M.P. Eckstein was born in San Luis, just south of the US-Mexico border, to nature-loving parents. His childhood was filled with road trips through the Rocky Mountains, treks through the Grand Canyon, nights under the stars, rainwater for drinking, gardens for growing and harvesting vegetables, and forts in the woods.
At eight, M.P. Eckstein’s family was living in an Iowa farm house without running water or electricity. It was then his mother filed for a divorce against his father. He and his siblings, who had been home-schooled, entered the public school system in Colo Nesco. M.P. Eckstein started in third grade, years behind the other students in studies.
A few months later, his family was ousted from the farm house, and he, his mother, and siblings would spend the next three months in a women’s shelter. With a lot of hard work, his mother obtained a four bedroom duplex in a small Iowa town called Nevada. There, finally achieving some stability, M.P. Eckstein and his siblings completed grade school studies.
After graduating from high school, M.P. Eckstein joined the National Guard in order to save for college. He would spend months living on bases in Kuwait and Iraq during a military tour. But after his service, he attended college, where he took several creative writing classes and graduated with a B.S., minoring in English.
Currently, M.P. Eckstein lives with his wife in Des Moines, where he works full-time and writes as often as possible.