“Jed Walker is right there in Reacher’s rear-view mirror.”
Lee Child
James Phelan is the bestselling and award-winning author of the Jed Walker and Lachlan Fox thrillers, the Alone trilogy for young adults, and The Last Thirteen adventure series for middle grade readers.
James has been a full-time author since the age of 26. He holds an MA and PhD in literature. He is the author of 31 novels, one work of nonfiction, and several short stories. He has sold over 5 million copies around the world.
His recent work includes a Trump book written with his friend James Frey, and he is currently working on his second stand-alone thriller after the success of THE ARCHITECT.
“If you think you can hear an echo of Jack Reacher in there, you’re not the only one.” Sydney Morning Herald.
James was born in Melbourne, Australia. He grew up in Parkville, going to sleep to the sound of lions calling in the night at the Melbourne Zoo. His creative spirit was nurtured from a young age, and he credits his overactive imagination to being exposed to authors Roald Dahl, Spike Milligan, and Paul Jennings, as well as such works as The Hobbit, Treasure Island, The Jungle Book, Tales of the Punjab, Siddhartha, and The Little Prince.
“Phelan writes a terse and tense brand of hardboiled action suspense…” The Age.
As a teenager James discovered a love of thrillers, reading the work of authors such as Alistair MacLean, Clive Cussler, Jeffery Archer, Ken Follett, Tom Clancy, Jack Higgins, Robert Ludlum, John le Carré, Ian Fleming, Jeffery Deaver, Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, and Lee Child.
“James Phelan has produced a big, juicy, rollicking tale in the spirit of Robert Ludlum. We haven’t seen an international thriller like this for a long time. Let’s hope Lachlan Fox is planning on getting into more trouble in the near future!” Jeffery Deaver
Lee Child
James Phelan is the bestselling and award-winning author of the Jed Walker and Lachlan Fox thrillers, the Alone trilogy for young adults, and The Last Thirteen adventure series for middle grade readers.
James has been a full-time author since the age of 26. He holds an MA and PhD in literature. He is the author of 31 novels, one work of nonfiction, and several short stories. He has sold over 5 million copies around the world.
His recent work includes a Trump book written with his friend James Frey, and he is currently working on his second stand-alone thriller after the success of THE ARCHITECT.
“If you think you can hear an echo of Jack Reacher in there, you’re not the only one.” Sydney Morning Herald.
James was born in Melbourne, Australia. He grew up in Parkville, going to sleep to the sound of lions calling in the night at the Melbourne Zoo. His creative spirit was nurtured from a young age, and he credits his overactive imagination to being exposed to authors Roald Dahl, Spike Milligan, and Paul Jennings, as well as such works as The Hobbit, Treasure Island, The Jungle Book, Tales of the Punjab, Siddhartha, and The Little Prince.
“Phelan writes a terse and tense brand of hardboiled action suspense…” The Age.
As a teenager James discovered a love of thrillers, reading the work of authors such as Alistair MacLean, Clive Cussler, Jeffery Archer, Ken Follett, Tom Clancy, Jack Higgins, Robert Ludlum, John le Carré, Ian Fleming, Jeffery Deaver, Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, and Lee Child.
“James Phelan has produced a big, juicy, rollicking tale in the spirit of Robert Ludlum. We haven’t seen an international thriller like this for a long time. Let’s hope Lachlan Fox is planning on getting into more trouble in the near future!” Jeffery Deaver
James started writing his first books when he started school age 4. Most were recipe books, as his first ambition was to have a fruit juice empire. He went on to write and illustrate comics and short stories that he'd hand out to friends at school.
In 1995, aged fifteen, James started his first novel, which developed as a short-story for part of his high school English assignment in 1996. A thriller involving a terrorist attack on the 2000 Sydney Olympics, it earned James top marks. However, James soon abandoned the storyline when it was used in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six (1998). While this story idea died, the lead protagonists of Lachlan Fox and Alister Gammaldi lived on as James went in search of another introductory tale for these series characters. James' plan was to get a job he could retire from early and write that novel...
|
James became an architect, aka the family business he swore he'd never undertake. He studied at RMIT, and worked for two years as an architect on the Federation Square design team. He then attended the University of Melbourne to study Creative Writing, culminating in an MA (Writing), and PhD (Literature) at Swinburne University of Technology. It was during his masters degree and while working at The Age newspaper for five years that James developed the idea that would become his first published book - a work of non-fiction, Literati. “James Phelan is one of the hottest thriller writers to arrive on the scene in years. His hero, Lachlan Fox, is just the kind of gritty man the world needs in a time of crisis.” Vince Flynn |
|
Literati: Australian Contemporary Literary Figure Discuss Fear, Frustrations and Fame (John Wiley & Sons) was published to critical acclaim in August 2005. Comprising 21 candid interviews with key Australian authors and publishing figures, Literati answered many questions for would-be writers, those in the publishing industry, and readers with a keen interest in the writing and publishing process.
