I have led an adventurous life and during those adventures, I have come close to dying. While deep in the Grand Canyon, I witnessed 6500 tons of rock fall seventy-five yards from me. On the Gila River, my boat capsized and I was dragged under water through a hundred yards of swirling rapids. While riding my bicycle, a deer charged into me, causing me to fly forward, landing on my head, smashing my helmet and sending me to the hospital. After exiting a cave, I slipped on some marble-like pebbles, which caused me to toboggan uncontrollably face first down a steep ravine. I was stopped by a little tree, as I looked down at a pine tree 275 feet below me. There are more. The point is that having experiences like these causes one to think on death. Not in a morose or gloomy way, but more in a philosophical way. I believe that the closer you are to death, the more you are alive. Experience a car crash where you spin around uncontrollably. Are you bored? Certainly not. Your heart is beating practically uncontrollably. You just missed dying and you relish life. How about being bored out of your mind, sitting around with nothing to do. That's near death. Perhaps not physical death, but it's close. As a result of my adventures, I have read and studied metaphysics for much of my life. The Nudge Files tell the story of an angel, or demigod if you will, that was created to ease suffering of the dying and escort the soul to next life. Is there such a being? Possibly, I don't know. The Nudge Files is about that being and the person he selected to be his assistant. A note on humor. I developed my humor starting in collage as a way to fend off the difficulties of life. If they are laughing, they won't beat you up. There is a lot of humor in The Nudge Files. We need humor in our lives, especially now with this virus running around. I hope, in some small way, that my writing Nudges the world a little closer to a healthy balance.
Raised north of Chicago, Mike entered the US Air Force in 1969. While serving at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, he discovered cave exploring and his love of the great outdoors. An avid bicycle rider, he has ridden many thousand miles and ridden, created, and maintained many mountain bike trails. Backpacking, river rafting and mountain climbing are all on his resume. He has traveled the world. Britain, Scotland, Italy, Sicily, Germany, Canada, Mexico, Thailand and South America. While traveling up the Oronoco, instead of swimming with the dolphins, he dove in and swam with the piranhas. He currently lives with his wife in San Antonio, Texas (Yee Ha). There he started writing. This is his first novel.