Coming of Age with Michelle Richards-Graham

Audra Russell chats with author Michelle Richards-Graham.

While her dream of becoming an author had been sparked when she was 6 years old, Michelle Richards-Graham had no idea that her worst nightmare would become the inspiration behind her very first book. She wrote the first draft of her novel It Could Never Happen to Me when she was 14 years old after being molested.

 Through her writing and with the support of loved ones, Michelle was able to overcome and decided to publish the book in 2004 when she was in her early twenties. Her love of writing remained strong, and she went on to publish two more YA books: Sweet & Sour Honey and The Eastbrook Diaries, which also deal with realistic coming-of-age subject matter.

We take a deep dive into The Eastbrook Diaries, and how writing her YA novel, It Could Never Happen to Me, is helping to start much-needed conversations about the trauma of being molested.

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