M. Thomas Cooper was raised in Portland, Oregon, and is inspired by local authors and culture. He has written for several Pacific Northwest publications. He prefers to bicycle and hasn't owned a car in years because he finds that being outside opens him up to more experiences, “especially,” he says, “if you are quiet and pay attention.” Reading the likes of Aldous Huxley, Haruki Murakami, Cees Nooteboom, and Chuck Palahniuk, Cooper finds the inspiration that guides him today.

A prolific playwright, Cooper has presented his plays at the Ashland 10–Minute Play Festival, Theatre in the Grove, and Portland State University. In 2004, his play Godot was adapted to film and produced by Greg Kerr Productions, a Portland Film Company. In 2005, his play Rising was a finalist for a Seattle company's Northwest Playwright Award. Recently, Cooper's play Tongue, Tied was accepted into the Humana Festival in Louisville, Kentucky, one of the oldest and most prestigious new play festivals in the country. Cooper has also been actively involved in Wordstock, Portland's preeminent literary festival, since its inception. 42 is his first novel.

His website is www.mthomascooper.com.