired. Fortunately, I am inspired at nine o'clock every morning.”
And if you ever feel your voice is insignificant, think again! Eudora Welty wisely noted, “One place understood helps us understand all places better.” Your perspective is valuable, and I encourage you to share it. When you tell a story that only you can tell, it may reveal universal truths that connect with readers everywhere.
I hope you find something here that speaks to you. Thank you for visiting, and I look forward to sharing this literary adventure with you!
Warmly,
FROM MICHEL’S HEART