Literati sample:
JP: I know you’ve drawn on one of Tim Winton’s quotes that writing for kids involves a triangle — yourself, your audience, and the gatekeepers. I’m assuming with most of your books, but particularly with The Bad Book, there has been some tension with those gatekeepers.
Andy Griffiths: It’s disappointing when a librarian or a teacher can’t see past their own likes and dislikes. They feel that unless they like it, it shouldn’t be in the library. I think they need to be more professional, more able to see life from the point of view of a child. Kids will read across the range.
Literati sample:
JP: I know you’ve drawn on one of Tim Winton’s quotes that writing for kids involves a triangle — yourself, your audience, and the gatekeepers. I’m assuming with most of your books, but particularly with The Bad Book, there has been some tension with those gatekeepers.
Andy Griffiths: It’s disappointing when a librarian or a teacher can’t see past their own likes and dislikes. They feel that unless they like it, it shouldn’t be in the library. I think they need to be more professional, more able to see life from the point of view of a child. Kids will read across the range.
JP: WHAT prompted you to start writing your first novel? How did you find the time, when you were employed, had a young family?
Robert Drew: This sounds strange, but one Saturday afternoon in my mid-twenties I was playing in the park with my two little sons when I had a sort of epiphany. A blazing notion. I thought, "I'm going to write novels." It was a sudden irresistible urge, so strong it was almost sexual, to write novels. Or maybe it was to be a novelist - not necessarily the same thing. Anyway I said to myself, "I'll do this." And on Monday morning I went in and resigned my job.
JP: I’ve also heard you say that quite a few projects or novels from your formative years as a writer haven’t seen the light of day and probably never will. Do you look at that time as an apprenticeship?
Sonya Hartnett: Well, you have to have some sort of talent for it, which people tend to forget. Not everyone assumes they could be a great painter or a great swimmer or a great musician, but they all assume they could be a great writer...
JP: When you were at a private boys school there was a pivotal point when you read Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye.
John Marsden: Yes, that’s right. That was a big influence, that sense of excitement as I read the opening pages thinking, ‘Oh, shit, this is unbelievable. Are you allowed to do this? I didn’t know you could do this’. It was almost a sense that it must be illegal, and I suddenly realised that you were allowed to do almost anything when it came to writing.
JP: In those early stages, how did you see yourself? Were you envisioning going down the action path anyway?
Matthew Reilly: Yeah. I’d always enjoyed action movies and enjoyed thriller novels, stuff like Michael Crichton, Tom Clancy, Robert Harris’s early stuff, especially Fatherland. I’d always enjoyed that sort of stuff. I just felt, though, that those books I was reading could be faster and could be bigger in scale. I figured that with a book you could do the most gigantic action imaginable because unlike a movie you don’t have to pay for it. So I’d always figured if I was going to tell stories, I’d tell action stories.
Robert Drew: This sounds strange, but one Saturday afternoon in my mid-twenties I was playing in the park with my two little sons when I had a sort of epiphany. A blazing notion. I thought, "I'm going to write novels." It was a sudden irresistible urge, so strong it was almost sexual, to write novels. Or maybe it was to be a novelist - not necessarily the same thing. Anyway I said to myself, "I'll do this." And on Monday morning I went in and resigned my job.
JP: I’ve also heard you say that quite a few projects or novels from your formative years as a writer haven’t seen the light of day and probably never will. Do you look at that time as an apprenticeship?
Sonya Hartnett: Well, you have to have some sort of talent for it, which people tend to forget. Not everyone assumes they could be a great painter or a great swimmer or a great musician, but they all assume they could be a great writer...
JP: When you were at a private boys school there was a pivotal point when you read Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye.
John Marsden: Yes, that’s right. That was a big influence, that sense of excitement as I read the opening pages thinking, ‘Oh, shit, this is unbelievable. Are you allowed to do this? I didn’t know you could do this’. It was almost a sense that it must be illegal, and I suddenly realised that you were allowed to do almost anything when it came to writing.
