About the Writing

This writing exists for one reason: to give voice to the realities too many people are taught to endure quietly.

The work here is rooted in lived experience and written not for performance, but for survival, clarity, and truth. It explores mental health, motherhood, identity, relationships, faith, and resilience—without sensationalism, ideology, or outrage.

I write because healing requires language.
I write because silence protects no one.
I write because honesty—when handled with care—can change lives.

This space holds reflections, narrative storytelling, and unfiltered conversations shaped by real life. It is intentional, measured, and grounded. There is no politics here. Faith appears with respect, not doctrine—context matters. What guides the work is humanity, accountability, and the belief that telling the truth clearly and compassionately is an act of service.

Author & Body of Work

Maria Michael, writing both under her own name and the pen name Emberly Knight, is a multi-genre author whose work spans memoir, poetry, and atmospheric fiction.

She is the author of Confessions of a Disillusioned Housewife, Poetic Confessions of a Coffee-Drunk Disillusioned Housewife, and the After Dark Edition, as well as What the Tide Buried, the first book in her character-driven coastal crime-drama series.

Her writing is known for its emotional honesty, lived-in voice, and refusal to resolve pain too quickly. Rather than offering instruction or self-help framing, the work allows memory, scene, and emotional truth to carry the weight.

In addition to written work, Maria is the works of hosting the podcast Sophisticated & Unfiltered: Lessons from a Bitter Housewife, where long-form reflection and conversation continue across audio storytelling.

Based in southern Michigan and a mother of four, she is also the creator behind MIRootsCreations. Across all mediums, the work remains rooted in the same intention: to tell the truth plainly and create space for readers to feel seen rather than fixed.

What This Work Is—and Isn’t

This is not motivational content.
It does not promise neat healing arcs.
It does not rush pain into palatable conclusions.

What it offers instead is language for experiences people are often taught to carry quietly. Writing that sits with complexity. Stories that honor where someone has been—without pretending they still live there.

If you are here, you are not being marketed to.
You are being invited.

Invited to reflect.
Invited to engage when ready.
Invited to follow along as this work continues—intentionally and without performance.