Michael Van Rooy was a full-time writer who lived in Canada. In his diverse career, he worked as a teacher, a newspaper editor, a bartender, a cheesemaker, and a casino dealer. He won the 2009 John Hirsh Award for Most Promising Manitoba Writer. He was the author of An Ordinary Decent Criminal and Your Friendly Neighborhood Criminal. He passed away suddenly in January 2011. He will be missed.