M. E. Mattel was born in New York City on October 31, 1958, and earned a BS in electrical engineering in 1981. He is an Electrical Engineer by profession; however, he has cultivated a love of music and writing over the years and received an honorable mention at the 1987 Music City Song Festival in the lyric category. He also has poems appearing in New Poet's Two (1983), New Poet's Three (1984), and Poetry Press Volume IV (1983).

He was a member of the Island Songwriter's Showcase (ISS) and did the "open-mic" thing for many years. He studied acting for almost 10 years and one of his short stories was inspired by an exercise in one of those classes. This is his first book and it is a compilation of some of the short fiction, poetry, and song lyrics he has written over the last forty years.

He lives in Suffolk County on Long Island, New York, with his wife, Grace, his daughter from his first marriage, Allegra, and their dog, Buddy. In addition to writing, he keeps himself active by going to the gym 3 times a week, walking Buddy as often as possible, and is an Elder in his church.

Power, ego, lies… in any man, the combination is dreadful—in a sociopathic president who refuses to relinquish his power? Deadly.

Successful TV personality and fertilizer tycoon Manson Anwir decided to run for President of the United States on a whim. To the surprise of most, including himself, he won. But now, Anwir has lost his bid for a second term. Against the backdrop of a raging worldwide pandemic, one he's been accused of mishandling, he must save face.

Convinced the election was rigged, Anwir rallies his staff to his side and enlists the help of his powerful friends to rectify this injustice. Supporters gather in record numbers, ready to wage war under Anwir's motto: "Make America Divided Again." Manson Anwir has a plan to overturn the election results. After all, he was born into wealth; he's gotten whatever he's wanted his entire life. Why should that change now?

Author M.E. Mattel masterfully combines laugh-out-loud satirical humor culminating in a haunting, goosebump-raising ending. Each reader will ponder just how far this cautionary tale of political fiction might be from our actual future.

Published 2022 by KDP. Available on Amazon.

The year was 1963. John Lennon had written a new song and was eager to share it with his band-mates. After John sang, "I want to grab your breasts," self-proclaimed sixth Beatle Mike Campbell suggested the tamer, "I want to hold your hand" among other, almost plausible, silliness.

So begins a series of profoundly absurd and absurdly profound musings from M. E. Mattel. What Was I Thinking? is a collection of short stories, poems, and song lyrics that include philosophical reveries, satirical scenarios, and even a bawdy limerick.

Published 2017 by CreateSpace.