Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash

Fiction that lingers in the spaces between action and consequence.

Mike Cohen’s fiction focuses on the inner lives of people navigating moments of uncertainty, recognition, and change. His novels and short stories are grounded in character, attentive to detail, and shaped by the belief that even small decisions can carry weight.

Whether you’re here for a novel or a brief story, you’re invited to wander.


Featured Works

After a career-ending misstep in Washington, a conflicted young lawyer returns to the town he once escaped. Assigned a case that implicates people closest to him, he must decide how far he’s willing to go for the truth—and what it will cost him if he does. Rivertown Heroes is a story of moral pressure, belonging, and the uneasy line between personal loyalty and justice.

The Three of Us is a collection of short stories about relationships—romantic, familial, and unexpected—and the subtle forces that shape them. Across these pages, ordinary moments reveal quiet tensions, unspoken loyalties, and the ways people misunderstand one another even as they try to connect. These are stories that unfold gently, then linger, asking what it really means to share a life with someone else.


Dropouts

What happens when one unforgettable night forces you to choose who you really are? In Dropouts, Mike Cohen takes readers back to 1961, where recent graduate Marilyn Martin finds herself caught between society’s expectations and the allure of a more rebellious future. What begins as an awkward prom-night double date quickly unravels into a series of risky decisions, betrayals, and life-changing consequences. Rich with youthful longing, class tensions, and the search for identity, this coming-of-age story captures the moment when innocence gives way to self-discovery—and when being labeled an outsider may become a source of unexpected strength. Watch the video, then dive into the full story to experience Marilyn’s journey for yourself.

Mike Cohen

M.L. (Mike) Cohen

Mike Cohen writes novels and short stories about people navigating moments of uncertainty, recognition, and change. His fiction pays close attention to the choices people make—and the ones they avoid.


For New Readers

Every story has a first encounter.

The Start Here page introduces a few of the people you’ll meet in Mike Cohen’s fiction and offers an easy way into the novels and short stories they inhabit.

Recent Author Musings

How to Take: A Guitar Lesson

Bill (Mr. Warshal, Faz?) looked absolutely lost among the guitar inventory. He kept looking for other musical options randomly raising them in questions; Why not a flute? What about a saxophone or a... Read More

Fiction Writing: Consumed by a Thought

A consuming thought in your head: that’s where writing a book begins. Writing a book involves a compulsion, a driving need to demonstrate what happens when a person or persons are seized with... Read More