My name is Michael Schmidt. I write under the pen name Tom Epic. I’m an emerging writer from the quiet woods and fields of rural Southern Ontario, a calm, pastoral landscape that never ceases to inspire me to write and tell stories.

I’ve been a fan of fantasy and speculative stories since I first began to read. The tales that resonated with me the most involved swords and magic, extraordinary creatures and other worlds— sometimes not so far off from our own— and the characters who found themselves whisked away on grand adventures. I always enjoyed the stories about heroes who seemed out of place and were underestimated by their foes, belying the true heroism within. That said, I like to read widely: the literary classics, murder mysteries, graphic novels, climate fiction; all manner of stories have influenced my writing in various ways. I’m also a big hockey fan, and during the summer you’re likely to find me on the golf course or enjoying time at my cottage on the majestic shores of Lake Huron, where I’m fond of saying that the sunsets there never disappoint.

I completed a Bachelor of Arts Honours Specialization for English and Creative Writing at Western University in 2022, and since went on to study publishing in a post-graduate program at Centennial College, graduating in 2024. I’ve had poetry published in Blank Spaces magazine and articles featured in On the Danforth and BookTrib. You can find me on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) as @theepictom_, where I mostly post about my lovable and quirky German-Shorthaired Pointers, the occasional bookish thought, or follow along with my favourite hockey team.