Lucas was born in Tawas, Michigan, in 1985. The first of three children, and the only boy, he grew up in northern Michigan, where he enjoyed torturing his sisters, missing school, and actively avoiding boredom. After graduating high school, and a brief stint in college, he became a bonus dad and started working in mental health where he remained for the next decade. As rewarding as the job was, a fight with his boss drove him to take a position in the energy industry while he worked to finish his bachelor’s degree. Aspirations while working at one of Michigan’s largest utilities drove Lucas to continue on with his education, and he enrolled in Michigan State University’s MBA program. The fall before graduating, his son was hit and killed by a car during cross country practice. After finishing his graduate program, Lucas decided to seek out employment with a lower level of responsibility so he could focus more on writing.