The son of a railwayman, Mike was born and brought up in Chester. He was educated at the King's School then at Manchester University, where he trained as a teacher. He spent four years in Hamburg before migrating with his wife to their current home of Melbourne. Mike has taught at universities and schools in England, Germany, Australia and, briefly, in Saudi Arabia. He has written books on German grammar and English ESL topics. Steaming into the Firing Line is Mike's first work of fiction. He is a keen railway modeller and sees himself as a modern day Fat Controller.