MICHAEL RANSOM is the debut author of The Ripper Gene (Tor-Forge) which won the Silver Falchion Award for Best Horror Mystery and the Killer Nashville Judge’s Choice award for Best Serial Killer Mystery.  The Ripper Gene was called “scary as the devil” by Suspense Magazine and hailed as both a “cleverly crafted thriller” (DNA Science Blog), and a “smart, sophisticated murder mystery” (Killer Nashville).  He incorporates futuristic scientific premises into his fiction, and his writing style “weaves cutting edge science into literary art in Michael Crichton fashion” (Bloodshed.com) and is hailed as “a worthy hybrid of Thomas Harris and Douglas Preston” (Providence Review). In addition to being a writer, the author is also a pharmaceutical executive and an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Originally raised in Mississippi, he now makes his home in Kinnelon, New Jersey with his wife and two children. He enjoys interacting with fans and readers on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter and other social media venues.  The Ripper Gene is his first novel.