JP: In those early stages, how did you see yourself? Were you envisioning going down the action path anyway?
Matthew Reilly: Yeah. I’d always enjoyed action movies and enjoyed thriller novels, stuff like Michael Crichton, Tom Clancy, Robert Harris’s early stuff, especially Fatherland. I’d always enjoyed that sort of stuff. I just felt, though, that those books I was reading could be faster and could be bigger in scale. I figured that with a book you could do the most gigantic action imaginable because unlike a movie you don’t have to pay for it. So I’d always figured if I was going to tell stories, I’d tell action stories.
|
“Drawn to a keen edge, smart, resilent Lachlan Fox is a tough, savvy hero who takes the reader on a fast and furious ride through a complicated maze of timely political intrigue. James Phelan has earned a new avid fan.” Steve Berry |
|
The Lachlan Fox series
"An absolute must-read for fans of Clancy, Ludlum et al." Bookseller & Publisher. FOX HUNT (Hachette, 2006) would prove to be the story to propel Lachlan Fox and Alister Gammaldi into the world stage of successful international thriller characters. FOX HUNT is a bridging novel between the aftermath of the Cold War and the new era of globalisation and the War on Terror. It is a book that pays homage to the greats who have defined the genre and reflects the times we now find ourselves in. From Chechnya to New York, Venice to Washington, the storyline looks at the dangers of the Star Wars Missile Shield (aka Missile Defence), and the fragile reality of the remnants of the Cold War: political, military, and personal. Fox and Gammaldi must race against time before an ex-Soviet weapon is used by terrorists against the US. The publication meant James would leave his newspaper job, after five years there, to become a full-time novelist. "Of course, like all good thrillers, there are enough twists in Patriot Act’s plot to keep the reader guessing right up to the last page." The Age. PATRIOT ACT (Hachette, 2007) is the sequel to FOX HUNT and the second book in the Fox series, where we meet Lachlan Fox and Alister Gammaldi living in New York, working for the Global Syndicate of Reporters. This storyline involves rogue French agents attempting to hack into the NSA’s computers and Echelon system. It looks at the inherent dangers of communications and signals intelligence if it falls into the wrong hands, and centers around the “USA Partiot Act” introduced after the September 11th terrorist attacks. Ultimately, it is a story of love and betrayal, on both a personal and nationalistic front. This story introduced a love interest for Fox, as well as a CIA conspiracy that leads into the next novel. “Written at a breakneck pace using techniques such as filmic intercutting between alternating scenes that build towards a climax, Patriot Act almost owes more to the modern blockbuster action film, than to any literary heritage.” The Sydney Morning Herald. BLOOD OIL (Hachette, 2008) introduces a 3 book arc of antagonists in the form of UMBRA, a tale of friendship and redemption set in the chaotic scene of Nigeria. This is a dark tale for Fox as he battles his personal demons and what it means to seek out the truth at any cost. “Melbourne-based author James Phelan continues to redefine the often stale and cliche-ridden political thriller genre. The setting of his third novel is present-day Nigeria. Australian journalist Lachlan Fox is assigned to cover a devastating terrorist attack on an oil refinery, and the resulting turmoil on oil markets. The trail leads to a plot to overthrow the Nigerian government, take over the oil reserves, and eventually destabilise America. Although Blood Oil relies on conventional ingredients–Arab terrorists, corrupt politicians, ruthless Russian businessmen, a maverick ex-CIA agent, a gutsy hero, and an action climax–the author refreshingly re-invigorates them without resorting to the predictable political agenda of writers such as Tom Clancy and Vince Flynn. Because Phelan’s hero is an investigative journalist rather than a gung-ho Rambo type, the author seamlessly integrates factual background without interrupting the narrative flow, and injects a serious moral component usually missing in most thrillers. The genre is in safe hands–Phelan proves again that intelligent thriller is not necessarily an oxymoron.” Bookseller & Publisher. LIQUID GOLD (Hachette, 2009) sees Fox and Gammaldi uncovering a water crisis between India and Pakistan that has repercussions to the highest levels, all the while with the key characters questioning relationships, brotherhood, and faith against an intense deadline. “Melbourne-based Phelan churns out a pacy thriller, his third in a successful series starring Fox. Phelan’s techno-thriller is in the same league as Clive Cussler and Tom Clancy.” Sun Herald. RED ICE (Hachette 2010) is the first Fox novel to be set within a 24-hour time frame. From Paris to Shanghai, Fox must stop UMBRA from enacting the secret protocol attached to Russia’s 1867 sale of Alaska to the USA, in a thrilling story that concludes many of the themes and plots of the series to date. “From car chasers around the Eiffel Tower to black ops in Shanghai, James Phelan’s RED ICE runs a mean line in high-octane adventure. It is the fifth book in the Australian author’s Lachlan Fox thriller series and a case of practice makes perfect: Phelan has mastered the art of action-packed international espionage fiction. Fans of Clancy, Ludlum, Deighton, etc will find themselves quickly sucked in.” The Age. |
|
“Insider secrets and violent power plays fuel the exciting new international thriller by James Phelan. From dark alleys to elite board rooms, this tale will rivet you with its fresh take on global politics and the fascinating men and women who pull the strings.” Gayle Lynds
Research
As part of the research for the Fox series, James consults several active and retired military and intelligence personnel from Australia, the US, and UK. He regularly talks with journalists, investigators, police, and law enforcement personnel about the situations that he writes about.
