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Bio: Michael A. Ventrella was born in Richmond, Virginia on August 3, 1958. His father was an artist who did commercial graphics and his mother did her best to control Michael, his two brothers, and a sister. <BR><BR> Michael was dramatic from an early age, acting in community theatre and writing his own plays with his siblings. He also wrote puppet shows and performed them for his school. His earliest desire was to be a cartoonist and his drawings adorned school newspapers and posters. Later, he discovered music and taught himself to play guitar and piano, writing simple songs with his friends. <BR><BR> In High School, he started his own ?underground? newspaper which had more in common with Mad magazine than any real journalism. He also wrote a musical comedy called ?But I?m Allergic to Horses? about a reluctant sheriff who cleans up a western town using only his wits. The play was a hit, receiving great reviews from the Richmond newspaper, and running for an extra week. Mike received the ?Most Talented? award from his senior class. <BR><BR> He also played bass in a number of bands at the time, meeting his future wife Heidi Hooper (an artist) at one gig. <BR><BR> College beckoned and Mike majored in Political Science at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he graduated cum laude. He was elected to the student government with the highest vote count and chaired the important judicial committee. (Heidi was also attending VCU at the time, majoring in Sculpture, and she also served in the student government). Mike also served as program director for the college radio station and wrote for the school newspaper. During this time, his band The Naughty Bits headlined the major clubs in the area with their ?new wave? sound reminiscent of Elvis Costello and Graham Parker. <BR><BR> After college, Mike moved to Boston to attend New England law school. While there, he edited the school newspaper and became involved in Boston politics. <BR><BR> Heidi and Mike married in 1982 and, as of this writing, are about to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. <BR><BR> After graduation, Mike worked primarily as a public defender; however, he also was a lobbyist for the liberal group Americans for Democratic Action (and later served as the Massachusetts chapter President for a year), taught political science courses at Bunker Hill Community College, and was a campaign manager for a state representative. <BR><BR> Heidi meanwhile studied for her Master?s degree at the Massachusetts College of Art. <BR><BR> Mike also wrote songs and performed in two prominent bands, Agent 99 and Big House, which played the major clubs in the Boston area and received airplay on local college radio. <BR><BR> Mike also started a magazine about animated films called ?Animato? in the mid 80s which grew to be quite prominent. He was quoted in many publications as an animation expert, including ?Entertainment Weekly? and in the recent book "The Dream Team: The Rise and Fall of DreamWorks: Lessons from the New Hollywood" by Daniel M. Kimmel. <BR><BR> In 1989, Mike and Heidi helped form the New England Roleplaying Organization ( www.NeroHQ.com ) which now has campaigns all over the country. He has been writing plotlines for them from the beginning, and his Rule Book and Players? Guide sell regularly in gaming stores and on Amazon.com. <BR><BR> In 1997, Mike and Heidi moved to the beautiful Poconos, where Mike now works as an attorney ( http://mikeventrella.com ). Heidi?s artwork is seen in galleries around the area. (http://heidihooper.com). They love the pitter patter of little feet (they have four cats). <BR><BR> Mike is a regular fixture at science fiction conventions on the east coast, where he appears on panels to discuss fiction, animation, and gaming. <BR><BR> His first novel ?Arch Enemies? is loosely based upon an event he and Heidi wrote for a NERO event. A sequel called ?the Axes of Evil? is currently in the works.