Michael Fields has a BS/Ed from Edinboro University (PA) and an MA/English from the University of Dayton. As a Peace Corps teacher in Southeast Asia, the author met John Steinbeck (1967), who was covering the Vietnam War for the Philadelphia Inquirer. The 1962 Nobel Prize recipient related to the author that every man of energy has the need, using his mind and imagination, "to have something that wasn't there before." Motivated by this statement, Michael wrote often and created a fictional world "that wasn't there before." Michael says his world is replete with hatred, violence, and sudden tragedy. Yet in his bleak world, kindness and love and compassion can and will triumph. Michael's six books are set in the beautiful environs of Pennsylvania. The Twin River series was critically praised for its high energy and suspense: Twin River II - "This grisly thriller will sink its teeth right in you." Twin River III - "A fast-paced, thought-provoking look at the chilling violence of nature and man." Twin River IV - "This novel, involving young adults, is the true definition of a hair-raising thriller." And "The latest visit to Twin River becomes an exhilarating exercise in sustained, multipronged tension."