PUBLISHED WORKS

Three novels, one voice.

From her acclaimed debut to her highly anticipated upcoming release, Michel invites you to settle in and discover the journeys that await.

Fig Days

A novel by Michel Stone

BOOK COVER REVEAL
COMING SOON

FORTHCOMING APRIL 2027

Fig Days

A quietly powerful novel, Fig Days unfolds against the enchanting backdrop of the South Carolina Lowcountry, the place of Michel’s birth and upbringing, where memory, connection, and the fragile beauty of ordinary moments come to life. Cover reveal is coming soon!

Michel Stone’s highly anticipated third novel, Fig Days, arrives on April 6, 2027. Rich with the compassion, humanity, and sense of place that define her work, this compelling story of resilience invites readers on another unforgettable journey through the complexities of family, belonging, and hope.

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  • “Michel Stone is a gifted storyteller on a mission. This haunting story will keep you turning pages long into the night. An excellent southern novel that spins despair into hope.”

    —Adriana Trigiani, NYT best-selling author of The View From Lake Como

  • “A powerful, haunting tale.”

    —Delia Owens, NYT bestselling author of Where the Crawdads Sing

  • "A love letter to the South Carolina Lowcountry— storytelling at its finest."

    —Mary Alice Monroe, NYT bestselling author

  • “Everything I hope for in a novel... a profound vision of the heart’s depths and contradictions.”

    —Ron Rash, NYT bestselling author of Serena

  • "A novel of haunting beauty... it leaves a mark of wonder and redemption.”

    —Patti Callahan Henry, NYT Bestselling author of The Story She Left Behind

  • “Literary fiction at its finest.”

    —Wiley Cash, NYT Bestselling author of When Ghosts Come Home

  • “A mesmerizing literary magic trick.”

    —Scott Gould, award-winning author of Peace Like a River

  • "Stunningly beautiful, artful, and compassionate."

    —Mindy Friddle, award-winning author of Her Best Self 

  • “...beautiful, moving, evocative, and worthy, I couldn't put it down.”

    —Bret Lott, NYT Bestselling author of an Oprah's Book Club selection Jewel

  • “... an expertly woven tapestry of storytelling... dramatic and powerful”

    —Jeffrey Blount, author of Mr. Jimmy From Around the Way

SECOND NOVEL

Border Child

Rooted in urgent contemporary realities, Border Child has been recognized for its emotional sensitivity and gripping narrative power. Michel Stone weaves a deeply human journey shaped by loss, separation, and determination, praised by critics for its compassion, relevance, and haunting exploration of love tested by circumstance.

For Héctor and Lilia, pursuit of the American Dream became every parent’s worst fear when their infant daughter vanished as they crossed from Mexico to the United States—now they must try to get her back. With great empathy and a keen awareness of current events, Michel Stone delivers a novel of surpassing sensitivity and heart.

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  • “Stone captures the rich textured voices of her characters on both sides of the border due to her boundless understanding of that most universal emotion— love. Unafraid to ask the hard questions, Border Child explores complex family dynamics with great imagination, insight, and empathy.”

    — Tayari Jones, NYT bestselling author of An American Marriage

  • “Michel Stone has written a deeply moving tale that delivers a hefty emotional punch. Border Child is a compassionate, beautiful novel.”

    — Ron Rash, author of Serena

  • “Border Child is an important and timely must-read! Michel Stone writes with confident authority about the heart wrenching experiences of a young Mexican couple desperately seeking their child lost at the border. As the reader journeys with them a deeper, meaningful appreciation of their culture, decisions and humanity takes root in our heart. Border Child is a cross-cultural tour de force.”

    — Mary Alice Monroe, author of A Lowcountry Wedding

  • “At a time when Mexican immigrants are being demonized or turned into nothing more than statistics, Michel Stone offers us a heartbreaking and profound story about the realities of the immigrant experience and the price that a family pays for a shot at the American Dream. Raw, painful, and illuminating, Stone delves deep into the humanity of her characters to reveal the true human cost of immigration.”

    — Reyna Grande, author of The Distance Between Us

  • “Gripping and politically savvy."

    — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

  • “Poignant... perceptive.”

    — Booklist

  • “Compelling and topical.”

    — Raleigh News and Observer

  • “...surprising and lovely... It’s social realism, reminiscent of Steinbeck.”

    — San Francisco Chronicle

  • “Stone makes palpable the vulnerabilities and exploitation of... hard-working parents seeking a better future for their family.”

    — BBC

  • "Poignant, action-packed."

    — Charleston Magazine (Editor's pick)

  • "The narrative cuts deepest with Lilia, who blames herself for the loss of their child.”

    — The New Yorker

DEBUT NOVEL

The Iguana Tree

Acclaimed for its emotional depth and powerful storytelling, The Iguana Tree has resonated with readers and critics alike. Michel Stone’s debut novel is widely praised for its vivid characters, compelling narrative, and unflinching portrayal of resilience, survival, and the human spirit under pressure.

Set amid the perils of illegal border crossings, The Iguana Tree is the suspenseful saga of Lilia and Hector, who separately make their way from Mexico into the United States, seeking work in the Carolinas and a home for their infant daughter. This harrowing novel meticulously examines the obstacles each faces in pursuing a new life: manipulation, rape, and murder in the perilous commerce of border crossings; betrayal by family and friends; exploitation by corrupt officials and rapacious landowners on the U.S. side; and, finally, the inexorable workings of the U.S. justice system. Hector and Lilia meet Americans willing to help them with legal assistance and offers of responsible employment, but their illegal entry seems certain to prove their undoing. The consequences of their decisions are devastating. In the end, The Iguana Tree is a universal story of loss, grief, and human dignity.

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  • “The Iguana Tree is a triumph—an enjoyable and informative story on an important topic. Ms. Stone has found a compelling realistic fiction voice and established herself as an author to watch.”

    — NY Journal of Books

  • “Recalls the works of John Steinbeck.”

    — Library Journal

  • “Well-written, expertly paced, and timely.”

    — Publishers Weekly, (starred review)

  • “Tightly written. A wildfire-paced plot.”

    — The Texas Observer

  • "Masterful"

    — Gulf Coast Literary Journal

  • "Told with deeply felt compassion and journalistic attention to detail."

    — Charleston Post and Courier

  • "A haunting tale of hope and heartbreak."

    — Kirkus

  • "Powerful... with melancholy truths hard to ignore or forget."

    — C. Michael Curtis,
Senior editor of The Atlantic