Who'd expect a rough at the edges guy who's spent the last thirty years designing heavy machinery for deep water ports to make a sudden splash as an award-winning novelist?

Go figure, because that's exactly what Mike Sackett has done. Here's what animal expert and TV personality, Jack Hanna, has to say about Mike's latest novel, The Striped Lion: "...a wonderful read. A pulse-pounding thriller with compelling characters and a gripping plot." Apparently, the Maryland Writers' Association and Author House Books agree. In national writing competitions, both awarded The Striped Lion First Prize for best thriller fiction and Grand Prize for best fiction in all categories.

Mike's other works have won critical acclaim too. His first book, When Grandfather Sailed Away, which he also illustrated, earned an 'Excellent' rating from the Midwest Book Review and stayed on the National Children's Book Watch for more than a year. His next release, The Bog Spell, was nominated for the Manhattan Irish-American Author's Award as the best novel of 1997. Mike's short stories have also appeared in Thatch and Holly, Red Velvet and Mistletoe, and Emerald and Gold. Simon & Schuster picked Mike's award-winning non-fiction short story, The Ride Home, for inclusion in Marlo Thomas's book, The Right Words at the Right Time, Volume II.

What's the secret of Mike's story-telling success? "A good story has to suck you in and swallow you whole," he says, "then you're not just reading it, you're living it."

Mike's in Marlo's latest book

Mike Sackett, is a featured author in Marlo (That Girl) Thomas's newest release, The Right Words at the Right Time, Volume II, published by Simon & Schuster/Atria Books