About James
James
was born on an Army base in Wurzburg, Germany in 1971,
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. It was hours in the library that 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 was writing 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 the ranks of rap greats like Rakim, KRS-ONE, and Slick Rick. That nonsense 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 include Rundu Bedtime Stories, Lucrezia Magazine, Comedy Corner, emPower Magazine and an upcoming article in American Fitness (Summer 2010). James has also contributed to a number of books that include Zane's Caramel Flava, Help! I've turned into my Mother!, Chicken Soup for the Mothers and Sons Soul, Truth Be Told: Tales of Life, Love, and Drama, Gumbo for the Soul, One in the Flesh and Don't Forget the Pepper Spray (you can click on each book and magazine).
In Dec 07, James acquired a literary agent to represent his book A Hard Man is Good to Find!. With book publication odds stacked against him (less than 1 percent acceptance rate), will his dream of book publication ever come true? Hmmm...
Well, sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands. With the head honchos at Random House passing him by like an old school Pharcyde jam, it's time to do for self. On that note, watch out for the debut novel Sellout in July 2010!
Updated: 2/08/10