Hi everyone,

first of all, thanks for finding me (I know it wasn't easy). I'd like to use this blog as a kind of FAQ about me and my work. "FAQ" is a bit of a lie, though, since no one has ever actually asked me anything. So feel free to reach out if you have real questions.

Who am I?

I'm a German writer in my thirties, and I released my first novel, Days of Madness, in 2025. I write under the pseudonym Michael J. Anthony and publish my books myself. In "real life," I work as a technical writer, creating manuals for technical systems and machinery.

As much as I like my job, my true passion has always been fantasy. I started writing mostly because I was bored and looking for a new hobby (wildly inspiring, I know). To my own surprise, I really came to enjoy it, and here I am.

If you asked me about my future ambitions: I'd love to make a living from fantasy instead of manuals one day. That, however, is a goal for the distant future.

Why self-publishing?

Honestly, I would have preferred traditional publishing, especially since marketing, social media, and everything around it really isn't my world. Before I started writing, I wasn't active on a single social media platform.

But the story I want to tell is far from mainstream fantasy. I'm not a patient man either, and waiting half a year just to get a "no" wasn't an option.

How do I work?

I write my German drafts in MS Word for the print books, and I use Atticus to produce my ebooks for Amazon KDP.

As a self-publisher, sooner or later you'll get the obligatory accusations of using AI. So let me be perfectly honest with you: my German books are written by hand. They're professionally edited by humans, and the covers are made by human artists.

To be absolutely clear: no AI was used in creating my German books.

For my English translations, however, I do use AI to help with spelling and phrasing. And if I ever decide to have my story translated into a language I can't read myself, I'll of course use professional human services for that as well. It's of the utmost importance to me that my story is told the way I wrote it.