Former construction laborer, cab driver, and dock worker, Michael Collins is also the former chief resident in orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic. He is the author of two acclaimed medical memoirs, Hot Lights, Cold Steel and Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs, and the Vietnam War-era novel All Bleeding Stops. Mike is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine. He and his wife, Patti, were born, raised, and still live on the West Side of Chicago. Mike is a frequent visitor to the Outer Hebrides where his experiences became the inspiration for this novel.