Michael Toomey

Mike has a long history of educating and storytelling. He taught English and history at various secondary colleges for thirty years and was a regular educational reviewer for Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper. Mike frequently presented to English teachers for the Victorian English Teachers Association. Adolescent literature is a special interest and Austin Macauley published his first adolescent novel Dig, in 2022. ‘Dig’ was commended for its subtle exploration of themes like war and masculine identity by Dr Mary Purcell, Melbourne University: ‘Young secondary readers would connect with Michael’s engaging characters.’ (VATE, 2022). Mike also has an interest in Cold War history, so it’s not surprising ‘Blue Streak’ is a Cold War thriller. He is currently preparing a sequel to ‘Blue Streak’.