Mark Zeid spent seven years on active duty as a military police officer for the U.S. Marine Corps. After the Marines, he went to college and grad school, which led him to working and living in Japan for 25 years. During which time he taught English for Japanese schools and criminal justice for a satellite college on military bases. He also published more than 600 articles in various military, educational, and local news publications. Mark Zeid retired from the Marine Corps Reserves in 2004. Upon returning to the United States, he worked at the Center for Domestic Preparedness, a training facility run by Homeland Security for first responders. He was deployed several times to help with disaster recovery efforts in the United States. Currently retired, Mark Zeid teaches writing classes and Holocaust education. His novels are inspired by actual criminal events. He has had four mystery novels published, two of which won local awards. He publishes the first chapter of his novels on his website at https: //zeidsmysteries.com