Mike is a novelist who is thirty-six years old. His brother Sid lives in Virginia and his mother and aunt live in Memphis. He is an independent man who isn't used to asking for help. While able to give and accept love, he is not able to ask for help, even if he truly needs it. He and Johanna were married for ten years. During that entire time, he never suffered from writer's block. His first novel, Being Two was completed just after they officially became engaged and she was the first one to read it. His last novel, All the Way from the Top was completed about one month after her death and was published in the fall of 1995.