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Michael Stephen Vassel (born April 30, 1964) is an American novelist and engineer. He is known for his novels Fine Again, The Haunting of Matthew Keys, and The Castle Chronicles series.

Early Life, Marriage, Service, and Education

Vassel was born and raised in Lakewood, Ohio (west side suburb of Cleveland, Ohio). The son of Linda Jean (nee Holton) and Donald George. As a youth, Vassel moved around several times, attending multiple elementary schools in Lakewood, Westlake, and Rocky River. After attending 9th grade in Rocky River, his family moved to Lakewood where he attended Lakewood High School during 10th through 12th grades.

In January, 1984, Vassel joined the US Army to be a military policeman. He was reassigned to Infantry school at Fort Benning in George when it was found that he was ½” too short to be an MP. After successfully completing Infantry School (Indirect Fire Infantry - Mortars) Vassel attended Airborne School, receiving his Airborne wings in June, 1984. Once school was finished, he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 67th Armor (2nd Armored Division) stationed at Fort Hood in Texas. While there he served in Battalion Operations for 20 month, then was moved to the Mortar Platoon for his remaining service. He was honorably discharged from the US Army in January 1987.

While stationed in Texas Vassel married his first wife, Rebecca (nee Ciganko). She is the mother of his son Derrick Michael (born 11 January 1987). Michael and Rebecca were divorced in 1988.

Vassel met his second wife, Lora Louise (nee Oskowski), in late 1988. Lora is the mother of his daughter Kristen Ruthellen (born 13 September 1989. Michael and Lora were divorced in 2005.

Engineering Career

After attending college, Vassel was hired as a Junior Engineer at Fusion Inc. in Willoughby, Ohio. There he helped design brazing and soldering equipment, primarily working on part ejection equipment. In September 1989 Vassel left Fusion to join Interior Steel Equipment Company (Cleveland, Ohio). There he designed lockers and museum cases.

In June 1992, Vassel left Interior Steel for American Handling, Inc., a materials handling company based on Cleveland’s westside. Vassel worked as a system designer for 1 year, then transferred to the engineering group to design conveyor systems for distribution centers around the US.

After 7 years at American Handling, Vassel was hired by Dematic Corp. (formally Rapistan) in February 1999. Since joining Dematic, he’s worked as a designer, project manager, estimating manager, and principle engineer.

Short Stories and Books

While attending college, Vassel wrote a short story entitled “Hide & Seek”. His story was chosen from hundreds of entries to be published in the school’s quarterly magazine, “Fine Lines.”

After a long hiatus, Vassel returned to writing in 2017 and wrote his 1st novel, entitled “Fine Again”. Fine Again (published in April 2018) is the story of a man that loses the love of his life. In an effort to confront his pain, he starts a diary to tell his lost love how much he misses her and what life is like without her as he works though his grief. While inscribing his feelings, he reflects on a lifetime of personal and romantic relationships as he struggles to move on with his life.

Vassel’s 2nd novel, an Urban Fantasy entitled “Defiled (Book One of The Castle Chronicles), was published in April 2019. The story is about a young man that learns he has supernatural powers. After the discovery, he starts having strange vivid dreams of a girl trapped in Hell. After taking a trip to the Netherworld, Mark Castle (the story’s protagonist), recruits several of his friends to help release the girl from the clutches of a Sumerian god.

His 3rd novel is entitled “The Haunting of Matthew Keys” (published in October 2019). After losing his wife, Samantha, in a horrible accident, Matt tries to move on with his life. But, from the moment he steps back into the dating world, bizarre incidences start happening around him. Adding to these occurrences is the sudden appearance of his wife's perfume throughout his house - the place he used to call their home. Tormented by these manifestations, and troubled by haunting nightmares, Matt feels he is not alone. He knows, deep down, that his love has not left this world.

“A Hitman Walks Into a Bar … (Book Two of The Castle Chronicles)”, Vassel’s 4th novel, was published in February 2020. The story starts with a man named Mike who meets a dark figure, Mark Castle, in his local bar. The main part of the story takes place after Mark Castle graduates from high school. Mark decides to join the military. During Basic Training Mark is approached by a Black Ops group that offers him a job using his unique abilities.

Vassel’s 5th novel is a volume of short stories entitled “Bits & Bites: Tales from a Twisted Mind”. It is scheduled to be released in September 2020.

Vassel’s 6th novel, “Damned (Book Three of The Castle Chronicles)” is slated to be published in February 2021.

Current Life

Vassel met his 3rd wife, Angela Kay (Nee Lay) early in 2017. They were married 2 years later on May the 4th, 2019. They currently reside in Lakewood, Ohio. Vassel has 3 grandchildren: Karma, Kason, and Kaiya.