The Progression of "Fallen" from First Thoughts to Final Draft.
December 1996-April 1997: Mike Hancock serves as a deckhand on board a factory trawler in Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
July 1997-December 1997: Becomes a hunting guide and packer in the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Northwest Montana. Stories of a Piegan ghost are discussed, and a bear was killed in camp, which became the catalyst for Fallen.
April 1998-August 1998: Serves as head guide and packer in the Wind River Range in Northwest Wyoming.
August 1998-December 1998: Elk hunting guide in Idaho’s Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, working for famed outfitter Jack Wemple.
May 2000-December 2000: Horseman and elk hunting guide for 5M Outfitters in Chama, New Mexico.
May 2001-August 2001: Eco-tour guide in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.
August 2001-December 2001: Backcountry elk, mule deer, and bear guide for U.S. Outfitters in Southwest New Mexico’s Gila Wilderness. Worked for famed outfitter George Taulman.
December 2001-March 2002: Snowmobile guide in Wyoming’s Absaraka-Beartooth Wilderness.
March 2002-August 2004: Worked as a ranchhand in the Anaconda-Pintler Range in Southwest Montana. Served as a consultant/guide for Stockton Outfitters in Wise River. Became lifelong friends with famed outfitter Billy Stockton.
January 2006: Earned a B.A. in English Literature from Southern New Hampshire University. Began work on Fallen.
August 2008: Earned a M.F.A. in Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. First draft of Fallen completed.
August 2008-July 2012: Taught English and Writing at Dallas’ renowned secondary school, Townview Magnet Center.
July 2012-July 2013: Taught writing workshops, edited, and wrote full-time.
July 2013-Present: Runs the Dual-Credit English Program at Port Isabel High School via Texas Southmost College. Lives and writes from South Padre Island, Texas.
March 2014: Fallen is under contract for publication and will be released July 24, 2014.