diff --git a/assets/css/custom.css b/assets/css/custom.css
index 5835b10..7eaf292 100644
--- a/assets/css/custom.css
+++ b/assets/css/custom.css
@@ -421,9 +421,8 @@ a:hover {
   line-height: 1.7;
 }
 .author-bio p { margin: 0 0 1em; }
-.byline-author { color: inherit; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 1px solid currentColor; }
-.byline-author:hover { color: var(--accent); }
-.journal-author { color: inherit; }
+a.byline-author, a.journal-author { color: inherit; text-decoration: none; }
+a.byline-author:hover, a.journal-author:hover { color: var(--accent); }
 
 /* ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Journal entries — three Republik-style layouts (set in front matter
diff --git a/layouts/_default/single.html b/layouts/_default/single.html
index 73ccaea..6848c0e 100644
--- a/layouts/_default/single.html
+++ b/layouts/_default/single.html
@@ -16,7 +16,9 @@
         <p class="single-summary">{{ . }}</p>
       {{ end }}
       {{ $author := .Params.author | default site.Params.author.name }}
-      {{ $authorPage := cond (ne $author "") (site.GetPage (printf "/authors/%s" (urlize $author))) false }}
+      {{ $aslug := urlize $author }}
+      {{ if not .Params.author }}{{ with index site.Data.authors site.Params.author.email }}{{ with .slug }}{{ $aslug = . }}{{ end }}{{ end }}{{ end }}
+      {{ $authorPage := and (ne $aslug "") (site.GetPage (printf "/authors/%s" $aslug)) }}
       {{ if or $author .Date }}
         <p class="single-byline">
           {{- with $author -}}
diff --git a/layouts/index.html b/layouts/index.html
index 921ce27..2e8d127 100644
--- a/layouts/index.html
+++ b/layouts/index.html
@@ -15,7 +15,9 @@
         {{ $section := "" }}
         {{ with .Parent }}{{ $section = path.Base .RelPermalink }}{{ end }}
         {{ $author := .Params.author | default site.Params.author.name }}
-        {{ $authorPage := cond (ne $author "") (site.GetPage (printf "/authors/%s" (urlize $author))) false }}
+        {{ $aslug := urlize $author }}
+        {{ if not .Params.author }}{{ with index site.Data.authors site.Params.author.email }}{{ with .slug }}{{ $aslug = . }}{{ end }}{{ end }}{{ end }}
+        {{ $authorPage := and (ne $aslug "") (site.GetPage (printf "/authors/%s" $aslug)) }}
         {{ $cover := .Params.cover_image }}
         {{/* Layout: explicit `layout:` in front matter, else derive:
              - cover_image present → image