Michelle Winkler was convinced by her husband to live in the Arizona desert. While skeptical at first, she realized if she could survive hitchhiking halfway cross country at 20 years old, spend eight years in the Navy, and raise two sons, as long as she had air-conditioning, she'd probably be okay.She completed her first novel for National Novel Writing Month in 2015. After five years of hard work, dedication, and struggle to climb the learning curve, she published Dust on the Altar, in October 2020. With that novel she went on to be a semi-finalist in the Book Blogger's Novel of the Year Award, win an Indie B.R.A.G Medallion, and be shortlisted in the Page Turner Awards in 2021.

Now she's a proud indie-author who can't imagine loving any other career. Her goals for the future include giving back to the writing community and helping aspiring authors on their journey to becoming published.