Shawn-Michael was born and raised in Louisiana where the only thing better than good food is a great story. As a teen in the 90's, he fell in love with Image comic books, and taught himself to draw in their style. He painted murals in Strawn's Eat Shop and other famous hideouts around Shreveport before moving down to Baton Rouge to attend LSU. After earning his Bachelor's degree, he moved to Austin, Texas where he continued painting murals and began writing the stories that he carried with him from home. He wrote novels, children's books, and comic book scripts, while moving into a writing position as an Instructional Designer for a large tech company. He returned to school to earn his Master's degree in Digital Media Design through Harvard Extension. Finally, Shawn decided it was time to finish some projects. Having been told from a Literary Agent that publishers dislike authors who also illustrate, Shawn decided indie publishing was the path for him. In 2024, Shawn published his first YA novel: Timp and the Blueberry Vikings (based on his experiences picking blueberries in Louisiana). In 2025, be published the sequel. Both written and illustrated by Shawn.