Michelle Moran (born August 11, 1980) is an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...

known for her

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other t ...

writing.

Biography

Michelle Moran was born in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...

, August 11, 1980. She took an interest in writing from an early age, purchasing ''

Writer's Market ''Writer's Market'' (''WM'') is an annual resource book for writers who wish to sell their work. The publication is released by ''Writer's Digest ''Writer's Digest'' is an American magazine aimed at beginning and established writers. It conta ...

'' and submitting her stories and novellas to publishers from the time she was twelve. She majored in literature at

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became t ...

. Following a summer in Israel where she worked as a volunteer archaeologist, she earned an MA from the

Claremont Graduate University The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges which includes five undergraduate ( Pomona College, Claremont McKenna ...

. Her experiences at

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...

s were what inspired her to write

. A

public high school State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools ( Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in ...

teacher for six years, Moran is currently a full-time writer living in California. Moran is the author of the national bestselling historical fiction novels ''Nefertiti'', ''The Heretic Queen'', and ''Cleopatra's Daughter''. Her fourth book, ''Madame Tussaud'', was optioned by Gaumont for a miniseries in 2011. Michael Hirst is writing the script. Her fifth book, "The Second Empress," explores the lives of the women in Napoleon Bonaparte's world. Her sixth book, ''Rebel Queen'', is set in India and talks about the queen Lakshmibai of Jhansi. Her latest book is "Mata Hari's Last Dance."

Bibliography

* ''Nefertiti: A Novel'' (2007) This novel tells the story of

Nefertiti Neferneferuaten Nefertiti () ( – c. 1330 BC) was a queen of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, the great royal wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti and her husband were known for a radical change in national religious policy, in which ...

's sister Mutnodjmet and the events of Nefertiti's marriage to Amenhotep IV until the time of her death. According to WorldCat, the book is held in 984 libraries. * ''The Heretic Queen'' (2008) This novel tells the story of

Nefertari Nefertari, also known as Nefertari Meritmut, was an Egyptian queen and the first of the Great Royal Wives (or principal wives) of Ramesses the Great.Dodson, Aidan and Hilton, Dyan. ''The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt''. Thames & Hud ...

, wife of

Ramesses the Great Ramesses II ( egy, rꜥ-ms-sw ''Rīʿa-məsī-sū'', , meaning "Ra is the one who bore him"; ), commonly known as Ramesses the Great, was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Along with Thutmose III he is often regarded as t ...

and niece of the "heretic queen",

. * ''Cleopatra's Daughter'' (2009) This novel tells the story of

Cleopatra Selene II Cleopatra Selene II ( Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Σελήνη; summer 40 BC – BC; the numeration is modern) was a Ptolemaic princess, Queen of Numidia (briefly in 25 BC) and Mauretania (25 BC – 5 BC) and Queen of Cyrenaica (34 BC – 30 BC). ...

and

Alexander Helios Alexander Helios ( el, Ἀλέξανδρος Ἥλιος; late 40 BC – unknown, but possibly between 29 and 25 BC) was a Ptolemaic prince and was a son of Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of the Ptolemaic dynasty and Roman triumvir Mark Antony. Alexander' ...

, the twin children of

Cleopatra VII Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

and

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...

, in the aftermath of the great queen's death as well as living in Rome in the court of

Octavian Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

. * ''Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution'' (2011)http://www.michellemoran.com/about/index.html. This novel tells the story of

Marie Grosholtz Anna Maria "Marie" Tussaud (; née Grosholtz; 1 December 1761 – 16 April 1850) was a French artist known for her wax sculptures and Madame Tussauds, the wax museum she founded in London. Biography Marie Tussaud was born 1 December 1761 in St ...

, the future "Madame Tussaud", and her rise to prominence as a wax artist during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

. * ''The Second Empress: A Novel of Napoleons Court'' (2012) This novel tells the story of the

Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma Marie Louise (12 December 1791 – 17 December 1847) was an Austrian archduchess who reigned as Duchess of Parma from 11 April 1814 until her death. She was Napoleon's second wife and as such Empress of the French and Queen of Italy from their ...

, Empress of France and

Pauline Bonaparte Paula Maria Bonaparte Leclerc Borghese ( French: ''Pauline Marie Bonaparte''; 20 October 1780 – 9 June 1825), better known as Pauline Bonaparte, was an imperial French princess, the first sovereign Duchess of Guastalla, and the princess cons ...

. * ''Rebel Queen'' (2015) This novel tells the story of the

Rani of Jhansi Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi (; 19 November 1828 — 18 June 1858),Though the day of the month is regarded as certain historians disagree about the year: among those suggested are 1827 and 1835. was an Indian queen, the Maharani consort of ...

. * ''Mata Hari's Last Dance'' (2016) This novel tells the story of the

Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed ...

. * ''Reinventing von Trapp'' (2022/2023?) This novel tells the story of Maria von Trapp.

References

External links

Michelle Moran's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moran, Michelle Living people 21st-century American novelists American women novelists 1980 births 21st-century American women writers Pomona College alumni