Michelle Hillstrom - Author

Easy reading is hard writing, so if it feels effortless to read, it probably wasn’t effortless to write.
#writingsky #authorsky #readersky

Your slow progress is still progress.
500 words. 100 words. A single sentence.
It all counts. We don’t write books in a day. We write them in stolen moments, one stubborn paragraph at a time.
#authorsky #writersky #amwriting

Books are political—and so is this page.
I write stories that reflect the world we live in and the world we hope to build.
If you’re here for honesty, empathy, and resistance through story, welcome. 💙
#booksky #booksarepolitical

🌈 Happy Pride Month!
I’m writing my first sapphic + bi paranormal fantasy romance — witch foster sisters, ancient curses, and queer love that refuses to be erased.
Because stories are resistance.
Fuck the patriarchy. Fuck the government.
#PrideMonth #amwriting #sapphicromance #birep #booksky

✨ FRIENDZONE is an enemies-to-lovers, best friend’s girl, sports romance filled with grief, slow-burn tension, and second chances.
📚 FRIENDZONE, PLAYING FOR KEEPS, and The Mistletoe Zone from the FRIENDZONE book series are all available on Amazon. PERSONAL FOUL, the Prequel is coming soon.
#booksky

I just wrote a plot twist so good that even I don’t know how I’m going to get the characters out of it.
Pray for them. And me.
#authorsky

I write characters with chronic illness, mental health struggles, and trauma—because I live it, and so do you. Mikayla carries grief and PTSD. Jordan hides anxiety. We deserve stories that see us. Representation shouldn’t be an afterthought. It should feel like home.
#chronicillness #booksky

Happy #WorldGothDay
Here are a few of my favorite Gothic reads—these stories linger long after the last page:
Frankenstein
Rebecca
The Haunting of Hill House
The Phantom of the Opera
The Yellow Wallpaper
Sharp Objects
The Witching Hour
Wuthering Heights
What’s your favorite Gothic novel?
#BookSky

Snapshots from PERSONAL FOUL—a story told in glances, touches, & unspoken moments. From Pom practices to funnel cake flavored kisses, lake days to late-night journaling, every moment is another thread in Mikayla & Jordan’s slow-burning, soul-crushing, coming-of-age love story.
#bookinprogress

“Write like no one is watching.”
Because they aren’t. Not yet. And that’s the gift. Write the messy drafts. Write the cringey dialogue. Write the scene that’s too much. You can always edit later. But you can’t edit a blank page.

#wordsofwisdomwednesday #writingadvice #authoradvice #writingtips

Sometimes the hardest battles aren’t on the field—they’re the ones inside your heart.
This is your first peek at the cover of PERSONAL FOUL, a story about first love, second chances, & the fear of never being enough.
It’s about the boy who wants to be better…& the girl who’s afraid to believe him.

It’s #MusicMonday, & this week’s song pick hits hard for my WIP, PERSONAL FOUL.
“Good Enough” from the Netflix musical A Week Away captures the quiet self-doubt that both Mikayla & Jordan carry—no matter how confident they seem on the outside.
What song would soundtrack your WIP?
#writingplaylist

The new cover design for PLAYING FOR KEEPS is now live on Amazon.

This second-chance romance between Mikayla and Taylor is messy, emotional, and full of fire—and this cover redesign captures it perfectly.
#coverreveal #romancereaders #sportsromance #romancebooks

Chronic illness pro tip: audiobooks count. So do comfort rereads. So does not reading at all and just holding a book like a plushie.
#chronicillness #readersky #readerlife #chronicillnesslife

WIP Wednesday Check-In!

Sitting at 37,653 words & the chemistry between my main characters is finally starting to sizzle. Tension? ✅ Bickering?✅ That slow-burn, heart-racing kind of pull? ✅✅

How’s your WIP treating you this week? Drop your word count or a favorite line in the comments!
#authorsky

To every author writing through chronic illness:
Your slow days count.
Your half-written scenes matter.
You are not behind. You are surviving and creating—and that’s revolutionary.

#authorsky #authorlife #chronicillness

I get that people have to sell books. And I get that DNC Vice-Chair elections matter.

But if a Democratic President accepted a $400 million gift from the Qatari royal family, coverage would be breathless, non-stop and wall-to-wall -- no room for any other story.

BREAKING: The scene at the Rayburn Building is pure rebellion. Protesters are swarming in during live hearings on Medicaid cuts.

Security’s losing control. Because when the government wages war on the poor, the poor fight back.

It’s official: the brand new redesigned covers for FRIENDZONE are live on Amazon!
And if you’re a collector or just love the OG look, signed paperbacks with the original cover are available through the link below—while supplies last!

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
#booksky #romancebooks

Writing Update: Personal Foul (draft 4) is 43% complete and full of angst, heart, and slow-burn tension. Mikayla and Jordan weren’t supposed to fall for each other—but they are. I’m so deep in this story it hurts (in the best way). This one’s going to break some hearts. #WIP #PersonalFoul #yaromance

When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty.

🚨NEWS: A temporary order has been issued blocking the Labor Dept. from sharing any data with DOGE, after a group of unions, including AFGE, sued DOGE and held a major protest outside DOL yesterday.

Here's the union's email:

YouTube video by MSNBC ‘Billionaire puppet master!’: Jeffries moves to STOP 'out of control' Elon Musk

Americans, we have to support Mr Jeffries! He's working hard for Americans rights. People put him down for being honest and trustworthy! We have to support him and the Democrats with our future! Please help in supporting them.
youtu.be/qQuQs-EXg88?...

Did Nazi that coming.

Dear @Doge

If there is nothing to hide. Hide nothing

Ooh I bet the mom dying one is rough. 😩

Trying because I know my mental health needs to focus on other things even for just a little bit to stop the spiraling into darkness.

I sincerely don’t know why people aren’t physically stopping those dorks. Move shit. Lock doors. Lose the keys. Everyone switch seats. Turn off all the lights. Switch the signs on the elevator lobby. Make the settings all silly. Use a different language. Wear costumes. Fill rooms with balloons