Richard Blaine (pseudonym) first wrote about Michael Garrett in the 1980s. As a part-time author, he also consulted with various companies and helped them produce documentation to enable staff members to understand how to use their computer systems effectively. Subsequently, Blaine went to graduate school and then became a mental health counselor, specializing in trauma and anxiety-based disorders. He had a very busy practice, lasting for twenty-five years, from which he then retired and returned to his earlier love of writing historic mystery novels.