Biography
Welcome to my author's biography page. After learning a little about me, please also visit my blog page, Michelle's Musings, where topics range from current events to the writing process. For now, I'm posting on the 15th of each month.
I've been a fan of mystery and suspense from an early age, and I've been writing since my teens. My love for math and science ultimately led to a career in medicine that I did not see coming. Always the curious type, I enjoyed the detective-like nature of practicing Internal Medicine, during which time I encountered a variety of personalities amid difficult, emotionally charged life-and-death scenarios. That experience, along with my upbringing in a family with a mentally ill member, planted seeds for complex characters and storylines rich with mystery, conflict, and turmoil.
My desire to write was exposed in lengthy patient chart entries that resembled storylines more than quick summaries. Intrigued by the complicated nature of human behavior during times of stress reinforced by a difficult upbringing, I developed an interest in constructing enigmatic characters who faced seemingly insurmountable life obstacles. Eventually, I reduced my work schedule and fused my interests in health promotion and writing by publishing health-related articles and other human-interest pieces in consumer magazines.
Next, I decided to try writing a novel. After taking creative writing courses and multiple rewrites and iterations, I penned Hide and Seek, which I've been revising ad nauseum. It's a haunting tale about a troubled twelve-year-old girl who seeks redemption amid a family tragedy. But along the way, I realized I had a lot to say about my life and survival.
In 2019, I was honored to have my novel submission recognized as a top-10 finalist for the She Writes Press (2019 Indie Publisher of the Year) and SparkPress Toward Equality in Publishing (STEP) competition that aims to increase representation of BIPOC authors. However, I've been anxious to get back to other projects, including personal essays and a memoir that have taken a back seat while I worked on the novel. So, after the last go-round, I've decided to place those time-consuming novel revisions on pause and pursue other writing interests. I also plan to develop a collection of short golf-humor pieces, one of which won FIRST PLACE in the 2021 SouthWest Writers competition!
My writing society memberships include: The Authors Guild; The National League of American Pen Women, Inc.; San Diego Writers, Ink, and the Central Coast Writers (CCW) Branch of the California Writers Club (www.centralcoastwriters.org). I have a longstanding member profile column that I write for Scribbles, CCW's monthly newsletter, and my opinion pieces have appeared in The San Diego Union-Tribune. My newest membership is Toastmasters International.
My medical credentials include an M.D. completed at the University of Southern California School of Medicine; internship and residency in Internal Medicine completed at Highland General Hospital in Oakland, CA; medical licensure in good standing in the states of California, Arizona, and Hawaii; certification in the specialty of Internal Medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine; longstanding member of the American College of Physicians.