Bio

No matter what path thriller author Mike Pace has walked, it’s always been with a story to tell.  One of Mike’s earliest memories is helping to write the fourth grade Christmas play at his Pittsburgh elementary school.

Born in Pittsburgh, Mike attended the University of Illinois on an art scholarship, and graduated with a BFA degree.

He taught public elementary school in Washington D.C.’s inner city. His students’ favorite part of the day was story time with “Mr. Paste.” Mike prided himself in developing the children’s own creative skills by playing various “imagination games.”

After working with the kids during the day, Mike attended Georgetown Law School at night. At Georgetown he was selected to the editorial board of Georgetown’s prestigious law review where he helped supervise the critical writing of top underclassmen. Upon graduation, he clerked for a federal judge in Washington and later was appointed to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. In that position he prosecuted numerous cases, including those involving murder and rape. Mike’s favorite part of the job was addressing the jury where his ability to distill complicated facts and legal principals into a captivating story led to sustained success.

He left government service to join a large Washington law firm and subsequently took a position as general counsel to a national environmental services company headquartered in Annapolis, MD. After several years, he resigned in order to practice law part time so he could concentrate on his first love, creative writing.

Mike has written for the stage and screen. The Washington Post called one of his plays “engaging … entertaining and … witty.” He wrote and directed a short film that was accepted into film festivals in Kansas City and Portland.

He’s a member of the International Thriller Writers and the Maryland Writers Association. He’s a strong believer in community responsibility, having served as president of his local school board.

In addition to writing, Mike enjoys painting (his work hangs in an Annapolis office building), golf (he stinks), skiing (he stinks but not as much), and the Baltimore Ravens. He’s recently taken up the soprano saxophone. Mike’s philosophy is simple: if you’re learning, by definition, you’re growing. And if you’re growing, by definition, you’re living. So, learn to live!

Suspense Magazine said of his stand-alone supernatural thriller, One to Go, (Oceanview): “Completely unique; you hold your breath waiting for the next shoe to drop!” The book also received strong endorsements from NYT bestselling authors such as Steve Berry (“terrific”), Douglas Preston (“ripping good”), and Gayle Lynds (“devilishly clever”).
Kirkus Reviews said of his supernatural thriller, Dead Light (Sapphire Star): “Compelling characters … thrilling plot,” and Suspense Magazine advised: “Pace delivers a page turner in Dead Light, that should be on every horror / thriller readers bookshelf.”
Writer’s Digest called Mike’s women’s fiction book, The Chocolate Shop (writing as J.J. Spring) “Exceptional,” and selected it as the magazine’s 2019 first place award winner for contemporary fiction (sp-ebook.) Midwest Book Review said of the book: “Hypnotically compelling, evocative, and thought provoking … highly recommend.”
Mike lives in Florida and when not writing or practicing his sax he loves long beach walks with his parti-standard poodle, “Handsome Jack.”