Mike was born 'n' bred on the north side of Chicago.

He attended Southern Illinois University of Carbondale, pursuing a double major of Journalism and Music - String Bass. When not writing for arts&entertainment weeklies, Mike played bass for orchestras, jazz quartets and death metal bands.

Mike moved back to Chicago, where he spent the next several years playing in punk rock bands. During this time he recorded two full-length CDs and five demo tapes. Meanwhile, he continued writing for local music publications. Mike co-founded indie punk rock record label Bufo Marinus Records.

In 1997, Mike entered the Columbia College School of Film. He worked his way through school as a chef, all the while doing freelance jobs in the Chicago film industry. Mike worked as a production assistant, grip, dolly grip, propmaster, extra and assistant director - whatever he could do to get on a film set - on six independent features and countless corporates and spots.

Himself a screenwriter/filmmaker, Mike currently has 25 feature scripts, three plays, a (really bad) novel, seven comedic shorts and countless articles to his name. Mike sold his first piece at the age of seventeen, and continues to be a regular contributor to several fantasy fiction publications.

Upon graduation, Mike won the Written Image Screenwriting Competition. Realizing his industry options were limited in Chicago, Mike moved to Los Angeles in mid-2002, where he served an internship at the Bruce Brown Literary Agency.