DeLauné Michel is an American author and actress. She was raised in southern Louisiana in a literary family which includes her uncle, Andre Dubus; her mother, Elizabeth Nell Dubus; and her cousins, mystery writerJames Lee Burke, Andre Dubus III, and Alafair Burke. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana-born Michel was named for Helene DeLauné, according to family historythe first woman over from France on her mother's side of the family. Helene DeLauné was in the court of Marie Antoinette and her husband, Jules André Dubus, fought in the French Revolution. Antoinette gave Helene jewels to help her and her husband escape to Louisiana. Michel's father's family was the eleventh family in New Orleans. Upon leaving high school, Michel moved to New York City. She did some modeling there and in Europe, then spent several years studying acting in NYC with teachers from the Neighborhood Playhouse, The Actor's Studio, Juilliard, and the Yale Drama School. After moving to Los Angeles, Michel had guest starring roles on TV shows such as NYPD Blue, The Gilmore Girls, and Judging Amy, among others. She did a number of independent films that never saw the light of day and Equity-waiver theatre, including her own one-woman show. In 1996, Michel created "Spoken Interludes", a critically acclaimed reading series where award winning, bestselling, and up-coming writers read their own work. This literary institution has been covered extensively by publications ranging from the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, GQ Magazine, LA Magazine, LA Weekly, and has been heard on NPR.
Works
The first two short stories that Michel wrote won recognition in the Thomas Wolfe PrizeShort Fiction Competition sponsored by Duke University. Later work won the Pacificus FoundationLiterary Award. One of her short stories caught the eye of an agent, who then sent it to Joyce Carol Oates, who referred to Michel's writing as "a wonderful, idiosyncratic voice and an extremely promising talent." But Ms. Oates felt that the story was actually a chapter of a novel. Michel agreed and her first novel, Aftermath of Dreaming, was born. In , Michel explores the universal themes of abandonment, forgiveness, and letting go. The novel is loosely based on an intimate six-year relationship she shared with Warren Beatty. Her second novel The Safety of Secrets was published by Avon A/HarperCollins in May 2008. She lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband and two sons.