"Deserves to be a huge success." The Manly Daily.
James has spoken at military bases around the globe, including the Royal Military Academy in Canberra, and the US Air Force Academy in Colorado.
“James takes his thriller-writing very seriously, and investigates his subjects with tenacity and a determination to bring serious issues to the public’s attention.” The Weekend Post.
As part of the research for the Fox series, James consults several active and retired military and intelligence personnel from Australia, the US, and UK. He regularly talks with journalists, investigators, police, and law enforcement personnel about the situations that he writes about.
"Deserves to be a huge success." The Manly Daily.
James has spoken at military bases around the globe, including the Royal Military Academy in Canberra, and the US Air Force Academy in Colorado.
“James takes his thriller-writing very seriously, and investigates his subjects with tenacity and a determination to bring serious issues to the public’s attention.” The Weekend Post.
|
|
|
|
Alone trilogy The ALONE trilogy for Young Adults, was published by Hachette in 2010-2011, with titles of CHASERS, SURVIVOR, and QUARANTINE. The trilogy follows 16-year-old Jesse in a post-apocalyptic war-zone of Manhattan, where for 21 days he must not only stay alive and avoid the infected, but will discover inner strength and resolve as he learns just what he can do… alone. "Alone conjures up a claustrophobic sense of menace." SFX Magazine UK. "The end of the world is apparently never far from teenage minds – and what more perfect fit for the teenage psyche than a heroic central character who is the sole survivor of the next apocalypse? So much cooler than just running away from home. Not since Z for Zachariah has an end-of-the-world diary-cum-first-person account been so gripping. Jesse is an Australian teenager on a school trip to New York when the subway crashes. He and three mates crawl out into a world of zombie survivors. The foursome set up camp in a restaurant at the Rockefeller Centre to figure out their next move. Its psychological, tense and the end comes out of the blue. Thank goodness – like all good modern teen fiction – it is the first in a trilogy." The West Australian. "Alone conjures up a claustrophobic sense of menace." SFX Magazine UK. |
 This Young Adult trilogy has resonated across the globe, as seen with young fan here, Marcus, at an Ohio school, 2015.
|
|
Public Speaking James spends three months months each year on book tours around the world. He regularly talks schools, from ages 5-18, as well as at universities and colleges. He has tutored literature and creative writing at several universities, at both undergraduate and post-graduate level. He is a regular guest speaker and workshop facilitator on the literary festival circuit. For booking information see his CONTACT page. |
|
|
"This one is definitely a hit." The Sunshine Coast Daily "Phelan, a Melbourne writer, understands his genre and works it with confidence." The Sydney Morning Herald. “This author has put in a finely honed story which proves the thriller genre is alive… Can’t wait for the next one.” Sunday Times. |
The Last Thirteen
"An awesome, exciting book that is full of suspense." Herald Sun.
Aimed at a Middle Grade readership of 7-14, THE LAST THIRTEEN is comprised of serialised novels and designed to be read in sequence counting down from titles "13" to "1". This 13-book series, published by Scholastic, started the premise of "What if your dreams started coming true?" and then "What if you could control those dreams... but then what if someone else could?" Each book introduces a new character to work with our protagonist, Sam, as well as a new international setting, and ever-increasing revelations, tension, twists and turns as our thirteen teenagers battle it out for the control of our dream world. Scholastic bills the series as: “Inception meets The Da Vinci Code in this new series from the publisher of the worldwide bestselling 39 Clues!”
