Picture an American storyteller who trades circuit boards for werecat clans, weaving tales that pulse with action and heart—meet Mark J. Engels! A Wisconsin-based electrical engineer turned urban fantasy novelist, Engels crafts thrilling stories inspired by his love for anime, manga, and anthropomorphic fandoms. His signature work, The Forest Exiles Saga, follows a family of werecats navigating danger, identity, and global conspiracies, blending hard science with boundless imagination.
With a knack for vivid transformations and complex characters, Engels has carved a unique niche in speculative fiction. His journey from Great Lakes shores to international intrigue-filled pages is as captivating as the worlds he builds. Ready to dive into his electrifying tales?
The Making of Mark J. Engels
Growing up in Michigan, Mark J. Engels was never far from the shimmering Great Lakes, where his boyhood fascination with trains and electronics sparked a lifelong passion. This led him to a successful career as an electrical engineer, designing signal and communication systems for railroads across the United States. But Engels’s creative side couldn’t be contained by circuits alone. His love for anime, manga, and anthropomorphic storytelling fueled a desire to write, starting with articles for rail industry magazines before leaping into genre fiction.
Now living in Wisconsin with his wife, son, and a dog who naps faithfully by his side, Engels channels his diverse influences into his writing. As a member of the Allied Authors of Wisconsin and the Furry Writer’s Guild, he’s deeply connected to the speculative fiction community, drawing inspiration from its vibrant creativity.
Mark J. Engels’s Unforgettable Stories
Engels’s magnum opus, The Forest Exiles Saga, is a gripping urban fantasy trilogy that follows the Katczynski family, modern-day descendants of an ancient werecat clan. The series kicks off with Werecats Emergent, where teenage Pawly discovers her werecat heritage after a ferocious transformation during a hockey brawl. As she and her twin brother grapple with their bloodlust, their family navigates shady deals with drug cartels and rogue states, all while seeking a cure for their ‘Affliction.’
The saga continues in Werecats Convergent, a decade later, as Pawly hones her lethal skills against human traffickers, confronting grief and enemies across vivid settings like San Francisco’s back-alleys and Poland’s snowy forests. The trilogy concludes with Werecats Resurgent, a heart-pounding finale filled with kidnappings, secret agent vibes, and a global mission to save their loved ones. Engels’s style blends intense action, family drama, and scientific intrigue, earning comparisons to Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson series and Brad Magnarella’s Blue Wolf books.
Before the saga, Engels debuted with Always Gray in Winter, a paranormal sci-fi thriller introducing his werecat universe. His writing shines with detailed transformation scenes, philosophical undertones about humanity, and a knack for weaving real-world settings into fantastical narratives, making each book a thrilling ride.
Why Mark J. Engels Matters
Mark J. Engels brings a fresh voice to urban fantasy, blending his engineering precision with a deep love for anthropomorphic storytelling. His work resonates with readers who crave action-packed plots and relatable characters grappling with identity and sacrifice. By exploring themes of family bonds and resilience, Engels elevates the werecat trope into a metaphor for human struggles, earning praise for his immersive world-building and emotional depth.
As a member of the Furry Writer’s Guild, Engels champions anthropomorphic fiction, helping to push the subgenre into the mainstream. His ability to merge technical expertise with creative storytelling makes him a standout, inspiring fans of anime, urban fantasy, and speculative fiction to embrace his unique vision.
- Key Works: Always Gray in Winter, The Forest Exiles Saga (Werecats Emergent, Werecats Convergent, Werecats Resurgent)
- Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Sci-Fi Thriller
- Fun Fact: Engels’s dog naps beside him as he writes, perhaps dreaming of werecat adventures!
Snag Werecats Emergent and dive into Mark J. Engels’s thrilling urban fantasy world—your inner beast will thank you!