Mike was born and raised in Kirkland Lake, a small northern mining town with a nearby First Nations reserve.
He grew up with a love of the north, even in the midst of winter, exploring the surrounding woods with his friends, and his grandfather. He moved down south in his 20's to follow a career in quality management, but his real pleasure was still heading outside the city, with canoe and tent. While in Toronto he also developed an interest in back-alley murals, in artistic graffiti, and worked with some police there that saw its potential as a community building exercise.
He'd always been a voracious reader, so several years into retirement he decided to try writing, and hasn't stopped since. This is his first book, but he has several more drafts waiting in the wings.