Mark Ristau

My life took a sharp turn when I was downsized from a corporate attorney job I'd held for nearly 15 years. Instead of sending out my resume, however, I decided it was time to pursue my dream. Selling my house and virtually all my belongings, I packed the car and migrated to a town on Florida’s gulf coast, setting for the prologue to the first book in the Hero’s Path series, A Hero Dreams.

Six years later, A Hero Dreams was published. The second book, Beyond the Threshold, will be released on September 13, 2022.

​An avid reader and film buff, I'm inspired by stories that fill hearts with hope and minds with the idea that anything is possible. I credit my daily yoga practice with keeping my head clear and my life in balance when writing. Born in Chicago, I currently live in St. Paul.

A Hero Dreams has garnered the following independent book awards:

• National Indie Excellence Awards – New Fiction (Winner) and Visionary Fiction (Finalist)

• IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards – Popular Fiction (Winner of Silver)

• Next Generation Indie Book Awards – First Novel (Finalist) and Inspirational Fiction (Finalist)

• Best Book Awards – Fiction: Visionary (Finalist) and Best New Fiction (Finalist)