Michaela Austin has been chasing stories since she was thirteen years old—when she boldly self-published her very first book. (It was short, awkward, and a little terrible, but hey, every author has to start somewhere!) What began as a teenage experiment quickly grew into a lifelong passion.

Over the years, her writing has evolved from clumsy beginnings to heartfelt explorations of what it means to be human. In 2018, she released The Edge of Empowerment, a self-help book designed to inspire readers to find strength in themselves. In 2021, she followed with a poetry collection that wove together raw emotion and lyrical storytelling.

Now, with her debut romance novel The Inn on Main, Michaela brings it all together—her love of storytelling, her fascination with love and resilience, and her obsession with small-town charm. Her stories are filled with heart, humor, and just enough messiness to feel real, because she believes the best romances aren’t perfect—they’re honest.

When she isn’t writing, Michaela can be found lakeside with her two kids, daydreaming with a coffee in hand, or convincing herself that scrolling TikTok counts as “research.”