Growing up in a family with a history of military service,
M. Keaton cut his linguistic and philosophical teeth on the bones of his elders through games of strategy and debates at the dinner table. He began his writing career over 20 years ago as a newspaper rat in Springdale, Arkansas, U.S.A. before pursuing formal studies in chemistry, mathematics, and medieval literature at John Brown University. A student of politics, military history, forteana, and game design, his renaissance education inspired the short television series These Teeth Are Real (TTAR).

His literary "mentors" are as diverse as his experiences.
Most powerfully, the author has been affected by the works and writers of the "ancient" world including the Bible, Socrates, and (more modern) Machiavelli, Tsun Tsu, Tacitus, and Von Clauswitz. (This horribly long list only scratches the surface; M. Keaton reads at a rate of over two books per week in addition to his writing.)

Biography provided by the publisher, March 2003.