Michael J. Cropo was born in the small town of Batavia, New York, in 1965. He graduated from Cardinal Mooney High School in Rochester, New York, and went directly into the United States Army in 1984. Michael served nearly nine years in the active Army, serving almost six years with the famed 82nd Airborne Division, the premier Rapid Deployment Force for the United States Military and part of the SOCOM, or Special Operations Command. Among his awards are the coveted "Combat Infantryman’s Badge" and "Combat Parachute Wings" with a "Bronze Star" for his actions during The Invasion of Panama. He left the military due to injuries sustained while on active duty.

Mike began writing at a young age but his service in the military interrupted that. Upon leaving the military he was encouraged to return to writing while going to night school. He submitted the first draft of Arcturian Star, an original Science Fiction novel, to several different publishing companies and after seven months it was finally accepted. Arcturian Star was well received within the Sci-Fi community but plans have been put on hold for the sequel due to his work on this series.

The Spartan Universe has grown far larger than he ever expected with contributions from many friends within the Yahoo Group where it all began. He developed and now employs a written and spoken language that the main species in the series uses. A language chart is listed on the Files page. There are at least an additional three books in this series planned at the current time, and he has entertained the idea of spin offs.

Mike passed away on November 9, 2017 after a struggle with cancer. He is survived by loving family, friends, and will be sorely missed by all those whose imaginations and lives were brightened, emboldened, and changed by the stories Mike wrote and shared.

His obituary and tributes can be found at https://rochestercremation.com/obituary/michael-joseph-cropo.