MICHAEL ARCHER was born in Oakland,  California, and served in the United States Marine Corps from 1967 to 1970. For his work as a field radio operator during thirteen months in South Vietnam, he earned the Navy Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon and Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.

Archer subsequently received a BA in history from the California State University, Sacramento, and after a career with the federal government, began writing in 2002.

Today he lives in Reno, Nevada, with his wife and the youngest of his three children.

Archer is currently working on a biography of Nevada's legendary lawmaker, William J. Raggio, to be reelased in early-2011. A sequel to A Patch of Ground is also due for release in 2011.