Mark is a novelist, world-builder, and IP architect whose work explores unseen realms—where myth, science, and human destiny intersect. He is best known for creating expansive, interconnected story universes across science fiction and fantasy, including the Shadows and Dreams saga and the long-form Imperium mythos.
 
For more than two decades, O’Bannon has studied the craft of storytelling and narrative architecture, blending classical myth, modern story theory, and cinematic structure. Since 2007, he has led workshops, seminars, and panels on writing, world-building, and long-form narrative design, helping authors think beyond single books and toward enduring story worlds.
 
An advocate of independent publishing and creative sovereignty, O’Bannon teaches aspiring writers how to shape, release, and sustain their work in a rapidly changing publishing landscape—without sacrificing artistic vision. He is the founder and CEO of Shadowstar Games, publisher of Fantasy Imperium, an interactive storytelling universe that extends his mythic worlds into collaborative play.
 
Born in San Diego, California, O’Bannon is the grandson of aviation pioneer Reuben H. Fleet, founder of Consolidated Aircraft and a key figure in the development of the B-24 Liberator and PBY Catalina during World War II. That legacy of exploration and innovation continues in O’Bannon’s work, which seeks not merely to entertain, but to map larger patterns of meaning across time, culture, and imagination.
 
O’Bannon teaches writing and world-building at San Diego Writers, Ink, where he helps writers move from isolated stories toward cohesive mythic bodies of work.