He walks in wearing a black shirt, sunglasses, shorts, and a broad smile. Down-to-earth. Friendly. Not unlike the first time I met him eight years ago when I sneaked into his fully booked classroom at University of North Georgia as a timid student. 

I’d expected a wiry haired stodgy professor to look down his spectacles at me and tell me to get out. Instead, the professor—much younger than I’d anticipated—sauntered in with a short grizzled beard wearing a sock hat, zippered vest, and blue jeans.  “Hi gang,” he greeted the class as he effortlessly plopped down on a table and prepared to teach us how to write screenplays.

Of course, as he called the roll he quickly realized I wasn’t supposed to be there. However, instead of chiding me, he stared at me quizzically for a moment like he’d just found a lost puppy in the street that he wasn’t sure what to do with. “You don’t look like trouble,” he remarked, “I think we’ll keep you.” And that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.  

Lucker’s screenwriting credentials span across multiple genres, from comedies such as “Vampire in Brooklyn” to many Disney movies such as “Lilo & Stitch 2,” “Home on the Range,” Mulan 2,” and “Kronk’s New Groove.” Recently, he finished working on a children’s mini-series premiering on Netflix in December 2025.

As a professor, Lucker serves as a full-time senior lecturer at University of North Georgia and a mentor in the Creative Writing MFA program at Reinhardt University. He also teaches an online Screenwriting School, a 6-week course where he breaks down the essentials of character, pacing, and plot.  

Today, I have the honor of introducing Michael Lucker not just as the professor or screenwriter, but as the novelist. The friend chatting over a couple of Michelob Ultras about his new book “RULE ONE,” a mystery thriller about a FBI agent named Dent on a mission to track down a serial killer who targets doctors who have shown little empathy for their patients.

A dark comedy, “RULE ONE” entertains with witty banter and a fast-paced plotline as Dent’s team tries to stop the villain before he commits his next heinous act. Get ready world: “RULE ONE” hits the streets on July 8th wherever books are sold. 

Q. What inspired you to write “RULE ONE?” 

1. I was sick as a dog. No doctors could fix me and many dismissed me. And I wished they knew what it would be like to be in my shoes. “RULE ONE” puts them there.  

Q. Which character do you relate the most to and why? 

1. The hero and the villain. They both embody parts of my broken past. The villain carries the baggage of my challenges in healthcare. The hero [Dent] carries the baggage of dysfunctional relationships. 

Q. What is Dent’s favorite drink?  

1. Dent is an equal opportunity drinker. He likes a Jack Daniels and Coke in hard times. Gin and tonic when he’s feeling peppy. You’re not going to catch him with an umbrella drink.

Q. If your readers could take away one thing from your novel, what would you like that to be? 

1. They’re not alone. Lots of people face lots of challenges with doctors. I hope this book gives them hope. It should inspire patients and caution physicians.  

Q. Tell us about the book signings for North Georgia for our local readers. 

1. The book launch is Saturday, July 12th at the Whole Being Cafe in downtown Flowery Branch from 5-8 PM. Everyone is invited. Books will be available.

Whole Being is where I wrote most of the book. The owners, Kevin and Gail, were kind enough to put up with me day after day as I was writing the book. 

Q. Where can people buy your book? 

1. Everywhere. My publisher Wordeee media has done a fantastic job releasing it worldwide in print, digital, and audio. Digital and print are released July 8th. The audiobook comes July 22nd, courtesy of the enormous voice talent of Richard Poe. 

Q. North Georgia is full of coffee shops, wineries, and great scenery. Where do you go for a boost of artistic inspiration?    

1. All of them. I love all of the hidden haunts that North Georgia offers. Coffee shops, breweries, or wineries—anywhere I can hide away in a corner and soak up the atmosphere and feel creative. 

Q. Is there anything else you’d like people to know? 

1. I feel like the mountains and trees and rivers of North Georgia have fueled my creativity and I hope to continue writing “RULE” books here for years to come.  

For more information about Michael Lucker or “RULE ONE,” visit michaellucker.com.