About
About Michael Skeen
I didn’t grow up thinking I’d become a writer. I grew up wanting to serve. That desire led me into the United States Air Force right after high school. I believed back then that the government always told the truth and that elected officials were doing their best to serve the people. I also believed the media was honest and fair.
It didn’t take long to realize how naive I was.
During my time in the military, I was stationed in Vietnam, where I provided missile security and worked perimeter defense. I saw things there that changed the way I looked at the world forever. After leaving the Air Force, I became a police officer in St. Louis County, Missouri. I wanted to protect and serve on a local level, to stand for justice, and to help people.
At the police academy, I was taught to uphold the law with compassion, integrity, and courage. But the moment I returned to my department, I was told to forget all of that and just follow orders. That wasn’t what I signed up for. So I left.
I moved on to another department and found what I had been looking for: officers who believed in doing the job the right way. Eventually, I spent twenty-eight years serving the community of O’Fallon, Missouri. I worked with men and women who truly cared, who were honest and compassionate, and who reminded me that good people still fight the good fight every single day.
Over thirty-two years in law enforcement, I saw the best and worst of what leadership can look like. I saw a few politicians who genuinely wanted to make a difference. But I also saw far too many who were only interested in keeping their positions or building their careers. That kind of self-serving leadership becomes more common the higher you go. And it comes at a cost.
After I retired, I spent some time on the Gulf Coast before moving back to be closer to my grandkids. Retirement gave me time to think, to reflect, and to watch the country I love continue to change. I saw the decline in accountability, the rise in arrogance, and a growing sense of division.
That’s when I started writing.
The Cost Series was born from years of watching what happens when power goes unchecked and truth takes a backseat. These stories are fictional, but the concerns behind them are very real. I write not to stir fear, but to wake people up. I believe deeply that we can do better—as leaders, as citizens, and as human beings.
More than anything, I believe we need to turn back to faith. Our own strength and ambition will never be enough. I’ve seen that firsthand. We need wisdom, humility, and a willingness to serve something greater than ourselves. I believe God still has a purpose for this country, but we have to be willing to listen.
If my books give you a reason to think more deeply about the world around you, then I’ve done what I set out to do.
Thank you for reading. And thank you for caring about what happens next.
— Michael