Mark J. Engels Books In Order

Publication Order of Forest Exiles Saga Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

(Thanks to Mark for the bio!)

My creative journey stems from my childhood fascinations in trains and electronics, which paved the way for my current profession as an electrical engineer. Today I design and implement signal and train control systems for railroads and rail transit agencies across the United States. After writing for rail industry publications, I transitioned into writing novel-length fiction, inspired by my love for anime, manga, and anthropomorphic stories. While my roots lie in Michigan, I now reside in Wisconsin together with my wife and son and dog. Then as now, the Great Lakes are never far from my heart.

The Forest Exiles Saga: One fateful Halloween night, teenage Pawly’s hidden werecat lineage manifest in a life-altering transformation. As she and her twin brother grapple with their newfound identities, they face a looming danger: their escalating bloodlust, threatening to spiral out of control. In desperation, Pawly’s blended human-werecat family seeks aid from an unexpected source—a Chicago-area drug cartel. Meanwhile, her uncle Ritzi, a scientist and a werecat both, races to devise his own solution for the twins’ primal urges. But Ritzi’s scientific pursuits garner attention from a rival werecat clan elder representing a rogue state, intrigued by the twins’ potential. When the twins are implicated in a savage attack, Ritzi proposes the twins and their family join the rogue state for protection. But their father, a Navy sailor recently wounded in combat, would rather die—a threat everyone soon realizes is all too real.

Years later, Pawly and her brother will find themselves once again in danger when their Navy unit is ambushed by genetically enhanced soldiers from the rogue state. After Pawly is forced into hiding to protect her loved ones, her family embarks on a daring mission to return to their ancestral homeland and reconcile with their long-lost kin. Their plans take a perilous turn when Pawly’s human lover intervenes to foil the rogue state’s plan to weaponize the twins’ killing instincts. She must confront an impossible choice: safeguard her family’s secrets at the risk of her lover’s life or embrace her true nature, potentially driving him away forever. But before Pawly can resolve her quandary, the rogue state’s werecats spring their trap. A devastating revelation from Pawly’s past unleashes a storm of chaos, leaving her family members captured, her family’s island hideaway ablaze, and her mother teetering on the brink of death. Now, Pawly must rally her family and some decidedly unexpected allies for a perilous journey across the globe—a last-ditch effort to rescue their loved ones and finally vanquish their lethal legacy.

Dive into a gripping urban fantasy world with The Forest Exiles Saga, where the modern-day remnant of an ancient clan of werecats rages against the ambitions of militaries from three continents, each seeking to harness their lethal abilities. Within this thrilling series unfolds an epic tale of family, survival, and the struggle for freedom. Fans of Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson franchise and Brad Magnarella’s Blue Wolf series will surely find themselves captivated by this richly woven narrative replete with pulse-pounding action!