Michael Paul Kube-McDowell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although he is known primarily for his science fiction novels, he has also composed music, written for television, written for a daily newspaper, and published short fiction, reviews, assorted nonfiction and erotica. He has written more than 500 nonfiction articles on subjects ranging from space careers to "scientific creationism" to an award-winning four-part series on the state of American education. He was honored for teaching excellence by the 1985 White House Commission on Presidential Scholars. His short fiction has been featured in Analog, Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, as well as anthologies After the Flames and Perpetual Light. Three of his stories have been adapted as episodes of the TV series Tales from the Darkside.