Michael Carrier, a talented author, has always been certain about his career path in fiction writing. As a journalism student, he made a promise to himself that he would begin writing fiction once he had amassed a sufficient amount of life experiences. True to his word, Carrier embarked on various adventures throughout his life, including driving trucks across the US, hustling pool in Texas and Montana, traveling the country hitchhiking, and spending five years in Greenwich Village's East Side. He even delivered diamonds in New York's diamond district disguised as a down-and-outer, tended bar at a New York nightclub, climbed water towers throughout the US, panned gold, and worked in private security for over two decades.
In 1992, Carrier assumed the persona of "Mountain Mike," a character he uses to create intricate puzzles, which he hides as a treasure somewhere around Grand Rapids, Michigan. Every week, he publishes puzzles containing clues to the treasure's location. Once found, Mountain Mike rewards the lucky sleuth with $1000. This hobby has earned him a reputation as an eccentric and generous personality, having rewarded seven such treasure hunters since 1992.
Carrier's writing career began in college when he wrote or edited up to three articles a week for a national weekly magazine. He later edited the Student Association Newsletter at the Graduate School of Hebrew and Cognate Learning (University of Pennsylvania). From 1993 until 1998, he wrote a column that appeared in a few small magazines and published his first book, "WIND," in 2006. In 1998, he founded "Goodschools.Com," one of the first real blogs on the Internet, where he published articles regarding various aspects of education and provided a forum for his readers to comment. He maintained that blog until 2006 when he decided to begin writing fiction. Since then, he has published eight books centered on his main character, Jack Handler, a retired Chicago homicide detective. He is currently working on the ninth, "Assault on Sugar Island—Suicide by Jihad." Carrier and his wife live three seasons in a house on Lake Superior, with winters spent in Grand Rapids, MI. His hobbies include creating puzzles, exploring caves, and writing novels.