Michelle Blanchard Ardillo

A Cajun girl in a kilt, that’s me. My dad was born and raised in southeast Louisiana, as was I, but my mother was born to immigrants from Glasgow, Scotland, who came to the US for religious and economic freedom and the hope of a better life. Upon marrying my father, however, my mother abandoned her Scottish heritage and adopted my father’s culture, cuisine, and customs. Ancestry.com tells me I am 75% British Isles and only 25% French, but I’ve always thought of myself as an even mix of the two cultures.

After spending twenty years in the legal field as a real estate paralegal and lease negotiator, I spent two glorious years as a trailing spouse in the lovely country of Belgium, the heart of Europe. I spent most days volunteering at the international school my daughters were attending, in the high school library, working as a teacher’s aide in a critical thinking class, organizing a middle school Renaissance banquet, and conducting cooking demonstrations on the foods of ancient civilizations.

My days in that bustling school filled me with energy and awoke in me a burgeoning creativity, leading me to return to graduate school to become certified to teach English at the middle school and secondary school level. Since 2007, I have taught middle school language arts in the Archdiocese of Washington Catholic school. This second career led me to my next career, as a freelance writer, essayist, and novelist.

Whether you are here to read my personal essays, check out my pieces that have been published, seek out tutoring services for your child, or just need some grown-up grammar help, welcome! Let me know how I can help you!