About James
James
was born on an Army base in Wuerzburg, Germany,
but grew up in a small city called Hopewell, Virginia. As a s
hy kid, he
shared a strong love for sports and reading. He spent a lot of time in the
summer either riding his BMX
bike imitating Evil Knevil on the dirt hills of local parks or holed up in
the Hopewell library, lost in the wondrous world of books. Hours in the library developed James's love for
reading and writing short stories.
His mother Phyllis noticed James's love for the written word and created a unique method to cultivate his talent. One day, James got into some mess he had no business being in (as with most young boys). Instead of restriction or butt whippings, Phyllis made him write a short story a day for a week. She would read each story, critique it and force young James to explain why he wrote stories that showed bad things happening to his mother (another form of venting for a twelve-year-old). Her creative approach worked because his hobby became his passion.
In the late-80's, James became delusional, believing his skills as a rapper would propel him to rap stardom. That ended early, but his love for writing rap lyrics with rhyming story lines flourished his creativity in short stories and planted a new dream: book publication.
With the Internet, James showcased his talent to the world while pursuing his dream. His magazine credits are 3AM Magazine, Dare Magazine, Rundu Bedtime Stories, Eye Shot, Circle Magazine, Dark-Fiction, Nu News Magazine, The Sink Magazine, VIP NY Magazine and Bonita Magazine. In February 2004, his story Tainted won first place in the Somewhere in America 100-word short story contest.
James has also contributed to a number of books that include Help! I've turned into my Mother!, Chicken Soup for the Mothers and Sons Soul, Truth Be Told: Tales of Life, Love, and Drama, The Heart of Our Community and Zane's Caramel Flava.
In Dec 07, James acquired a literary agent to represent his book A Hard Man is Good to Find!
Will his dream of book publication come true in 2008? Stay tuned...
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