Michael Nava was born in Stockton, CA; raised in Sacramento, CA; he got a B.A. in history at Colorado College, in 1976.

He met his first lover Bill Weinberger in 1980. He got a law degree at Stanford University in 1981, and began law practice (1981-1984) in Palo Alto(?). Nava moved with Weinberger to Los Angeles and was in private practice, in Encino (1984-86)

Nava published his first detective novel The Little Death (1986). He worked as research attorney at California Court of Appeals (1986-95). His next writings include Goldenboy (1988), Finale (1989), How town (1990), The hidden law (1992), Created equal: why gay rights matter to America (1994), and The death of friends (1996).

His relationship with Weinberger ended in 1989. Later he met his new lover Andrew Ferrero; he then moved to San Francisco (1995) to write and to establish a private law practice.