M. J. was born in Ireland and lived in the US for many years before moving to Central America. He wrote his first fiction when he was 21, before life thrust him onto another path. His adventures as an international yacht racer and professional deep-sea diver provided the hair-rising experiences that allow him to share the raw emotions of fear and conflict with readers. He survived a yacht wreck in the Bay of Biscay and an accident underwater deep below an oil rig in the North Sea.