Author and Entrepreneur
M. Thomas (Tom) Collins passed away on August 29th, 2023. He wrote from his home in Franklin, Tennessee, where his characters come to life and frequent familiar places in the bucolic middle Tennessee landscape and the majestic mountains of Western North Carolina.
His book Exploring Asheville—Its History Attractions, Mysteries, Ghosts, and Tall Tales earned the top spot as the 2022 winner in the regional literature category at both the Independent Press Awards and the NYC Big Books Awards. Also winning in the Big Book Awards was his novel, Beyond Visual Range, as a 2022 Distinguished Favorite in Military Fiction.
A pioneer entrepreneur of the information technology industry, Tom devoted his time to creating his mystery series, Mark Rollins Adventures and authoring his short stories about Asheville and Western North Carolina. You will find his books in your favorite neighborhood bookstore or online source. His books are available in print, digital and audio formats.
Works by Tom Collins:
Mark Rollins’ New Career & the Women’s Health Club
Mark Rollins and the Rainmaker
Mark Rollins and the Puppeteer
The Claret Murders, a Mark Rollins Adventure
Diversion, a Mark Rollins Adventure
Beyond Visual Range, a Mark Rollins Adventure
The Language of Excellence
Stories from Applewood Manor [Private Edtion}
Exploring Asheville—Its History, Attractions, Mysteries, Ghosts,
And Tall Tales
Treasure of the Diary, a Mark Rollins Adventure
Additional information:
Tom Collins earned his Master's Degree from the University of Alabama in 1965 and began his career as a CPA with Price Waterhouse (now PwC). He left PwC in 1968 to pursue the emerging business opportunity that followed IBM's consent decree allowing the use of IBM computers for the purpose of providing services. It was the birth of the information technology industry. After serving as one of the principals of Compass, Inc., and then Vice President of NLT Computer Services, he joined with four associates to found the public company Endata, Inc. Collins began Juris, Inc. in March 1986. When Juris was purchased by LexisNexis in 2007, it had become the leading U.S. provider of financial and business information systems for multi-partner law firms. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the ALM publication, Law Technology News, for his contribution to the use of technology in the legal services community. Citytech, a London-based publication, called him an “outstanding individual and visionary” when he was named as one of the Top 100 Global Tech Leaders.