Mark D. Ellis is a novelist/graphic novelist, journalist, and comics writer who in his nearly 40 year career as a professional creator, has amassed hundreds of published credits. A busy comics creator in the 1980s and 90s, Mark created the popular Death Hawk character and also developed/created Star Rangers, The Justice Machine, Ninja Elite and The Miskatonic Project as well as working on such popular properties like Doc Savage, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu, The Green Hornet, The Saint and The Wild Wild West. 

In 1995, under the house pseudonym of "James Axler", Mark took over the DEATHLANDS novel series published by the Gold Eagle imprint of Harlequin Enterprises. He created the best-selling OUTLANDERS novel series in 1996. With the cancellation of the Gold Eagle imprint at the end of 2015, OUTLANDERS ended its 18.5 year run, making it the most successful mass-market paperback original series of the last 35 years. Combined with the audio book editions, OUTLANDERS comprises well over 100 novels. 

Mark has been featured in Starlog, Comics Scene and Fangoria magazines. He has also been interviewed by Robert Siegel for NPR's All Things Considered. His other books include THE EVERYTHING GUIDE TO WRITINties as G GRAPHIC NOVELS, CRYPTOZOICA, THE EXECUTIONER: HELLFIRE TRIGGER, THE EXECUTIONER: DEVIL'S GUARD, THE SPUR: LOKI'S ROCK, THE SPUR: HELLDORADO, THE FALCON: RESURRECTED and PARALLAX PRIME. 

For over 12 years, Mark and his wife, best-selling author Melissa Martin Ellis moderated Newport Round Table in Newport, RI, the longest-running writer's workshop in New England. His most recent works are KNIGHTWATCH: INVICTUS X , DEATH HAWK THE COMPLETE SAGA (2019), CALL SIGN CERBERUS (2020), LAKOTA, NOSFERATU: SOVEREIGN OF TERROR (2021), KING SOLOMON'S MINES: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL (2022), LAKOTA: SERPENTS OF AZTLAN (2023) and 221B: ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE (2025). In January of 2017, Mark and Melissa retired to rural Ireland.