Mike Downs is the author of more than 30 books for children
Hello, and welcome to Mike Downs Books. I’m Mike. I’m a dad, a husband, an author, a pilot, and a person who wants to make the world a better place. I try to do my part by writing books that make a difference. Books that make you think. Books that have an important message hidden in the story. Or books with good-old-fashioned learning built in. Anything that will stimulate developing minds to enjoy reading and learning.
I’m fortunate to have three terrific children and a wildly wonderful, eclectic, purple-and-silver haired wife. I make my home in Florida where I enjoy every bit of the heat and humidity…most of the time.
About Mike
A journey of luck, cluelessness and lots of hard work.
Mike’s thrilling attempt to explain why it took him 20 years to learn to write books that would be exciting for kids and appreciated by publishers.
A Short History of Mike
For those of you who have absolutely nothing else to do, I’m happy to drone on for a bit longer. Here’s a short summary of how I got here.
I was born in Illinois, quickly moved to Fairfax, Virginia, then at the age of 7 moved to Wake Island. Yep. Wake Island. A small dot in the middle of the Pacific Ocean barely longer than the airport constructed on it. It was a refueling stop for airplanes. After only a few months, a typhoon wiped out most of the island. My parents, four siblings, and I ended up evacuating to Hawaii. Super Cool! That’s where I lived until I went to college at the USAF Academy in Colorado. I somehow managed to graduate, had the great fortune to fly fighters for seven years, and then took an airline job.
My entry into the world of Children’s Publishing was unexpected. It happened in 1998. I was 39 years old with a wife and three kids. Each night I made up rhyming riddles for the kids, What does a grizzly sit in? A Bear Chair. What does an octopus sip? An Ink Drink. It didn’t take long before I ran out of ideas. I decided to search for a rhyming riddle book in the library. When I couldn’t find one, I sat down and wrote one myself.
I was very lucky and sold the riddle book as well as three more books over the next four years. Unfortunately, I didn’t understand the intricacies of the publishing industry. Many of my manuscripts didn’t have the elements that publishers were looking for. I became frustrated and quit writing in 2005.
Twelve years later, in 2017, I could no longer put off my passion for writing. I loved creating books that excited kids and helped them learn. But this time, I decided to avoid the frustration. Instead of writing an indiscriminate mix of manuscripts, I decided to figure out how to write manuscripts that publishers couldn’t resist. I searched for that magical sweet spot where my passion for writing intersected with what publishers wanted to acquire.
I began writing for both the educational market and trade picture book market. I dabbled with word count, word play, rhyming, and wrote on a profusion of different topics. It took a couple of years, but I finally discovered the ingredients to success.
So that’s what brought me here. The twisted, rocky road of life set me on my path and put me where I am today.
But what about you? I’d love to know what your story is. Every person has a wealth of life experience, ups and downs, highs and lows…and a wonderful story that’s ready to be told.