MD Neil

Meet the Author and Artist

Mike Neil

Retired Washington State Fish and Wildlife Officer, Pen-and-Ink Artist, and Author. This photo was taken in 1991 when officer Neil was 41 years old.

Wildlife Agent Mike Neil walking along the river bank in uniform

A Life Lived in the Field

Mike Neil spent more than three decades serving as a Fish and Wildlife Officer for the State of Washington — patrolling rivers, forests, and coastlines to protect the natural world he has loved since boyhood. That career gave him an intimate knowledge of wildlife, terrain, and the quiet drama that unfolds when man and nature meet.

Long before he put words to paper, Mike was putting pen to paper in a different way — sketching the animals and landscapes he encountered on patrol. His detailed pen-and-ink drawings, which appear throughout his novels, are as much a part of the storytelling as the prose itself.

Inspired by his faith, his family, and his years in the field, Mike turned to writing to share the stories that had been forming in his heart for decades. His debut novel, The Miracle of Africa, drew on his deep love of the African continent and his belief that the natural world points unmistakably toward its Creator.

Mike lives in Washington State with his wife Sue. Together they have raised a family, served their community, and traveled the world in search of the wild places that continue to inspire his writing and his art.

Three Decades of Service and three k-9 partners

A young Mike Neil in uniform kneeling beside his German Shepherd K-9 partner Rex in 1983
K9 Rex — Mike's first K-9 partner, acquired in 1983 and served until 1991 when he retired.
Mike Neil smiling with his black German Shepherd K-9 partner Tracer on the hood of a patrol truck
K-9 Tracer worked with Mike from 1992 until the Fish and Wildlife agency merger in 1994, when the program was cut. Mike gave Tracer away to a dog trainer, and he died the following year from separation anxiety. Neil believes it was a broken heart.
Mike Neil in uniform with his German Shepherd K-9 partner Isaac on the hood of a patrol vehicle by the water
When Director Burn Shanks was appointed in 1995, he asked Neil if he wanted another dog, and the K-9 program was reestablished with Mike's new partner, Isaac. Isaac died of cancer in 2002, and Mike retired.

Wildlife Protection

Patrolling Washington State's rivers, forests, Puget Sound, and coastlines; enforcing fish and wildlife laws; and protecting native species. A Fish and Wildlife Officer specialized in helping people tell the truth.

K-9 Handler

Worked alongside three trained K-9 partners in the field — a bond that shaped his understanding of loyalty, instinct, and partnership. He trained his dogs to find wild game and track human scent.

Community Service

Served his community through law enforcement, public education, and a lifelong commitment to conservation and stewardship. Mike has served for twenty years as a Chaplain for Police Officers.

The Artist Behind the Stories

Every Mike Neil novel opens with original pen-and-ink illustrations drawn by the author himself. These detailed, hand-crafted drawings bring the African landscape — its animals, its people, and its vast open spaces — to life before the first word of each chapter is read. Readers and critics alike have called the artwork alone worth the price of the book.

Faith, Family, and the Written Word

At the heart of every Mike Neil story is a question: what does it mean to encounter something greater than yourself in the wild places of the world? His novels weave adventure, history, and a deeply personal faith into stories that have moved readers to tears, laughter, and spiritual reflection. Mike writes not to preach, but to share — the same way a campfire story is shared, honestly and from the heart.

Explore Mike's Books

From the sun-drenched plains of East Africa to the misty forests of the Pacific Northwest, Mike Neil's novels take you somewhere you have never been — and leave you changed.

Browse the Books