Colie was born in the North of England. He moved to Galway, Ireland as a child and then moved back again. After spending more time in the North of England the family moved back to Ireland. Then a little while later moved back to England. Eventually He won a green card in a lottery and emigrated to the US in 1992. After spending time in Boston and Seattle and a four year stint in the US Coastguard, Colie graduated Marylhurst University with a degree in Creative Writing and completed a Master's Degree in College Administration at Portland State University. Colie is married with two baby girls and lives in Portland, Oregon.