Biography
Ξ March 8th, 2007 | → | ∇ Uncategorized |
Photo Copyright Andy Baker.
First appeared in The Australian, Weekend magazine.
James Phelan was born on the 21st of May, 1979, in Melbourne, Australia. His creative spirit was nurtured from a young age, and he credits his overactive imagination to being exposed to such works as The Hobbit, Treasure Island, The Jungle Book, and The Little Prince.
As a teenager James discovered a love of thrillers, of being entertained and informed on topical global events. James cites influences from reading such authors as Alistair MacLean, Clive Cussler, Jeffery Archer, Ken Follett, Tom Clancy, Jack Higgins, Robert Ludlum, John LeCarre, and Jeffery Deaver.
In 1995, aged fifteen, James started his first novel for his VCE English assignment. A thriller involving a terrorist attack on the 2000 Sydney Olympics, James eventually abandoned the storyline when Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six was published in 1998. While this storyline died, the lead protagonists of Lachlan Fox and Alister Gammaldi did not, and James went in search of another introductory tale.
After high school James went on to study in Architecture, and then English Literature, eventually graduating with a Master of Arts in Writing. During his masters degree James developed the idea that would become his first published book, and would lead to seeing his novels in print.
Literati: Australian Contemporary Literary Figure Discuss Fear, Frustrations and Fame was published to critical acclaim in August 2005, by John Wiley & Sons. Comprising 21 candid interviews with key Australian authors and publishing figures, Literati answered many questions for would-be writers, those in the industry, and readers with a keen interest in the writing and publishing process.
FOX HUNT would prove to be the story to propel Lachlan Fox and Alister Gammaldi into the world stage of successful international thriller characters. First published in Australia and New Zealand in August 2006, FOX HUNT is a bridging novel between the aftermath of the Cold War and the new era of globalisation and 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.
PATRIOT ACT is the sequel to FOX HUNT and second book in the Lachlan Fox series, published in August 2007. Lachlan Fox and Alister Gammaldi are 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. 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” which resulted from 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, BLOOD OIL, to be published August 2008.
James is currently focused on the Lachlan Fox thriller series. As part of the research for this series, he consults several active and retired members of the Australian Defence Force, as well as journalists and NGO personnel that have experienced some of what he writes about.
James lives in Melbourne, and is working on several other writing projects. He has attended the following professional development courses:
John Marsden’s Eighth Tye Estate Writers’ Conference, 2003
Louise Zaetta’s Queenscliff Writers’ Workshop, 2004
Robert McKee’s Story Seminar, 2004
James is a member of the following writing organisations:
Victorian Writers’ Centre
New South Wales Writers’ Centre
New South Wales Writers’ Centre
Australian Fellowship of Writers
Australian Society of Authors
International Thriller Writers