"With epic action, mystery, twists and turns, and epic cliffhangers, you won’t be able to put it down. This series is great for teens of all ages." Gold Coast Bulletin.
The Jed Walker series
His latest high-concept suspense series features some fan-favourite Fox spin-off characters and introduces the world to a new character, Jed Walker. The first Walker novel, THE SPY, was published in 2013, and its sequels, THE HUNTED 2015, and KILL SWITCH in 2016, Dark Heart 2017. The Agency was published in 2018, and is a prequel, set ten years before the events of THE SPY, when Walker is just starting out as a CIA officer. A sequel, AMERICAN AGENT, was written in 2020 and is coming soon.
"The Spy is the first Jed Walker thriller by James Phelan, author of the Lachlan Fox action series. It’s a corker, arguably Phelan’s best bit of genre fiction yet, and, with a fillip from Lee Child on the cover, it is bound to appeal to anyone who wants their tough guys to be just that. Walker is an ex-CIA operative intent on restoring his name with the agency that has disowned him. He is a man on a mission to save the world from a secret terrorist scourge. A shadowy organisation known as Zodiac has hatched 12 terrorist plots against targets around the globe, each operated by a sleeper cell activated by the successful completion of a terrorist act. Only Walker can track them down and he is on a tight deadline to do it. Phelan writes in swift, gritty prose, never wasting a word. His action sequences are vivid and suspenseful, drawing you right in, and he has mastered a forbidding array of intelligence and military jargon. It’s a hard-knuckle post-bin Laden terrorist thriller, an espionage novel with grunt." The Sydney Morning Herald.
His latest high-concept suspense series features some fan-favourite Fox spin-off characters and introduces the world to a new character, Jed Walker. The first Walker novel, THE SPY, was published in 2013, and its sequels, THE HUNTED 2015, and KILL SWITCH in 2016, Dark Heart 2017. The Agency was published in 2018, and is a prequel, set ten years before the events of THE SPY, when Walker is just starting out as a CIA officer. A sequel, AMERICAN AGENT, was written in 2020 and is coming soon.
"The Spy is the first Jed Walker thriller by James Phelan, author of the Lachlan Fox action series. It’s a corker, arguably Phelan’s best bit of genre fiction yet, and, with a fillip from Lee Child on the cover, it is bound to appeal to anyone who wants their tough guys to be just that. Walker is an ex-CIA operative intent on restoring his name with the agency that has disowned him. He is a man on a mission to save the world from a secret terrorist scourge. A shadowy organisation known as Zodiac has hatched 12 terrorist plots against targets around the globe, each operated by a sleeper cell activated by the successful completion of a terrorist act. Only Walker can track them down and he is on a tight deadline to do it. Phelan writes in swift, gritty prose, never wasting a word. His action sequences are vivid and suspenseful, drawing you right in, and he has mastered a forbidding array of intelligence and military jargon. It’s a hard-knuckle post-bin Laden terrorist thriller, an espionage novel with grunt." The Sydney Morning Herald.
Other writing
James has written for a variety of newspapers and magazines, having worked at The Age from 2000-2006, and has contributed to short story anthologies and serialised novels, including: GRIFFITH REVIEW: THE NEXT BIG THING (2006), THROUGH THE CLOCK'S WORKINGS (SYDNEY UNI PRESS, 2009), HERDING KITES (AFFIRM PRESS, 2009), PICTURE THIS (Penguin, 2010), THE COPPER BRACELET, and WATCHLIST (Audible/ Vanguard, 2010), the GET READING! anthology (2011), and UNICEF: REACHING OUT (ABC Books 2013). In 2019 he co-wrote a book with James Frey.
James has written for a variety of newspapers and magazines, having worked at The Age from 2000-2006, and has contributed to short story anthologies and serialised novels, including: GRIFFITH REVIEW: THE NEXT BIG THING (2006), THROUGH THE CLOCK'S WORKINGS (SYDNEY UNI PRESS, 2009), HERDING KITES (AFFIRM PRESS, 2009), PICTURE THIS (Penguin, 2010), THE COPPER BRACELET, and WATCHLIST (Audible/ Vanguard, 2010), the GET READING! anthology (2011), and UNICEF: REACHING OUT (ABC Books 2013). In 2019 he co-wrote a book with James Frey.
