Everyone has a story to tell
Michelle M. Bruhn didn't set out to change the world—she just wanted to understand its people better. Armed with an insatiable curiosity about people and a head full of plot-dragons, she began writing fantasy stories that do something unexpected: they make readers care about perspectives they never knew they needed.
While other authors might be content with epic battles and magical systems (though Michelle loves those too), she's the writer who pauses mid-adventure to ask the hard questions. Why do people hate what they don't understand? How does someone with a disability or neurodivergence experience a world built for others? What happens when we actually listen to someone whose beliefs challenge our own? These aren't just philosophical musings for Michelle—they're the beating heart of every story she creates, wrapped in the wonder of fantasy worlds where readers can explore real-life complexity from refreshing new angles.
Her journey began, as many great stories do, in the realm of fandom and fanfiction. Enchanted by beloved stories of fairies, superheroes, and dragons, she had to play in those worlds herself, creating characters and adventures alongside her favorite heroes. But the fanfiction writer eventually outgrew borrowed worlds, discovering the freedom and challenge of building her own universes complete with original magic systems and creatures—some of whom bear suspicious resemblances to the cats currently lounging across her keyboard.
Those cats, by the way, are more than just adorable office companions. They're muses, inspiration, and occasionally the models for fantasy creatures who share their quirks and personalities. When Michelle isn't writing, she's likely making music, binge-watching TED Talks to feed her understanding of human nature, or taking walks to untangle plot threads.
What makes Michelle's work resonate isn't just her imagination—it's her empathy. She's the friend who genuinely wants to understand where you're coming from, even if she disagrees. She's the writer who knows far too much about personality theories because understanding what makes people tick is her love language. In a world that often feels divided by hatred and misunderstanding, Michelle writes stories that build bridges, inviting readers to step into someone else's shoes—or scales—and discover the shared humanity beneath our differences.
Her debut novel Songflight struck a chord with readers who were hungry for fantasy that balances escapism with emotional resonance. Readers connected with its emotionally rich characters, especially its heroine whose stutter, empathy, and quiet determination offer a refreshing take on true strength. Many note how the series’ themes of understanding and hard won peace give the adventure an emotional depth that stays with them long after the final chapter.
Today, Michelle M. Bruhn continues crafting fantasy that refuses to choose between entertainment and meaning. Her stories feature outcasts who find family, characters with differing abilities who reshape what heroism looks like, and hope that feels earned rather than handed out. She writes for the readers who want their fantasy served with substance, who believe that understanding others isn't weakness but wisdom, and who know that sometimes the bravest thing a person can do is simply try to see through someone else's eyes.