Mark is originally from Truro, Nova Scotia. His parents were teachers, which means he could have grown up around books, and he did, but mostly he marked biology tests for his dad and dissected whatever they had for dinner (true story). He attended Dalhousie University in Halifax to do his science degrees and continued to cultivate the writer seed planted as a kid. He's always been involved in high-level sport, as an athlete through university and as a coach afterward.