This is ME.
I am a small town, socially awkward, and often anxious author and artist who found unshakeable security and hope in 1998 when I surrendered my fears and my heart to Jesus Christ.
I’ve always been creative, spending my childhood telling fantastical stories that allowed me to escape reality for a while. Because my heart and mind have always been bent toward words and creativity, I am naturally bad at math. That means I spent over thirty years in the finance industry as a bank manager and securities trader.
Now in my 50s I have the privilege of returning to my creative roots, and I get to spend my days making up stories and creating the kind of art I hope others find as entertaining as I do. My greatest wish as an author is that my stories will be a vehicle to share the hope and courage I found through my faith with others.
I live in a small town in Ohio with my husband of almost 30 years and a chaotic Akita named Hugo. Robert and I enjoy going on long cruises, taking motorcycle rides along side roads and back roads, and cheering for our favorite professional hockey teams.
The life of a phoenix
begins and ends in fire. In between, its very existence is evidence that death is not the end. The story it tells gives hope that even when everything is burning, new life is quietly being forged deep in the embers and ashes of what came before.
The Bible talks about new life in many of the same terms. Our life is purified and our faith is proven in the fires of everyday life. When the worst happens, we can choose to let our hope rise like a spark thrown from the heart of a fire, or let all our dreams go cold like the ash left behind.
Those are the kinds of stories I write, and the reason I chose the phoenix as the symbol of my publishing imprint. Many of my stories follow characters as they go through dark and difficult situations. But all of them find themselves confronted with a hope bright enough to lead them out of the darkness and into a new life where their hope is stronger than it would have been without the trials they faced.
Some stories might be overtly faith filled with Bible verses, prayers, and messages that rise directly from my faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and King. Other tales find hope in more fantastical worlds, with symbolism and metaphors that allude to a larger truth or Biblical principle than I know how to express in a contemporary way.
No matter what, in every story I tell, there is hope to be found, new ways of thinking to ponder, and a God who loves you deeply—all forged onto every page with a fire that will never go out.
The heart of a phoenix is tender, surrounded by fire and heat that purifies and renews. And so it is with the God who inspires, protects, and renews. He loves you with an everlasting love, a burning flame that shrouds a heart so tender it sent His only Son to be born a human, live a human life, die a horrific death, and rise from the grave. All so that when you and I place our complete trust in Him, we have hope that our most difficult moments are simply the fire we must walk through before we are gloriously raised to live forever.
It is my prayer that when you come to my website or when you see the phoenix logo and hear the name Risen Fiction, you will find the Hope of Christ woven into everything I write.
Because there is always hope.
Michelle B.
My Mission
To write entertaining and engaging stories that encourage and inspire hope even in the darkest of places.
My Vision
To use my words and art to create entertaining stories of hope, to encourage exploration of faith in Christ Jesus, and to rightly represent the character of God.
My Core Values
Christ Centered Creativity - I create from a place of daily dependence on God, seeking to reflect His truth, hope, and character in everything I do.
Purposeful Growth - I value personal and spiritual growth as the foundation for meaningful creative work.
Community First - I believe in encouraging and uplifting fellow creatives, recognizing there is room for all of us to flourish when we lead with humility and shared purpose.
Intentional Integrity - I approach difficult or sensitive content with care to ensure every element points to the hope found in Christ.
Exceptional Products and Services - I am committed to producing high-quality, thoughtful work that serves my audience with care, creativity, and intention.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”—Romans 15:13 NIV
Risen Fiction Publishing is the publishing imprint for all of my novels.