Steve Hooley learned to love books at a young age while growing up in a small town in rural western Ohio. He checked out books from the local library, took them home, and climbed up into a tree in front of his house. Hidden by the branches, he read while people walked on the sidewalk below.

Writing became more interesting while in high school. When a new English teacher, just out of college, showed up for junior year, a group of adventurous students “created” a new student, John Kauffman. John turned in assignments that pushed the boundaries of acceptability. The new teacher read his stories to the delight of all the students. He got an A for the year and was never uncovered.

Following high school, literature was set aside while Steve studied premed, attended medical school, and did a residency in Family Medicine. He returned to his home community where he maintained an active practice from 1980 – 2020. He retired completely in early 2021.

During his years practicing medicine, there were brief periods that began to re-whet his appetite for writing. As a member of a gospel quartet, he wrote and presented many of the introductions to the songs. Then in 2009, he edited his father’s autobiography. His father had written the biography years before, and was developing dementia. Steve spent that summer editing the book, had it printed, and presented his father with a box of his books on his ninetieth birthday.

That experience hooked Steve. He took a couple of writing courses over the next few years and has been studying the craft ever since.

He sold his first book, MARK OF THE FIRE (Christian suspense), in 2014 to a small publisher. It was scheduled for publication in October, 2015. When the publisher developed financial problems and delayed publication, he regained the copyright and began looking for a new agent and publisher.

His first published short story, A RUMSPRINGA STORM, was a finalist in an American Christian Fiction Writers competition and was published in an anthology, OUT OF THE STORM, (HopeSprings Books) in February, 2015.

Two stories, FRED AND GINGER and DANCE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE, were finalists in the same competition the following year, and were published in the anthology, DANCING UP A STORM, in February, 2016.

Also in 2016, Steve wrote three short stories (SANJAY’S MOUNTAIN, RIVER OF LIFE, AND FROZEN TEARS) for Jodie Renner’s anthology, CHILDHOOD REGAINED, a charity project to raise awareness and money to fight child labor in Asia. That book was published in 2016, and is being marketed in several English-speaking countries.

In 2016, Steve’s flash fiction story – THE VOICE – took first place in the San Francisco Bay Area’s chapter of the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Elevator Fiction contest.

In 2017, in the Storming the Storm contest, Steve’s story – THOMAS AND THE MAGIC GOLD DUST – was a finalist, and published in 2020.

Late in 2017, Steve decided to set aside the Mark of the Fire series and work on stories for his grandchildren. He settled on advanced middle-grade through high school fantasy (“clean teen” fantasy). The stories are set in his home area of rural Ohio. The characters are loosely based on his grandchildren (plus the red-headed daredevil on crutches next door). The magic is based on Shawnee phrases. (The Shawnee were the Indians present when the settlers moved into the Ohio area.) The Mad River Magic Series has six published books – THE HEMLOCK APERTURE, THE TETRA~CHROME SPIRAL~SKYWAY, CRYPTOFLUX CALCIUM CAPER, HEART BRAIN 180, UNITED WE STAND, DUDE, and PERFECT STRAND. (See the “My Books” page for an up-to-date list and link to Amazon.)

Steve lives in rural Ohio with his wife Cindy. They have five children and nine grandchildren. Steve’s day job is now writing and woodturning.  When he is not writing or turning wood, he enjoys caring for the enchanted forest in which he grew up, and where the Mad River Magic story resides.