Michelle Fogle, Author

“Let’s Pretend” was my favorite play activity in childhood. I could be transformed into a pioneer in the Old West, make mud pies for the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, or walk imaginary battlefields of Constantinople with Florence Nightingale. I believe reading and writing historical fiction can similarly transport us to other places and times. But what is most satisfying about historical fiction is the uncanny way it reveals timeless insights about the human condition that are just as relevant to our own time. What I hope to do with all of my work is not only entertain, but to increase awareness, understanding, and to inspire others.

I am a former psychotherapist turned novelist, living in the Pacific Northwest. My first prize-winning poem was published at age eight, the same year I produced my first school play. In middle school, while classmates spent lunches and recess flirting and parading, I was holed-up in the girls’ bathroom in a read and critique group. While at UCLA, I published a feature article based on ethnographic research with the descendants of Inquisition fugitives living in the Old City of Jerusalem This passion for writing endured, leading to coursework at the University of California, and a Certificate in Novel Writing at San Diego Writers’ Ink in 2016. I am a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, and the Historical Novel Society.