Michelle Muriel

Michelle Muriel is the award-winning, bestselling author of the #1 Amazon historical fiction bestseller Essie's Roses and her new novel Amazon bestseller, Water Lily Dance. Water Lily Dance follows the lives and secrets of three brave women, centuries apart, connected by French Impressionist artist Claude Monet. Michelle holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, magna cum laude, and worked as a professional actress, a member of Actors' Equity and The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists for twenty years, doing theater, voice-over, and commercial work. Michelle transferred her skills in complex character development and historical research into writing heartbreaking, heart-mending historical, literary fiction. Her novels poetically explore the secret sides of life, stories told from multiple points of view by strong female characters in history harboring secrets and breaking norms fighting for freedom. She is also a songwriter and musician. Michelle lives in Missouri with her husband, Michael. To learn more about Michelle and her books, visit the author's website: www.MichelleMuriel.com #1 Amazon Kindle Bestseller Readers' Favorite Silver Medal Winner Southern Fiction Top 100 Amazon Bestseller To learn more about Michelle, her books, and future projects please visit her at her website MichelleMuriel(dot)com. You can also follow the author on Facebook, Amazon, Goodreads, and Vimeo. New in Fiction Water Lily Dance a new historical novel by bestselling author Michelle Muriel Praise for Water Lily Dance! "A brilliantly penned and original novel showcasing the extraordinary talent and genuine flair of a distinctive narrative storytelling style . . . An absorbing and inherently riveting read from beginning to end . . ." - Midwest Book Review ". . . a fantastic air of reinvention to this deeply emotional and sensitive tale . . . it was the characters at the very heart which draw you in and keep you reading, superbly developed and likable as they are. Water Lily Dance is a highly recommended read." 5 stars! - K.C. Finn, Readers' Favorite "Author Michelle Muriel delights readers once again . . . Water Lily Dance is more than a mere novel that happens to revolve around an Impressionist artist. It is a wonderfully written . . . moving portrayal of the strength and resilience of women . . . a story that should not be missed." - Feathered Quill Book Reviews About Water Lily Dance by Michelle Muriel Obsession. Rivalry. Revolution. From the bestselling author of Essie's Roses, a heartbreaking, heart-mending new historical novel. The lives and secrets of three women, centuries apart, intersect at the artist Claude Monet's garden in Giverny in this emotional, imaginative portrait of loss, love, and second chances. The greatest loss we may ever experience is that of ourselves. From the author of the award-winning, bestselling Essie's Roses comes an imaginative, emotional portrait of the secret side of grief and the deep bonds and secrets between mothers and children. Three women centuries apart set out to escape a colorless life, connected by one of the most controversial, beloved artists in the world: Claude Monet. But at what cost? Missouri, 2014. Sophie Noel, an emerging artist and daughter of renowned artist Josephine de Lue, holds an extraordinary imagination, but a year after the unexpected deaths of her father and husband, she cannot imagine a way to "move on" from loss-or the buried childhood memory trying to resurface that would have torn her family apart. To cope with grief and the temptation to leave it all behind, Sophie escapes into a painted world of color and light venting her anxiety to an old childhood friend-an imaginary one: French Impressionist artist, Claude Monet. Paris, 1865. Camille Doncieux is captivated by the rebirth of Paris and the rebellious artists who wage war against tradition and the government's censorship at the annual art exhibition at the Paris Salon. Behind the windows of her father's luxurious dress shop, Camille plots a rebellion of her own after meeting three bold artists who will change her life forever: Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, and Frédéric Bazille. But in Paris, where a young woman's life is ordered and controlled, a family secret and Camille's quest for love and fame may cost her everything, perhaps even the man she loves. From an eclectic town in Missouri to the stunning backdrop of 19th-century Paris at the height of the Impressionist art movement, Water Lily Dance is a heartbreaking, heart-mending tale of loss, love, and second chances. Available now Essie's Roses, no1 Amazon bestselling historical fiction by Michelle Muriel Praise for Essie's Roses! "Impressively well written from beginning to end, "Essie's Roses" is an inherently absorbing and skillfully presented read, establishing author Michelle Muriel as an exceptionally talented novelist." -Midwest Book Review "...tremendously impressive debut novel ... A richly moving reading experience." -Historical Novel Society "Miss Muriel's novel is a thing of beauty. 5 Stars!" - Readers' Favorite "...Ms. Muriel writes in four such distinct voices I felt like I was in the space with each one. ... exceptionally well written and it was very hard to put down. 5 stars!" -Patty Woodland, Broken Teepee "...all I can say is - wow, what an amazing read. ...I fully expect to see Essie's Roses on the silver screen someday, but until then I will simply look forward to reading future works by this author. 5 Stars!" -Feathered Quill Book Reviews About Essie's Roses Growing up in the Deep South during the years leading to the Civil War, two young girls find freedom on a hillside overlooking Westland, an Alabama plantation. Essie Mae, an intuitive, intelligent slave girl, and Evie Winthrop, the sheltered, imaginative dreamer and planter's daughter, strike up a secret friendship that thrives amidst the shadows of abuse. Told from the viewpoint of four women: Katherine Winthrop, kind mistress and unexpected heiress to her father's small, cotton plantation; Delly, her sassy and beloved house slave; Essie Mae, her slave girl; and Evie Winthrop, Katherine's only child, Essie's Roses tells of forbidden relationships flourishing in secret behind Westland's protective trees and treasured roses. After scandal befalls Westland, Evie and Essie, aged nineteen, travel to Richmond, Virginia, to escape their abusive pasts. There, they face the gross indecencies and divisions leading to the War Between the States. Though the horrors of slavery and discrimination prompt action, Evie and Essie's struggles lie within. The secrets they hold and the pain of the past lead them away from one another and back home again. A story about a black slave who frees a white woman, Essie's Roses reveals the innocence of children's friendships, the diverse meanings of freedom, the significance of a dream, and the power of love. In their efforts to save each other, will the women of Westland find the true freedom they desire?