A California native, Michael Newton has published 260 books under his own name and various pseudonyms since 1977. He began writing professionally as a "ghost" for author Don Pendleton on the best-selling Executioner series and continues his work on that series today. With 112 episodes published to date, Newton has nearly tripled the number of Mack Bolan novels completed by creator Pendleton himself.
Newton's first book under his own name was Monsters, Mysteries and Man (1979), a survey of unexplained phenomena for younger readers. While the majority of Newton's published books have been novels--including westerns, political thrillers and psychological suspense--he is best known for nonfiction, primarily true crime and reference books.
Newton's Encyclopedia of Serial Killers (Facts on File, 2000) is currently in its second edition. His history of the Florida Ku Klux Klan, The Invisible Empire (2001), won the Florida Historical Society's 2002 Rembert Patrick Award for Best Book in Florida History. His Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology was just named as one of twelve books on the American Library Association's 2006 List of Outstanding Reference Sources. His western, Hanging Judge, was a finalist in the 2010 Western Writers of America's Spur Awards. His western, Manhunt, won the 2010 Peacemaker Award from the Western Fictioneers, and his novel, Avenging Angels, was a finalist in the same category, and was also a finalist for the 2011 Best Original Mass Maket Paperback for the Western Writers of America's Spur Awards. His western, Blood Trails, has been nominated for the 2011 WF Spur Awards for Best Western Novel. Newton's shorter work includes horror fiction, true crime articles and case histories for Court TV's Crime Library online.
He is a member of several organizations, including the Centre for Fortean Zoology, the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club and Feral Cat Friends Inc.
His 20 upcoming books, scheduled for release through 2015, include 13 novels and 7 nonfiction works. He lives in Nashville, Indiana.
